Melbourne & Olympic Park packs an extraordinary amount of Melbourne’s sporting identity into one precinct beside the Yarra River. Just east of the CBD, you’ve got Rod Laver Arena, John Cain Arena, Margaret Court Arena, AAMI Park, dozens of tennis courts and the legacy of the Olympic Games.
What makes it worth coming here isn’t one stadium, but the concentration of sporting history. You can walk from a Grand Slam venue towards the MCG, passing arenas used for tennis, football and rugby without straying far from central Melbourne.
Why It Deserves A Place On Your Itinerary
Start With The Tennis Heartland
The CBD side at Melbourne Park is where I’d begin, right in the precinct that hosts the Australian Open.
The Main Arena
Rod Laver Arena is the centrepiece: approximately 15,000 seats, the main Australian Open stadium and one of the world’s best-known Grand Slam venues. It’s also used for live music and major entertainment.
Without a ticket, keep expectations realistic. The value isn’t simply in looking at the arena from the outside; it’s in seeing Rod Laver Arena as part of the enormous complex of competition courts, practice facilities, and neighbouring venues that support one of the world’s biggest tennis tournaments.
Beyond The Centrepiece
Nearby, Margaret Court Arena seats around 7,500 spectators and has a retractable roof that can open in under five minutes. The precinct also contains John Cain Arena, the National Tennis Centre and 5,000-seat Kia Arena.
Don’t turn these into a stadium checklist. I’d walk through the precinct as a whole unless you’re attending an event. During the Australian Open, Ground Pass and arena tickets provide varying access to courts and event areas, subject to ticket conditions and capacity.
Follow The Sporting Corridor
Along Olympic Boulevard, the precinct begins to shift away from its heavy focus on tennis
The Architectural Standout
AAMI Park, formerly Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, is the venue I’d pay most attention to from outside. Its distinctive roof gives the roughly 30,000-seat stadium a strong architectural identity, while football, Rugby Union, rugby league and other sporting matches give it a different role from Melbourne Park.
For anyone interested in architecture as well as sport, I’d spend more time here than circling every tennis arena.
Where Everyday Sport Takes Over
Olympic Park Oval and nearby Gosch’s Paddock bring everything back to everyday sport, with professional athletes and recreational users sharing parts of an area otherwise dominated by major venues.
That contrast matters. Olympic Parks isn’t simply an event district that becomes irrelevant when the stadiums are empty.
The Olympic Story Behind It
The 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games explain the Olympic name, but there’s an important distinction: the MCG, not the former Olympic Stadium within Olympic Park, was the principal stadium of those Games.
To me, the precinct is more interesting as an evolving sporting landscape than a preserved Olympic site. Old facilities disappeared, new arenas replaced them, and Melbourne Park expanded around the Australian Open.
You’re not visiting an Olympic museum; you’re seeing a piece of Melbourne’s sporting history that’s still being used.
Turn It Into A Bigger City Walk
Olympic Parks works best, in my view, as part of a walk rather than an isolated destination:
Birrarung Marr → Melbourne Park → Rod Laver Arena → Olympic Boulevard → AAMI Park → MCG
From the CBD, cross towards Melbourne Park via Tanderrum Bridge, then follow Olympic Boulevard towards AAMI Park and the MCG. There’s little backtracking, and the route moves naturally from tennis into Melbourne’s wider sporting precinct.
Not particularly interested in stadiums? Return along the Yarra River instead, adding river views and parkland rather than simply retracing the arenas.
Planning Your Visit
Melbourne & Olympic Parks is free to explore on foot. From the CBD, my preference would be to walk via Birrarung Marr and Tanderrum Bridge; the alternative is tram 70 along Olympic Boulevard.
| Experience | Price | Allow |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Parks walk | Free | 45–60 min |
| Olympic Parks + MCG + Yarra River | Free | 1.5–2 hrs |
| AO27 Opening Week Ground Pass | from $10 AUD | Half day |
| AO27 Ground Pass | from $49 AUD | Half–full day |
| Margaret Court / John Cain Arena | from $69 AUD | Session |
| Rod Laver Arena | from $85 AUD | Session |
| AO27 7-Day Ground Pass | from $99 AUD | Up to 7 days |
For the Australian Open, I’d consider the Ground Pass before paying for a reserved arena seat: it includes access to the outdoor courts and the wider tournament precinct, while John Cain Arena offers unreserved seating, subject to capacity.
Australian Open 2027 starting prices are in AUD and current as at 2 September 2026. Prices can change with demand.
