Steve Smith and Adam Voges punished a profligate West Indies attack to drive Australia to 473 for three at lunch on day two of the second test on Sunday.
The pair resumed on 345-3 and moved their partnership to a carefree 186 runs, piling on 128 runs for the session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Smith was on 90, pushing toward his 13th test century and Voges on 74 on a day of brilliant sunshine which promised little relief for the tourists.
Smith punched two runs through point to bring up his first half-century of the series off the bowling of paceman Kemar Roach, who had bowling figures of 0-92, having conceded well over five runs an over.
Voges, who scored an unbeaten 269 in Australia's series-opening victory in Hobart, laced a sumptuous straight drive past debutant paceman Carlos Brathwaite after the drinks break to bring up his half-century.
Two overs later, when on 56, he slashed at a wider delivery off the same bowler and sent a nick into the slips but a lunging Darren Bravo was unable to clasp the difficult chance.
Australia won the opener emphatically in Hobart and the Smith-Voges stand has all but taken the match away from the tourists, who sent Australia in to bat after winning the toss.
West Indies captain Jason Holder's decision proved to be a poor one, with the green-tinged pitch offering little to trouble day one centurions Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns, whose 258-run stand laid the platform for a mammoth first innings total.
