While the average tennis fan will pay around $200 to watch the biggest matches at the Australian Open, the mega-rich and mega-famous are kicking in more than $30,000 to gain access to the tournament's most exclusive club and the level of luxury they get. Access to is stunning.
The super-exclusive Club 1905, named after the year the Open was first played, is home to high-net-worth individuals: the super-rich and their corporate masters, who get access to impressive seats, food, drinks and treatment for their enormous outlay.
Benefits of spending at least $32,240 on membership include a ticket to every game in the tournament, and when the biggest games are held on center court at Rod Laver Arena, the highest-flyers sit in the best seats in the house in or near the front row.
It's where several large corporations based in Australia and Asia block off sections of seating throughout the tournament to entertain guests, with unrivaled views of the action while sitting almost within reach of the stars just behind the baseline.
Rumor has it that official TV cameras at the stadium are told not to film those seating areas, offering VIPs a level of privacy that other big names at games, such as movie and sports stars, don't have. access.
Members can also relax in an outdoor bar and lounge overlooking the picturesque Garden Square area of Melbourne Park.
Club 1905 (pictured) is the ultra-luxurious new addition to the Australian Open, with a membership fee of more than $32,000.
The opulent Open experience features 350 courses from two of Australia's top chefs, bottomless champagne and high-flying corporate company.
Passes like this guarantee tennis fans the best experience at Melbourne Park
Away from the pitch, the new Club 1905 is housed in a purpose-built pavilion and offers one of the best dining experiences at any Australian sporting event.
Three-course lunches and dinners are created by acclaimed chefs Martin Benn and Viki Wild, whose offerings include five a la carte menus with a total of 350 dishes such as caramelized Japanese radish, feta cheese and shiso vinaigrette.
VVIPs can wash down their meals with unlimited Piper-Heidsieck champagne and Gray Goose martinis after passing through the lobby and reception area with its eight-meter-high walls.
When Daily Mail Australia visited this year, guests included restaurateur Jason Woods and former Liberal Party federal vice president Teena McQueen, plus other very wealthy names.
Also in the first section of Rod Laver Arena, where Club 1905 members watch the action, are the biggest name celebrities, who can be seen occupying the first four rows.
Pictured: Some of the best seats in the stadium are located on the playing surface itself, and you'll find them filled with famous faces.
Celebrities such as Bec Judd and her husband, football legend Chris (pictured at this year's Open) regularly occupy the ground level benches.
Pictured: Best seats in the house, located in section one of Rod Laver Stadium, directly behind the baseline. It is rumored that TV cameras have been told not to film part of this area as it contains super rich VIPs who are not well known to the public.
Australia's tennis boss and corporate supreme, Jayne Hrdlicka, has the vantage point with an incredible view of the court and also her own private digital screen to follow the action in greater detail.
In the first night session of this year's tournament, fans in the first four rows included Rebel Wilson and his new wife Ramona, Melbourne mayor Nicholas Reece, Dannii Minoque, plus The Project presenter Waleed Aly and his wife Susan Carland.
Collingwood captain Darcy Moore and teammate Pat Lipinski, Nadia Bartel, former Miss Universe Australia Olivia Molly Rogers, former Masterchef judge Matt Preston and former ABC News Breakfast presenter Michael Rowland and his wife Felicity were also there front and center.
They watched defending champion Aryna Sabalenka defeat American Sloane Stephens, but despite the incredible spot, most of them had left midway through the next match between Alexander Zverev and Lucas Pouille.
Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon took the coveted section one seats during last year's men's singles final.
Anthony Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon were also sitting in that area when the crowd booed him in last year's men's singles final, and family, friends and staff of the players also sit in the section if they fail to make the final. . The new and controversial groups of Open coaches.
To give you an idea of their value, the seats behind them were going for around $6,000 each for the 2024 men's and women's finals.
This year, Bec Judd and her great husband, Chris, got one step closer to the players when they got seats placed on the playing surface itself, along with a handful of other high-profile guests.
However, last year Judd found out the hard way that super-exclusive banks don't necessarily guarantee you'll be with the crème de la crème of Australian business, sports and entertainment.
She made headlines when she and Chris were put alongside former Mongols biker boss Toby Mitchell in their $8000 seats.