Destination guides > Australia > Victoria > Melbourne > Coming & going
Melbourne
Coming & going
AIR
Melbourne is served by Avalon and Melbourne airports.
Avalon Airport
Melbourne’s newest airport is Avalon (tel (03) 5227 9100), 55km southwest of the city centre near Geelong. At this stage Avalon only handles JetStar flights to Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney. Sunbus (tel (03) 9689 6888) run a bus service linking Avalon with Melbourne city with stops at Southern Cross (Spencer Street) and Franklin Street bus stations. The one-way fare is $20.
Melbourne Airport
Melbourne International Airport (tel (03) 9297 1600), is in Tullamarine 21km north of the city centre. This airport handles all international flights and most domestic flights.
Skybus (tel (03) 9335 2811) run frequent airport bus services to the Southern Cross coach terminal on Spencer Street in the city centre. The Skybus runs 24 hours with services every 15 minutes during the day and costs $16 one-way. Between 7am and 6pm Skybus provide a complimentary shuttle service between the Spencer Street and Franklin Street coach terminals and to backpackers hostels in the city centre.
A taxi from the airport to the city centre costs between $45 and $50.
BUS
Greyhound (tel 1300 473 946) has buses to Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney; Firefly Express (tel 1300 730 740) has buses to Adelaide and Sydney; Premier Motor Service (tel 13 34 10) buses take the coastal route to Sydney. Destinations in regional Victoria are served by V/line (tel 13 61 96).
Melbourne has two bus terminals. The Southern Cross Coach Terminal is on Spencer Street
next to Southern Cross train station and handles Firefly Express, Premier Motor Service
and V/line buses. The Franklin Street Coach Terminal is a few streets north of Melbourne
Central Station on Franklin Street, near RMIT University and is the terminus for Greyhound buses.
TRAIN
V/line (tel 13 61 96) operates trains within Victoria with services to Albury, Ararat, Echuca, Shepparton, Swan Hill, Traralgon and Warrnambool. Interstate train services are operated by CountryLink (tel 13 22 32) to Sydney and Great Southern Railway’s the Overland (tel 13 21 47) to Adelaide.
All long-distance train services terminate at Southern Cross Station on Spencer Street
at the western edge of the city centre.
Southern Cross Station
FERRY
The Spirit of Tasmania (tel 1800 634 906) leaves Station Pier in Port Melbourne every night at 9pm for Devonport, Tasmania. Tram 109 runs between Station Pier and the city centre.
HITCHHIKING
It is illegal to hitchhike on roads in Victoria so you will need to be discreet and find
a safe spot off the road.
It is pretty easy to get a lift out of Melbourne as just a few roads carry the majority
of traffic heading out of the city.
For lifts to Sydney, take a train to Upfield and walk to the Hume Highway. This used to
be a great hitching spot but a lot of traffic bypasses this spot now that the Hume
Freeway has been extended. Although it is a longer route, it may be easier to get a lift
to Sydney via the coastal Princes Highway. Take a train to Traralgon and walk west out of
town on the Princes Highway.
If you’re heading to Adelaide, Ballarat or the Grampians, take a train to Deer Park, then
walk up Station Road to the Western Highway and try your luck there.
