Warehouseman's Ground, Melbourne: 1905, 1911, 1914, 1924

In 1905, the Warehouseman's Cricket Club Ground (later known as Albert Cricket Ground) in St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, hosted the first Australasian Championships (since 1922 - the Australian Open). The first competition was hosted under the auspices of the Melbourne Cricket Club and later the Lawn Tennis Association of Victoria State.

Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand: 1906

The second edition of the Australasian Championships was held on 12 courts in Christchurch, New Zealand. Due to the prevalence of clover in the grass, many tennis players suffered from annoying falls, sometimes several times during a match. The tournament winner was the local champion and favorite Anthony WILDING.

Auchenflower, Brisbane: 1907, 1915

Cricket Ground and Double Bay Grounds, Sydney: 1908, 1919

In 1908, the tournament was played at both the Sydney Cricket Ground and the Double Bay Grounds. In 1919, competition resumed after a four-year absence due to World War I. This time, the Australasian Championships (now the Australian Open) and International Lawn Tennis Challenge (now the Davis Cup) were held only at the Double Bay Grounds, a suburb of Sydney.

Perth Zoo, Perth (tennis courts were hired out): 1909

In 1909, the Zoological Gardens courts – now known as the Main Lawn – hosted the 5th Australasian Championships after South Australia withdrew from the tournament. The Perth Zoo courts were the best in Western Australia at the time. They had the added benefit of being accessible and able to accommodate large crowds. For this reason, the event was scheduled for a bank holiday weekend in October to maximize attendance.

Adelaide Oval, Adelaide: 1910, 1920

The site is primarily used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also hosted rugby and soccer. The area around Adelaide Oval has long been used for tennis since the late 1800s. Still, a new complex, Memorial Drive, was later established for this purpose. In 1923, a clubhouse and grandstand were established, and the northern grandstand was constructed from the former tennis grandstand at Adelaide Oval, which had been dismantled and reassembled near its original location.

Hastings, New Zealand: 1912

The only Australian Open at Hastings began on 30 December 1912, in fine weather. The crowd was so large that more seating had to be hastily arranged to accommodate it. Only New Zealand and English players took part in the tournament, as the Australian tennis stars, as well as local champion Anthony Wilding, had not returned from Europe in time. The finals were to be concluded on 1 January 1913. Still, as the New Year’s races were held on that day in Hastings, the matches were postponed to 2 January.

Mueller Park (Kitchener Park in 1916-1981), Perth: 1913, 1921

In 1916, Mueller Park changed its name to Kitchener Park due to wartime patriotic fervor.

White City Stadium, Sydney: 1922, 1925, 1928, 1931, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1947, 1951, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1971

White City Stadium in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, was built in 1922 for the New South Wales Championships. In the same year, the stadium held the Australasian Championships (now Australian Open). The Centre Court, with its natural grass surface, seated 8,000 people, but with the use of temporary grandstands, the capacity of the main arena could be increased to as high as 25,000 as it was when the Davis Cup final was played at the venue in 1954. In 1962, Rod LAVER won the Australian Open and started his way to his first Grand Slam. In 1970, Margaret COURT won the singles title for her third Grand Slam. From 1922 until 2000, the tennis complex was home to the NSW Open (now Mediabank International, one of the essential tennis tournaments in the Australian Open Series) before it was moved to the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre at Homebush.

Milton Courts, Brisbane: 1923, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1969

The Milton Tennis Centre at Frew Park, Milton Road, Queensland, was opened in 1915. The tennis complex consisted of four grass courts and 19 hard courts. The main arena seated 7,000 people and had a grass surface. In 1969, Rod LAVER won the Australian Open here, the first tournament where professionals were allowed. It was the first of four titles that led Laver to his second calendar Grand Slam. In 1999, the venue closed due to heavy financial losses.

Memorial Drive, Adelaide: 1926, 1929, 1932, 1936, 1938, 1946, 1949, 1952, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1967

The courts at Memorial Drive Park, Adelaide, were opened in October 1921, after the South Australian Lawn Tennis Association leased about six acres of ground in the South Park Lands between Goodwood and the Bay Roads for 21 years. The main arena with a grass surface (now the central court has a hard surface) seats 6,000 people. Here, in 1938, Donald BUDGE took the first step to the first Grand Slam in tennis history. Since 2009, the World Tennis Challenge (an exhibition tournament held the week before the Australian Open) has been played at Memorial Drive.

Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, Melbourne: 1927, 1930, 1933, 1935, 1939, 1948, 1950, 1953, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1968, 1972-1987

In 1927, Kooyong Stadium at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne opened and hosted the Australian Open. The tennis complex consisted of twenty grass courts. The main arena (now a hard-court surface) has a capacity of 8,500. In 1953, Maureen CONNOLLY won the Australian Open here and became the first woman to complete a calendar Grand Slam. From 1972 until 1987, Kooyong became the Australian Open's permanent home for the first time in tournament history. Since 1988, each January before the Australian Open, Kooyong has hosted the AAMI Classic, a tennis exhibition tournament featuring singles-only matches.

Melbourne Park (Flinders Park in 1988-1996), Melbourne: 1988 - present

In 1988, the Australian Open moved to the new National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, Melbourne (renamed Melbourne Park in 1996), because Kooyong, the previous venue, had become too small. This year was lucky for Steffi GRAF, who won the last single Grand Slam in tennis history. The tennis complex now consists of Rod Laver Arena (formerly Centre Court), John Cain Arena (formerly Hisense Arena), three show courts including Margaret Court Arena, indoor tennis practice courts, and 19 outdoor tennis courts with lighting.

Melbourne Park Grounds Map

Rod Laver Arena

Rod Laver Arena is the main tennis stadium at Melbourne Park with a seating capacity of 14,820. In January 2000, the stadium, formerly known simply as Center Court, was renamed in honor of Rod Laver, a two-time owner of the Grand Slam. From 1988 until 2007, the official surface of the Australian Open was green Rebound Ace, a tennis hardcourt composed of polyurethane rubber, fiberglass, and other materials, laid on an asphalt or reinforced concrete base. In 2008, organizers changed the surface to Plexicushion, a bright blue color. The Arena features a movable roof allowing players to continue playing during rain or extreme heat.

Rod Laver Arena Seating Map

Sections 1 to 24 (lower tier) are the places closest to the court to provide the best view of the court.

Sections 1-3, 23, 24 (North) and 11-15 (South) are located directly behind the baseline and behind the players, making them the best choice for true tennis fans, offering a player's-eye view of the court.

Sections 4-10 and 16-22 show a side view of the court.

Sections from 25 to 65 (upper tier) provide an elevated, panoramic view of the court, allowing you to follow the ball easily. While further away than the lower tier, these seats provide a better overall view of the court.

John Cain Arena

John Cain Arena was completed and opened in 2000. It was originally called the Multi-Purpose Venue, then Vodafone Arena, after the naming rights were sold to Vodafone, and in 2008, the stadium was renamed Hisense Arena after a multi-million-dollar, six-year deal. The venue has a fixed seating capacity of 4,500, with raiseable, retractable and removable seating that increases the arena capacity to 10,500. The court features a Plexicushion surface and a retractable roof, enabling all-weather play during tournament competition. In December 2020, the arena was renamed "John Cain Arena" in honor of the late State Premier of Victoria.

John Cain Arena Seating Map

Lower-tier sections (1-34) provide you with a closer look at the action.

The upper sections offer panoramic views of the court, allowing spectators to fully control the game.

Sections 17-20 and 43-48 offer consistent shade in the afternoon. West sideline seats (usually on the right side) get shaded later in the day, while the east side gets afternoon sun.

With a Ground Pass, you can access unreserved seating at John Cain Arena, generally in the upper tiers.