The 1988 Australian Open was the first edition played at Flinders Park.
Flinders Park was a purpose-built tennis complex in Melbourne that opened for the 1988 tournament. It replaced the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, which had hosted the event regularly since 1972 but was considered too small for the tournament’s growing crowds and international ambitions.
The 1988 championship marked more than a venue change. It was also the first Australian Open played on hard courts rather than grass, with the new Rebound Ace surface. The tournament’s new central stadium, originally known as the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, later became Rod Laver Arena.
The complex was renamed Melbourne Park in 1996. Therefore, “Flinders Park” is the historically precise answer to the question, while Melbourne Park is the name most readers recognize today. Mats Wilander won the men’s title and Steffi Graf won the women’s title in that inaugural Flinders Park edition.