Welcome to Melbourne

Melbourne Transportation

By Plane
Qantas and discount airline Virgin Blue both has flights to Melbourne from all state capitals. Qantas’s new discount arm, Jetstar flies to and from Sydney, Hobart, and Launceston. Jetstar flies in and out of Avalon Airport, which is on about a fifty minutes drive from Melbourne downtown.
Melbourne’s major international and domestic airport is Tullamarine Airport, located on twenty-two kilometers (14 miles) northwest of the downtown. If travelling from Sydney, the flight will take around one and a half hour, and it is just a five minutes walk between the international and domestic terminals. Travellers’ information desks, on both levels of the international terminal, are open from six am until the last flight.
The Hilton Melbourne Airport is within walking distance of the terminals.
Skybus meets the passengers in front of the baggage claim area every fifteen minutes from 7 am to 6:30 pm; half-hourly from 7 pm until 12:30 am, and hourly from one to five am. The trip to the downtown takes about half an hour and costs A$13 (US$10) one-way for adults and A$6 (US$4.80) for children under 17. A taxi to the city centre also takes about half hour and costs approximately A$45 (US$36).

By Train
The inter-state trains arrive/depart at/from Spencer Street Railway Station, from where taxis and buses will take one to the city.
The Sydney-Melbourne XPT travels between country’s 2 largest cities daily, which trip takes ten and a half hours.
The Overland runs daily service to and from Melbourne and Adelaide, which trip takes about twelve hours.
The Canberra Link services connect Melbourne with the state capitals, which is a train trip from Melbourne to Wadonga, and then a bus trip from there to Canberra. This trip takes approximately eleven hours.

By Bus
Several bus companies run services between Melbourne, other capitals and the regional areas of Victoria. Coaches serve Melbourne’s Transit Center, two blocks north of the Spencer Railway Station. Street railways and taxis serve the station, and the V/Line buses travel all over Victoria, departing from the Spencer Street Bus Terminal.

By Car
One can drive from Sydney to Melbourne along the Hume Highway (this journey takes about 9-10 hours), via Goulburn in NSW and Wangaratta in Victoria (where one can detour the Victorian Alps). Another option is the route along the coastal Princes Highway, but for which one will need at least two days with stops.

Getting Around
Trams, trains, and buses, operated by several companies, get both tourists and locals around the city of Melbourne and its inner suburbs.
The city boasts the oldest tram network world-wide; trams are an important part of the metropolis and a cultural icon. There are several hundred trams, running over 330 kilometers of track. The City Circle Tram is maybe the best way to get around the downtown of Melbourne and in addition to this it is free. The burgundy-and-cream trams circle around all the main central attractions and shopping malls.
Melbourne River Cruises will provide you with good range of boat trips up and down the Yarra River, including to Willaimstoen and Docklands. This is truly interesting way to get a feel of the city and the most tours also include commentaries.
Of course, there are lots of cabs in Melbourne, but it may be difficult to call one in the downtown late on Friday and Saturday nights.

Please for Flights, Car-rental and other transportation bookings refer to the general Australia Transportation Reservations page.

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