Albert Park is a 225-hectare of beautiful parkland including a picturesque lake and network of trails. It's located in the City of Port Phillip, approximately 3 km from the Melbourne, Australia and is the venue for many of Victoria's popular public events. The park is a Mecca for sporting and recreation enthusiasts with a superb 18-hole golf course, walking and cycling tracks, boat and canoe hire and fishing opportunities. Other facilities include picnic tables, barbecue areas, playgrounds, restaurants and toilets. Albert Park is also an important sanctuary for wildlife and vegetation.

In 1864 the Park was proclaimed a public park and named Albert Park in honor of Queen Victoria's devoted consort, Prince Albert. Over the ensuing years Albert Park was used as a tip, as a camp for the armed services, for scenic drives and for many forms of recreation. Today, the magnificent Albert Park is enjoyed by approximately five million visitors annually.

The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is a street-based circuit around Albert Park Lake. It is used once a year as a racetrack for the Australian Grand Prix.

The circuit utilizes everyday sections of road that circle Albert Park Lake, a small man-made lake just south of the Central Business District of Melbourne. The road sections that are used were rebuilt prior to the inaugural event in 1996 to ensure consistency and smoothness. As a result, compared to other circuits that are held on public roads, Albert Park is quite smooth as a racing surface and picturesque as there are only a few other places on the Formula 1 calendar where there is a body of water close to a racing track.

As a racing track of interest to drivers, it is considered quite fast and relatively easy to drive, drivers having commented that the consistent placement of corners allows them to easily learn the circuit and achieve competitive times. However, the flat terrain around the lake, coupled with the track design, means that the track is not conducive to overtaking or easy spectating unless in possession of a grandstand seat.

Each year, most of the trackside fencing, pedestrian overpasses, grandstands and other motorsport infrastructure are erected from approximately 3 months prior to the grand prix weekend and removed within 6 weeks after the event.