MotoGP Australian Grand Prix (Phillip Island): Dates, Tickets & Venue (Phillip Island)

A track that ends at the sea

The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit sits on a headland above Bass Strait. From the grass banks you watch bikes crest a rise with open water behind them. Nothing on the island stands between the circuit and the Southern Ocean, so the wind blows straight off the sea and runs right across the track.

The 2026 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix ran October 23-25. It was the last time MotoGP came here, because the event moves to Adelaide in 2027. That turned the weekend into a farewell to a circuit that riders have long rated among the best on the calendar.

How the weekend runs

MotoGP weekends follow a set pattern. Friday is practice and Saturday brings qualifying plus the shorter Sprint race. The full Grand Prix is on Sunday.

The Moto2 and Moto3 support classes fill the gaps between MotoGP sessions. That means bikes are on track for most of each day, not just during the headline race.

The 4.4-kilometre layout is fast and flowing, without the tight hairpins that slow riders down at other circuits. These are the corners fans talk about most:

• Doohan Corner (Turn 1): heavy braking at the end of the main straight, after riders reach top speed.
• Stoner Corner: a long, quick left-hander named after Australian two-time world champion Casey Stoner.
• Lukey Heights: a blind crest where bikes go light. The hillside here is a favourite general admission spot.
• Siberia and Honda Corner: slower sections in the south of the track where riders often pass each other.

Getting to the island

Phillip Island has only one road link to the mainland: the bridge between San Remo and Newhaven. Drivers from Melbourne usually take the M1 and the South Gippsland and Bass Highways, which is around two hours in light traffic. On race weekend traffic is far from light.

That bridge decides how the whole weekend goes. Sunday evening is the worst time, when tens of thousands of people try to leave at once. Many fans stay on the island in Cowes, the main town on the north shore, or camp nearby. Others stay in San Remo or the towns along Bass Highway and drive in each morning.

Shuttle and coach services usually run from Melbourne and from the island towns over the weekend. Riding in on a motorbike is part of the tradition for a large share of the crowd.

Tickets and where to watch

The organiser publishes the dates, ticket types and ticket links on its official site. That is also where each grandstand and viewing area is described. There are two main options: general admission, or a seat in a reserved grandstand.

General admission gets you onto the grass banks around much of the circuit, and that freedom is what people come for. You can watch Sunday’s race from Lukey Heights and then walk back toward the start-finish straight for the podium. Grandstand tickets give you a fixed seat and some shelter from the wind.

Camping and multi-day passes are popular. People who travel a long way tend to stay all three days instead of coming just for Sunday.

Weathering a Bass Strait race day

This is the part that catches first-timers out. Late October is spring in Victoria, and on this coast four seasons in one day is normal rather than a figure of speech. You can get sun, sideways rain and a cold southerly within a few hours.

Regulars usually wear layers and bring waterproofs even if the morning looks clear. They add sunscreen too, because the UV is strong even when the air is cold. Most bring something to sit on for the grass banks, plus a radio or earphones for the commentary, which is hard to hear over the engines out on the far corners.

Payment around the circuit is mostly by card or phone, as everywhere in Australia, and tipping at food stalls isn’t expected. Lines for food and bathrooms get longest during the breaks between sessions. Lots of fans eat while the support classes are running instead.

When the race ends, many spectators don’t head straight for the car park. They stay put for an hour or two while the worst of the bridge traffic clears.

Beyond the circuit

The rest of Phillip Island has plenty to fill a spare day. Most people go for the Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach, where little penguins come ashore after sunset and walk up the beach to their burrows. The Nobbies boardwalk on the western tip looks out toward Seal Rocks and the fur seal colony there.

Cowes has the pier, cafés and accommodation, and a beach on the sheltered northern side. Churchill Island, reached by a footbridge near Newhaven, has a heritage farm and is an easy half-day.