Up to 15,000 Swans fans travelled down to Melbourne on Friday for the biggest day in Australian football this year.

Almost every mode of transport – plane, car, rail – was packed with fans in full regalia.

Tension was in the air at Sydney Airport as couple Melanie Ward, a Swans fan, and Dave Wilkinson, a Hawks backer, walked to the departure gate.

They managed to avoid costly airfares this week by taking a gamble.

"We've been planning it for months – we booked our flights down on the assumption that both teams would be in the grand final," Ms Ward said.

Andrew Moyland was flying to his fifth grand final.

"It's so exciting," he said. "Buddy [Franklin] is going to kick five and steer the Swans to victory."

Trains from Central Station to Melbourne's Southern Cross Station were full all day on Friday, a Transport NSW spokesman said.

On the road, the Sweep family began their journey at 4.30am on Friday, packing their three children into a van enveloped in flags for the long journey south.

All of the Sweep children went to their first Swans game while they were still newborns, and they were not going to miss the final for anything.

"Myles was at his first game when he was 11-days-old, Jenson was 17-days-old when he got to his first, and Sydney was 15-days-old when she got to her first game," mother Melanie said.

Fairfax Media will be following the Sweeps and other fans on their journey as they go deep into Hawk country.

Follow the story in the Sun-Herald.