No Australian player, male or female, has won the event since Chris O'Neil captured the women's title in 1978.

Barty is viewed as the best opportunity in years to end the 42-year streak and she will begin at Melbourne Park as the top seed.

She won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open last year and warmed-up for her home event in fine style by winning the Adelaide International yesterday.

Her best performance at the Australian Open to date is her quarter-final appearance last year, with her campaign this time beginning in the first round against Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko.

"There's no extra pressure," she said, ahead of the tournament beginning tomorrow.

"I don't read the papers. 

"I don't kind of look into any more than I need to.

"I'm here with my team trying to do the best that we can. 

"It's amazing to have so much support and so much love from the Australian public. 

"I've really felt that in an exceptional way over the last 12 months. 

"It's been incredible."

Japan's reigning champion and third seed Naomi Osaka will begin her title defence against Marie Bouzková of the Czech Republic as she seeks a third Grand Slam crown.

Czech second seed Karolína Plíšková has never won a Grand Slam and starts against France's Kristina Mladenovic.

Romania's Wimbledon champion Simona Halep, the fourth seed, is another hoping for a third Grand Slam title and opens up against American Jennifer Brady.

Tennis legend and eighth seed Serena Williams has won seven Australian Opens and 23 Grand Slams in all, with the 38-year-old beginning her quest for more history by facing Russia's Anastasia Potapova.

One more title would see her draw level with Australian Margaret Court as the most prolific Grand Slam winner.

In the men's draw, the tennis power trio of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are again expected to be the ones to beat.

Spain's world number one and top seed Nadal won in Melbourne in 2009 and will start his bid for a 20th Grand Slam title against Hugo Dellien of Bolivia.

Serbian second seed Djokovic has 16 Grand Slam titles to his name, including seven at the Australian Open.

He starts as defending champion against Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff.

Thirty-eight-year-old Swiss icon Federer will play American Steve Johnson first as the third seed bids for a 21st Grand Slam crown and a seventh in Australia.

Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev and Austrian fifth seed Dominic Thiem are among the players hoping to crash the big three's party, and have been drawn against American Frances Tiafoe and France's Adrian Mannarino respectively.

Djokovic, who prepared for the Australian Open by winning the inaugural ATP Cup with Serbia in Sydney, said he does not think the emerging pack are far away from surpassing the big guns.

"They're coming closer and closer," he said.

"I don't think they are missing too much, to be honest. 

"They possess very powerful games that require a lot of skills, and they have those skills."

Organisers have been forced to address safety fears in the run-up to the tournament, with smoke from Australia's bushfire crisis impacting the qualifying rounds.

Slovenia's Dalila Jakupović had to retire from her match after suffering a coughing fit, but tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed the event would go ahead as planned.

The hard court event runs until February 2.