It’s game on this sporting season in WA

For those who love their tennis

2017 will kick off with the legendary Hopman Cup taking place on 1-7 January. The Hopman Cup is Australia’s mixed doubles tennis competition – and in 2016 it was the Aussies in the spotlight. The dynamic duo of Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova were the winners of our first Hopman Cup since 1999, defeating the team of Alexandr Dolgopolov and Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Nearly 100,000 tennis fans come to this event to see some of the world’s best players compete, which have included the likes of Andy Murray and Serena Williams.

The players also get some off-court time, with Kyrgios playing some beach tennis at Cottesloe and Andy Murray exploring the beautiful Kings Park last January. This event is a great time to visit Perth not only for the tennis but for the events taking place around it. Murray was a guest at the annual “family and friends” day where a group of kids watched him practice and the Speed Serve Challenge competition clocked the fastest serve at the tennis comp at 181 kilometres an hour.

Making waves at WA’s surf pro

Surfers Point in Margaret River sees the world’s top surfers gather in March/April every year for the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro. On this classic stretch of WA coastline the top 36 men and top 18 women competitors in the sport will catch the huge waves at Margaret River Mainbreak and the Box.

Surfing is what this coastline seems made for with 75 breaks along a 130-kilometres stretch. If you want to grab your own waves try the sets at Yallingup Main Break or Rabbit Hill which is the home of the local surfing great Taj Burrow. Another great spot just down Caves Road is the quieter, but equally epic, Smiths Beach – a beloved spot of locals in the know.

In 2013, the Margaret River Pro received World Championship status from the world surfing league and since then the crowds and the event have grown by doing what it does best “putting the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves”. For the 2016 event that meant extending the Pro to include North Point surf spot in Gracetown making for even more great waves for the surfers to catch.

Having a ball on the world stage in 2016

This year will see Perth host its very first rugby league international when Australia takes on New Zealand in the western capital in October.

This huge event signals that Perth is fast becoming a new hub of Australian and international sport with the world’s top two rugby nations doing battle in the west.

Also coming this year is two NRL fixtures to be played at NIB Stadium in June and July which are expected to draw big crowds with the sport growing in popularity in Perth in recent years.

Coming in 2018 is the new Perth Stadium, a 60,000 seat, world-class venue that will further cement the city as the new home of international sport in Australia. The stadium will have full wi-fi coverage, some of the largest screens in Australia so you don’t miss a thing, over 1000 TV screens throughout the stadium and a kid’s activity zone to keep the little ones busy.

Embrace the pedal power in Margaret River

In the past eight years the Cape to Cape MTB – Australia’s biggest mountain biking endurance race – has grown from just 100 competitors to over 1400 MTB enthusiasts taking on the track last year. Not only does this grueling sport provide a rock-hopping, knee-scraping course full of switchbacks and single-track, it takes place in the stunning surrounds of WA’s Margaret River region so competitors enjoy testing themselves on the track as well as exploring the region’s local produce, award-winning cool climate wines and the beaches, caves and karri forests that the area is known for.

The course runs for 220 kilometres from Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse in the south to Cape Naturaliste in the north, but it is broken down into four stages. The ride is designed by MTB professionals and uses some of the best mountain biking track in the region, with some easier fire road riding thrown in.

Not a rider? It is still a great time to visit the Margaret River region as they Cape to Cape MTB brings a fun and lively vibe to the area. Sure, it’s a competition but the event has always been billed as a “ride not race” emphasising the friendly nature of the event, so you are just as likely to see racers sampling a local chardonnay with friends as you are watching them take on the teeth-chattering course.

The wheel life of Supercar racing

The V8 Supercars Perth SuperSprint is the state’s largest motor sport event and takes place at the Barbagallo Raceway, just over 40 kilometres outside of Perth. It’s a storied racetrack that held its first race meet in 1969 and was originally known as Wanneroo Park – but it is now called Barbagallo Raceway.

When the V8 Supercars hit the track it’s always a thriller. In 2016 Craig Lowndes and defending champion Mark Winterbottom took out the two races over the weekend. Craig Lowndes’ win involved a super strategy that saw him overtake 20 drivers in less than 20 laps to take the winner’s podium.

The motor sport category has been in the news this year in WA with Perth boy Alex Rullo becoming the youngest-ever Dunlop series driver allowed to compete in V8 Supercar racing. Rullo was just 15 years old when he was given the green light to compete in Adelaide.

There is also plenty to do in Perth while the event is on with motor sport racing visitors able to explore Perth’s great restaurants, new small bars and the newly opened Elizabeth Quay development down on the Swan River.

With so much going on in WA, planning a trip can seem a little overwhelming. Luckily, we’ve made things easier by creating a personalised trip planner that uses your unique personality to determine the ideal time for you to visit.

Find the best time to visit at yourwawindow.com