The city plays host to international tennis, Formula 1, Aussie Rules, and cricket, and also has some of the world’s best casinos in its city centre.
For anybody who likes holidays with a bit of adventure, nightlife, and top-class international and domestic sporting events, Melbourne surely has to be one of the best destinations in the world.
The city plays host to international tennis, Formula 1, Aussie Rules, and cricket, and also has some of the world’s best casinos in its city centre. Put short: there is something in the city for anybody who loves a bit of adventure, or exciting nightlife.
World class casinos
Casino favourites such as roulette and numerous slot games have become increasingly popular globally in the last couple of decades, thanks to the rise of internet gambling. Maybe you first played at an online casino in the Netherlands, where you could access slot games like Wolf Gold, Gemini or Larry the Leprechaun, among other titles in the live casino category. Or perhaps you're from the UK and have been enjoying the country's booming gambling industry for some time. Well, while travelling in Melbourne you might choose to put that experience into practice.
Melbourne hosts some of the best casinos in the world. Set on the banks of the Yarra River, you can indulge in one of the many casinos dotted along the river’s edge, playing your favourite games such as craps, pontoon, roulette, or any of the hundreds of slots games.
International sporting events
This is an area that Melbourne excels in. How many cities around the world can boast a Formula One Grand Prix, a Grand Slam Tennis event, and Test match cricket? There are not too many countries that can boast that never mind a city!
Planning your trip is essential here. Test cricket is played at the iconic MCG in late December. It’s an annual fixture, known and marketed as the Boxing Day Test Match. Anybody still in town a couple of weeks later can then take in the tennis. Starting in mid-January, the Australian Open is another annual event. It is also one of just four tennis grand slam tournaments held around the world. Such is the closeness in dates of the Boxing Day Test and the Australian Open, it is possible to combine both events within a trip to Melbourne.
Unfortunately, fitting the Australian Grand Prix in isn’t as easy. Grand Prix dates do vary (unlike the cricket and tennis Melbourne hosts), meaning it doesn’t always fit into that schedule. In 2022, the race was in April, so it’s unlikely to be easy to bag this particular hat-trick of events in one visit.
Domestic sporting events
As well as hosting internationally renowned events, Melbourne also has two cricket teams in the Australian Big Bash League and is home to legendary Aussie Rules teams (AFL), Collingwood and St Kilda. The AFL doesn’t start until March, so a bit like the Formula 1 Grand Prix, it might be a struggle to fit it into a holiday itinerary.
But for any fans of Australian domestic cricket, the Big Bash League takes place across the Christmas and New Year periods. This means a night watching the Melbourne Stars or the Melbourne Renegades playing cricket is possible during a December to January holiday.
Melbourne has something for anybody who loves casinos or sports. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, something is going on in the city that can justify calling itself the sporting capital of the world.
