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. Since 1988 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, concerts, cycling and even swimming and 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 Kiss (performed 3 sold out shows in 1997),Madonna, Pearl Jam, Kylie Minogue, Dixie Chicks, Céline Dion and Neil Diamond, among many others. The Two Tribes dance and Livid alternative rock festivals are also held there annually.

History
Melbourne Park was built in 1988 beside the Jolimont Yards 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 Roland Garros Stadium (home to the French Open in Paris) "Paris Park". However, over the years, it has become accepted by the Melbourne community.