Australian Open travel: tickets, stays and transport

Australian Open travel is easiest when you pick your ticket first, then your bed, then your route to Melbourne Park. The 2024 tournament begins on Sunday 14 January, and the first days are only nine days away. A ground pass is the cheap way in. It covers most of the grounds but not the two biggest show courts.

This guide covers what each ticket gets you, the days to avoid, where to sleep and how to get to the gates.

Sources for this section: Tennis Australia, Early Bird Ground Passes for AO 2024 (1 November 2023).

Ground pass or show court

Most visitors start with a ground pass. Tennis Australia says it gives access to most of Melbourne Park. It does not cover Rod Laver Arena or Margaret Court Arena. The same notice says it can take you almost everywhere else, including some of the other stadiums, such as John Cain Arena.

That still leaves a lot of tennis. A ground pass also lets you watch the big screens at Garden Square and the Grand Slam Oval.

The Early Bird price for a ground pass started at A$19. That offer ended on 30 November. After that, Tennis Australia lists ground passes at A$49.

If you want a reserved seat in Rod Laver Arena or Margaret Court Arena, you need a separate ticket for that session. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster. Seats in the John Cain Arena part of a ground pass are first come, first served.

There is one more trick. Ticketmaster runs a box office under Rod Laver Arena. Tennis Australia says it sometimes releases seats on the day, so it can be worth asking when you arrive. A seat there can also give you shade, which helps in January heat.

Sources for this section: Tennis Australia, Early Bird Ground Passes for AO 2024 (1 November 2023); Tennis Australia, What a ground pass covers (22 November 2023); Tennis Australia, Tips for getting around AO 2024 (20 December 2023).

The days to avoid, or pick

Tennis Australia names the busiest days. The middle Saturday is the busiest of all. It is followed by the middle Sunday, the Australia Day public holiday and the opening days. If you hate crowds, pick a weekday in the first week instead.

Plan for the heat as well. Pack a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle. Shade is not easy to find on the outside courts. Garden Square has a new shade canopy this year, which makes it a calm spot to sit and eat. The Grand Slam Oval is mainly for food and drink.

You do not need an arena ticket to use the concourses around Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena. They have food stalls, toilets and an AO shop. Tennis Australia says they can be a faster way to cross the grounds than the outside paths.

Sources for this section: Tennis Australia, Tips for getting around AO 2024 (20 December 2023).

Where to stay

Stay close to Flinders Street Station. It is the hub for trains and trams, and it sits at the edge of the walk to the tennis. Tennis Australia says the walk from Flinders Street Station to the grounds takes about nine minutes by way of Birrarung Marr and Tanderrum Bridge. That route also skips much of the crowd at the busiest entrance.

A bed in the city centre means you can leave a night session on foot or by tram, and you do not need a car. If you stay further out, check how late your train or tram runs. Night sessions can end late, and Tennis Australia says tram queues at Garden Square can be long after them.

Book early. We do not have a price to quote for 2024, so check live rates before you decide.

Sources for this section: Tennis Australia, Tips for getting around AO 2024 (20 December 2023).

Getting to Melbourne Park by tram and train

The tennis shuttle is the simple choice. In recent years, Public Transport Victoria has let Australian Open ticket holders ride Route 70 and Route 70a trams for free. The free ride runs between Stop D6 at Flinders Street West and Stop 7C at the MCG Gates 4 to 7 and John Cain Arena stop. You must carry your ticket. Route 70a adds extra trams on top of the normal Route 70 service. In 2022 these ran from 8.45am to 1.15am.

Those details come from the 2022 notice, which is the latest we could confirm in print. Public Transport Victoria publishes a fresh notice before each tournament, so check it for the 2024 times and stops.

You still need a valid myki for other trips. The 2022 notice says a myki is required for trains, buses and regional services to or from the tournament. It is also required on trams, except for journeys within the Free Tram Zone. A visitor who gets a myki before arrival will not have to hunt for one at the station.

Route 246 buses also run close to Melbourne Park. If you take a train, the options are Flinders Street, Jolimont or Richmond stations, then a short walk or tram.

Sources for this section: Public Transport Victoria, Public transport for the Australian Open 2022 (17 January 2022); Tennis Australia, Tips for getting around AO 2024 (20 December 2023).

Entrances and getting home

Pick your gate with care. The Garden Square entrance is the busiest, but it is not always the fastest. It is also the only direct step-free path, unless you are dropped off at the Grand Slam Oval entrance. If you need an accessible route, plan for that.

To get home after a night session, think before you join the tram queue. Tennis Australia says walking out through Garden Square, or heading to Batman Avenue from the Grand Slam Oval entrance, may be quicker if you are going back to the city. A short walk can beat a long wait.

The tournament also has a free digital map, called the AO24 eXplorer, on the AO app and website. It shows walking routes, time and distance around the grounds, and you can add stops such as a food stall or the AO shop. You can share a route with friends using a QR code.

Sources for this section: Tennis Australia, Tips for getting around AO 2024 (20 December 2023).

A simple plan

• Tickets: buy a ground pass if you want to roam. Add a reserved seat only for the one session you cannot miss.
• Day: pick a weekday in week one over the middle weekend.
• Stay: book near Flinders Street Station and plan to walk.
• Getting there: carry your ticket for the free Route 70 and 70a trams, and keep a myki for everything else.
• Check: read the latest Public Transport Victoria and Tennis Australia notices before you go.

Sources for this section: all sources listed below.

Sources

1. Tennis Australia, Early Bird Ground Passes for AO 2024 (1 November 2023): ausopen.com
2. Tennis Australia, What a ground pass covers (22 November 2023): ausopen.com
3. Tennis Australia, Tips for getting around AO 2024 (20 December 2023): ausopen.com
4. Public Transport Victoria, Public transport for the Australian Open 2022 (17 January 2022): ptv-news.transportvic.me