Australia, the ultimate travel destination for sport lovers

If it’s outdoors, commands athleticism, involves a ball, draws a crowd, is fast, skilful or just nail biting to watch, then it’s a safe bet Australians are into it. That would make it sport, the unofficial lifeblood of the nation.

Australians seem to have an innate inclination towards sport – playing it, enthusing about it, and cheering it on from the sidelines.

For a country with a comparatively small population of 21 million, Australia punches above its weight in the international sporting arena – be it in swimming or golf, netball or cricket, tennis or surfing.

Having hosted the Olympic Games twice and the Commonwealth Games four times, with the Gold Coast set to play host in 2018, Australia is also home to some of the world’s most prestigious annual sporting events. It makes a compelling argument for sports lovers to time their Australian travel plans to coincide with a world class display of physical prowess and skill.

Tennis fans can catch the first grand slam of the year at the Australian Open, held in Melbourne each January. Warm-up tournaments in Perth and Sydney get both players and spectators in the zone.
Summer is also peak season for cricket. Around the country, test matches and one-day tournaments unfold at iconic cricket grounds, from the MCG in Melbourne to the Sydney Cricket Ground, Perth’s WACA and Brisbane’s Gabba. Every other year the Ashes Test Series is contested between Australia and England. The Boxing Day Test at the MCG is considered in many circles the best possible recovery from the excesses of Christmas.

Surfing aficionados from around the world converge on Victoria’s Bells Beach each Easter to surf the famous break and compete for big prize money at the Rip Curl Pro. It’s Australia’s longest running and most prestigious professional surfing event. Sydney’s Manly Beach is home to the Australian Open of Surfing, a free nine-day beachside festival held in February featuring ASP surf events, skateboarding competitions, live concerts, art and fashion.

The business of knocking a small white ball down long grassy fairways is given due regard in Australia, the place many of the world’s top golfers call home. The Australasian Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour attracts professional golfers from around the world. Events – played at first rate courses from Perth’s Lake Karrinyup to Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne – include the Perth International, Australian Masters, Emirates Australian Open, Heritage Classic and Coca Cola Australian PGA Championship.

Greater speeds are reached at motor racing events, the pinnacle of which is the Formula 1 Grand Prix held in Melbourne each March. Crowds of 300,000 turn out for the event. The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is held each October at Victoria’s Phillip Island. A gentler two-wheel pace is set, with just as much action, at the Santos Tour Down Under, the first stop on the world’s cycling calendar held each January in South Australia.

The Santos Tour Down Under is more than a cycle race, with a range of associated events and festivals that create a massive party atmosphere across South Australia. The event starts and finishes with exciting Adelaide city street circuits, with Stages 1-5 held in regional South Australia.