Melbourne Park
Melbourne Park is a sporting arena in
Melbourne,
Victoria,
Australia. It is located by the
Yarra River near the southeast corner of the
central business district.Melbourne Park is a part of the sporting and entertainment precinct that also includes
Olympic Park and
Yarra Park. It is the home of the annual
Australian Open tennis tournament, which is played each year in January and February. The venue was the home of the
Melbourne Tigers basketball team, and can be adapted to host
ice skating,
cycling or even some
motorsport events.
While it is best known for being a tennis venue, Melbourne Park also plays host to a number of other sports and musical events throughout the year. The venue tends to be used by more popular international performers, as it is the largest the city has to offer, excluding the
Telstra Dome in the
Docklands and the nearby
Melbourne Cricket Ground, which are both hugely expensive. Since its inception, Melbourne Park has played host to
Pearl Jam,
Céline Dion and
Neil Diamond, among many others. The
Two Tribes dance and
Livid alternative rock festivals are also held there annually.
Melbourne Park was built in
1988 as a new venue to host the Australian Open, as Kooyong, the previous venue, had become too small. It was originally known as the
National Tennis Centre at
Flinders Park until
1996, when then-
Premier Jeff Kennett decided to rename it Melbourne Park, mainly to advertise the name "Melbourne" to a wide international audience. The decision was met with strong opposition, and was compared by some to renaming the
Roland Garros stadium (home to the
French Open in
Paris) "Paris Park". However, over the years, it has grown to be accepted by the Melburnian community, and the name is rarely questioned now.
Fomerly known as Centre Court,
Rod Laver Arena has a capacity of 15 000, and has a retractable roof. The second largest court is
Vodafone Arena (formerly known as the Multi-Purpose Venue), which was opened in 2000. It has a capacity of 10 500, and also has a retractable roof. There are also three show courts, with the former Show Court 1 now named the
Margaret Court Arena.
Melbourne Park is adjacent to the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Yarra Park, and there are several pedestrian bridges linking the two across the separating railway lines. The park is five minutes walk from
Richmond and
Jolimont railway stations, and five minutes from the city centre by
tram (
route 70) or ten minutes by foot.
Image:Rod Laver Arena.jpg|Rod Laver Arena, exterior (formerly Centre Court)Image:Inside Rod Laver Arena.JPG|interior, during the 2006 Australian OpenImage:Vodafone arena.jpeg|Vodafone Arena, interior, roof closedImage:Henman v Tursunov court twilight Australian Open 2006 .JPG|Margaret Court Arena (formerly Show Court 1)*
Melbourne and Olympic Parks official website*
Australian Open official website
