Getting to Melbourne

All international flights arrive at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. Melbourne is Australia’s second busiest airport and many international airlines fly here directly or through partner alliances. From Asia, there are a few low-cost options including Jetstar, Air Asia X and Virgin Australia. Your travel agent will be able to best advise you on your options.

You’ll have to pass through immigration and customs upon arrival. Citizens of some nations (e.g. New Zealand; USA; Singapore) can use the automatic processing machines called SmartGate. These tend to be much quicker so are recommended.

There are a few money exchange places and ATMs within the baggage claim area and outside in the public international arrivals area.

Getting to the CBD (Central Business District)

Tullamarine is located 23km (14 miles) northwest of the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD). The ISMIL conference venue is located at the University of Melbourne, which is not far from the CBD.

There are a few options for getting to the CBD from the airport and you can access these as soon as you exit the international arrivals terminal. The airport-CBD journey takes approximately 20-30 minutes, depending on the time of day you’ve arrived and where you’re headed in the CBD.

Skybus: This is the quickest and easiest way if you’re traveling on your own. The Skybus runs every ten minutes throughout the day from the airport to Southern Cross Train Station. The Skybus also runs all night but less frequently. From Southern Cross Train Station, the Skybus runs a free follow-on bus service to many hotels in the CBD. Alternatively, you can board a tram or train service or hop in a taxi to get to your hotel.

To get to the Skybus ticket booth, turn left when you exit international arrivals. A one way ticket costs $19 (return $38). For more information on Skybus, go here:

https://www.skybus.com.au/.

Taxi: There is a taxi stand directly outside of the international arrival terminal. A taxi from the airport to the CBD should cost approximately $55-65. For more info, go to the following link:

http://melbourneairport.com.au/to-from-the-airport/taxis/overview.html

Car rental & other: There are numerous car rental options as well as a few non-traditional options. Please go to the following link for more information on all your airport to city travel needs:

http://melbourneairport.com.au/to-from-the-airport/overview.html

If you do drive, remember Australians drive on the left side of the road. Also, if you plan on driving in the CBD, it’s also worth knowing about the hook turn. Cars share the road with trams in the CBD and the hook turn is one of those tricks urban planners have developed to help with traffic flow:

http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/hook-turns#.Vwfl__krLIU

Travelling within Melbourne

Melbourne is a well-networked city with taxis, trams, trains and buses running throughout the day and night. Within the CBD, from Monday to Friday, you rarely need to wait more than 5-10min for a bus or tram. At the weekend, these routes run less frequently but you’ll rarely have to wait long from 9am-6pm. Some Public Transport routes run all night but transport tends to become much less frequent after 7-8pm or so.

To travel on public transport, you’ll need to get a travel ‘smart card’ known as ‘Myki’. You can purchase these at the airport, Southern Cross Train Station or at all train stations and many tram stops in the city. You can also buy or add credit to your card at many city shops, including one of the ubiquitous 7-11s. You can’t buy Myki cards or load credit onto these cards on trains, trams and many buses, so make sure you have a Myki card loaded with credit before you get on. Also be sure to touch on and off on the available machines on public transport. Ticket inspectors often board the trains, trams and buses and will fine you if you don’t have a card or haven’t touched on.

The Myki card itself costs $6 which is cheekily non-refundable. You then add credit to the card relative to the amount of travel you intend to do. You can travel for 2 hours at a cost of $3.90 and this starts as soon as you board public transport. All day travel is $7.90 so this is the default once you tap on a second time. After 6pm, $3.90 is the default fare for the day regardless of how long you ride.

You can find more information on Myki and Melbourne public transport at the following links:

Information on the Myki card:

https://ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki

Information on Melbourne public transport more generally:

https://ptv.vic.gov.au