First time Traver to Melbourne?

Question

Hi

I will travel to melbourne in Jun 2008, so pls advise:

I will hire a car to travel, which palce I can park a car for overnight?

How much for a car parking in the city, and any other cost incurr in traveling if I drive to philip island.....

Will it be cheaper, if I buy a smartvisit card?

Will it cost too much in transportation for sightseeing within the city?

a first time traveller to melbourne.

thank you for you helpful

lulu

Answer 1

Steady "Liz Down Under"

Just because Melbourne City Centre had its coldest overnight temperature since 1982 this morning 2.2 degrees C; that is not cold compared with North America or Northern Europe.

And it DOES NOT SNOW in Melbourne (nearby yes, but not in!!!)

Melbourne is easier to drive around than is Sydney (now that's an Australian nightmare) and if you have a Satellite Navigation unit, it becomes a piece of cake.

Traffic in certain parts of Melbourne, especially a couple of the freeways can be heavy and congested in peak hours, or at the close of stadium sports events.

We grizzle about our public transport; but it is VERY safe in terms of crashes, and VERY safe when other people are around at night.  It is comprehensive compared to most of North America. And cheap.

Now, where you stay overnight will help determine whether to get a car, and whether it will cost you to park.

Where you stay may also depend on where you want to go, and how long you will be here.

Melbourne is a huge tourist attraction with a myriad of places to go and things to do.  I live 120 km west in Ballarat, which is a huge tourism city of its own - historic and heritage stuff for such a young country.  You can train it to here.

The Great Ocean Road, the best in the world, apparently, is best driven or done in a coach if you can find a tour.  There is a daily (or more frequent) bus service that you might be able to use.

You should plan yourself an itinerary using internet resources.

Public transport websites include:

http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/

http://www.vline.com.au/

Answer 2

Car parking in inner city Melbourne will cost around $25 per 24 hours or $10 overnight.  I wouldn't bother with a car for the days that you are staying within the city.  A smartvisit card comes with a Metcard which allows you unlimited use of all public transport (train, trams and buses) in the metropolitan area.  Hire a car when you want to do long trips (eg. Phillip Island, Yarra Valley, Grampians, Mornington Peninsula etc.).  You won't have any parking costs at these places and you might want to think about at least staying overnight in most of them  (you should get good accommodation very cheaply because it is the middle of Winter).  A smartvisit card is a good idea if you organize your time properly and plan a good itinery to make the best use of it.  Once again the traffic in inner city Melbourne is a nightmare - public transport plus walking is the way to go.  Remember it is Winter here so it can get quite cold at times and if you are going to see the penguins it will be icy standing on a beach at night with wind coming up from the Antarctic.