Oceania (Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific) - landing at Melbourne - where to go

I'll be landing in Melbourne at about 4:30 pm from Sydney. We want to start to go out on the Great Ocean Road for a couple of days. This will be the first time I will be driving on the left side, so I don't really want to drive in the dark.

I'm looking for suggestions on where to stay for the night coming out of the airport and heading to the Great Ocean Road.

Any help is appreciated.

Welcome to FT & Melbourne ^

Have a look at www.wotif.com.au. Select Melbourne Airport. Some motel places have courtesy shuttle or walk to the airport hotels.

This will be the first time I will be driving on the left side, so I don't really want to drive in the dark.d.
Driving right hand drive for the first time and in peak traffic may be difficult. A better option is to take the http://www.skybus.com.au/ into the city. They have a mini bus that goes to hotels. Car rental is cheaper in the city anyway

If you drive T all in the city of Melbourne, watch out for the trolleys and learn the rules about jug handle turns, which seem counterintuitive to outsiders. I would avoid driving anywhere near the center of the city for this reason. There are still street cars and traffic, especially on weekends, but how about the beach suburb of St Kilda (?)?

If you drive T all in the city of Melbourne, watch out for the trolleys and learn the rules about jug handle turns, which seem counterintuitive to outsiders. I would avoid driving anywhere near the center of the city for this reason. There are still street cars and traffic, especially on weekends, but how about the beach suburb of St Kilda (?)?

Whilst I like St Kilda (I live there!), if the OP is short on time, I would recommend driving straight from the airport and staying in Geelong - it's an easy drive of less than an hour, pretty much all on multi-lane freeway. Geelong is effectively the gateway to the Great Ocean Road - it's less than an hour from the start, so you can get a good start the next day. Geelong also has a waterfront area and good cafe's, restaurants, etc.

Depending on the time of year (in winter, it will get dark at approx. 5.30pm, whilst in summer, not until 8.30-9pm), you could even stay further, at Torquay, Anglesea, or even Lorne, which is approx. 2 hours from the airport. Lorne has plenty of accommodation, restaurants, etc and is on the beach.

Finally, a couple of corrections to your terms:

trolleys: trams
jug handle turns: hook turns

Please be super careful on the Great Ocean Road. It is an unfortunately common occurrence for newly-arrived tourists to come around a corner, become disoriented as to which side of the road they should be driving on, and either cause a head-on or drive off the road down a ravine.

If you do drive, go slow and take plenty of breaks. I would be cautious about doing it first day after an intercontinental flight, too.

All that aside, Geelong is a good option to start the trip from.

+1 for Geelong. The Four Points Sheraton is nice, central to the waterfront and usually reasonably priced.

Thanks for the help. Geelong looks like the place to start. We're coming from Sydney after having been there a week while I work, so jet lag won't be a problem. I had to google jug handle / hook turns. We actually use those a lot here, so I'm familiar. Being on the left will be a challenge. We'll probably return the car back to the airport and then take a shuttle into the city to stay there for a few days. We want to avoid driving downtown if we can avoid it.

You will get straight into driving on the other side. It will only take a few minutes.

Having traffic indicators and lights on the opposite sides of the steering wheel however is a different story !

Thanks for the help. Geelong looks like the place to start..Going to Geelong is just about all divided freeway from the airport, so not hard. Just follow the signs and keep to left

..Having traffic indicators and lights on the opposite sides of the steering wheel however is a different story !Not al the same anyway. My mothers car (Suzuki) has these opposite to my car (Ford)

Going to Geelong is just about all divided freeway from the airport, so not hard. Just follow the signs and keep to left

As I quoted above, when I suggested Geelong!

... I would recommend driving straight from the airport and staying in Geelong - it's an easy drive of less than an hour, pretty much all on multi-lane freeway.

We'll probably return the car back to the airport and then take a shuttle into the city to stay there for a few days. We want to avoid driving downtown if we can avoid it.Depending on who you're renting from, drop the car in the city. The freeway back from Geelong will get you most of the way into the city - driving all the way back out to the airport and then taking the shuttle back into town is really unnecessary. Ask your rental car company for a mapbook (just ask for a 'Melways') and figure out ahead of time how to navigate (a) to your hotel so you can drop off the bags and (b) from there to the rental car company's city location. It's not really that bad ... If you indicate which rental car company you're going to use and what hotel you decide to stay in, no doubt somebody can suggest the best way to navigate back from Geelong/GOR.

Just don't judge Melbourne or Australia by Geelong :)
It is a backward grimy sleepy industrial town that is slowly being gentrified, and there is no reason to visit it as a tourist destination ... a bit like going to Trenton NJ when visiting NYC. Have fun.

Just don't judge Melbourne or Australia by Geelong :)
It is a backward grimy sleepy industrial town that is slowly being gentrified, and there is no reason to visit it as a tourist destination ... a bit like going to Trenton NJ when visiting NYC. Have fun.

But to be fair, it does have the best football team ever! ;)

It is a backward grimy sleepy industrial town that is slowly being gentrified, and there is no reason to visit it as a tourist destination ...

Whilst I haven't actually stayed in Geelong in years, my understanding is that might be a bit harsh! Agree that there are not many reasons to visit as a tourist (except as a gateway to the GOR) and Melbourne shouldn't be judged by Geelong!

Geelong's indeed not a highlight of Victoria, and there certainly are "grimy industrial" bits to it (and to Melbourne itself, for that matter), but the fairly recently renovated waterfront bit is actually fairly pleasant and more than tolerable for one night's stay.

I agree with most if not all of the advice regarding driving to Geelong on the freeway from the airport, then crash (figuratively, in a hotel bed!) once you arrive there.

I do recall some seedy stories about Geelong and footballers and drugs and deaths in hotel rooms, but one tragically dysfunctional footie hero does not make Geelong! It's quite a while ago, too, but if you're there, you might get some entertaining stories if you ask about misbehaving footie players. :)

Beware the strict enforcement of speed limits by radar cameras in Victoria (strict compared to NSW!). Have a great trip, DON'T drive tired and risk an accident / driving on the wrong side or turning into oncoming traffic. GOR is a highlight for lots of people. I recommend driving VERY early to avoid too much traffic, but locals likely have better advice.

Beware the strict enforcement of speed limits by radar cameras in Victoria (strict compared to NSW!).

Good point! The Princes Freeway to Geelong has many fixed speed cameras that will fine you at 3km/h over the 100km/h speed limit. These speed cameras are mounted on the back of bridges and signs. Fines start at about $150.

Good point! The Princes Freeway to Geelong has many fixed speed cameras that will fine you at 3km/h over the 100km/h speed limit.
Apparently it's 100 km/h speed limit + 5 km/h speedometer tolerance + 3 km/h speed camera tolerance = 108 km/h or over is a fine. Of course, if you're going to cut it that close to the line, you'd better make sure your speedo is indeed exactly calibrated!

Apparently it's 100 km/h speed limit + 5 km/h speedometer tolerance + 3 km/h speed camera tolerance = 108 km/h or over is a fine. Of course, if you're going to cut it that close to the line, you'd better make sure your speedo is indeed exactly calibrated!

I'm not sure which part of Australia you're from, but as someone who lives in the state we're discussing, I can assure you that the current blanket tolerance is a total of 3km/h. Previously, the tolerance was 10% speedo tolerance + 3km speed camera tolerance, but the 10% was removed several years ago. There is also talk of removing the 3km tolerance. As far as I am aware (I've been driving 22 years), there has never been a 5km + 3km tolerance.

I'm not sure which part of Australia you're from, but as someone who lives in the state we're discussing, I can assure you that the current blanket tolerance is a total of 3km/h. Previously, the tolerance was 10% speedo tolerance + 3km speed camera tolerance, but the 10% was removed several years ago. There is also talk of removing the 3km tolerance. As far as I am aware (I've been driving 22 years), there has never been a 5km + 3km tolerance.

I stand corrected on the 5km; however, it's not quite that cut and dried. While the official tolerance is indeed apparently 3 km/h, there is also "a discretionary tolerance (http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/margin-for-error-on-speeding-reduced-to-zero-20110324-1c8kp.html)" on top of that, which explains why a lot of traffic on the freeways moves at ~105 km. And until a few years ago, the official tolerance was 6 km/h (http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/victoria-speed-limit-tolerance-level-revealed/story-e6frfkp9-1111113899196).

I stand corrected on the 5km; however, it's not quite that cut and dried. While the official tolerance is indeed apparently 3 km/h, there is also "a discretionary tolerance (http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/margin-for-error-on-speeding-reduced-to-zero-20110324-1c8kp.html)" on top of that, which explains why a lot of traffic on the freeways moves at ~105 km. And until a few years ago, the official tolerance was 6 km/h (http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/victoria-speed-limit-tolerance-level-revealed/story-e6frfkp9-1111113899196).

Interesting. That's the first I've heard of the 6 km/h tolerance! Also the first I've heard of the discretionary tolerance above the 2 or 3km/h. It appears it's not that cut and dried. Having said that, I know people who have received speed camera fines for 3 and 4 km/h over the limit, which tends to suggest that the discretionary tolerance can be zero!

Newbie here. I'll be in Melbourne on first week of March. I'm about exciting now. :p

I wanted to thank you all for the suggestions - we used a lot of them. Once we arrived in Melbourne, we got our car and headed to Geelong. Once we got to the divided highway, driving was pretty simple. In even Geelong, it wasn't bad. Headed out on the Great Ocean Road. That day, we stopped pretty early. As suggested, we didn't want to be tired and trying to drive as it got dark.

Next day, we headed to Philip Island to see the penguins (as suggested) and paid the extra to go on the ranger led tour. Money well spent!

We had a great holiday, thanks to all your good suggestions.

Interesting. That's the first I've heard of the 6 km/h tolerance! Also the first I've heard of the discretionary tolerance above the 2 or 3km/h. It appears it's not that cut and dried. Having said that, I know people who have received speed camera fines for 3 and 4 km/h over the limit, which tends to suggest that the discretionary tolerance can be zero!NEVER is anyone fined for a recorded speed of 3 over the limit - a court would toss such a case out.

What happens (and as I have posted MANY times in this forum) is that 3kmh is deducted from the recorded speed to make an 'alleged' speed and it is that 'alleged' speed on which the fine is based.

So your 3kmh speeding driver in a 60kmh zone would have been doing at least 66kph ... 10% over the speed limit.

Those who tell you 3kmh a simply quoting the 'alleged' speed in an endeavour to mitigate their perceived fault.

As for the OP, I am glad your trip went fine.

I would have advised, depending on how long you were around, that it may have been be better to head to the city by (sky)bus or cab, staying one night before hiring the car in the morning from the city and heading West.

Rental cars hired from the airport have an onerous "premium Location fee" tacked on the the daily rental cost while if collected from the city, no such fee is charged.

...Rental cars hired from the airport have an onerous "premium Location fee" tacked on the the daily rental cost while if collected from the city, no such fee is charged.This fee is much more reasonable in Australia than in most US cities (which often have city taxes of over 50% added to airport car rentals, typically to pay for sport stadium construction). The last time I priced it at Hertz, renting from the airport for 1 week was a full AUD 8 more than the same car from Franklin St. in the CBD. In US cities like PHX it would have been USD 100+ more typically as a point of comparison.

This fee is much more reasonable in Australia than in most US cities (which often have city taxes of over 50% added to airport car rentals, typically to pay for sport stadium construction). The last time I priced it at Hertz, renting from the airport for 1 week was a full AUD 8 more than the same car from Franklin St. in the CBD. In US cities like PHX it would have been USD 100+ more typically as a point of comparison.

Whilst the airport fee in Australia is not 50%, it is up around 20% at most major airports. For some reason, Hertz at Melbourne airport often charges a lower base rate than Downtown, resulting in the nominal difference you saw. This is not usually the case - usually the airport will be approx. 20% dearer.

The thing is do you really need a car?If I was a visiting tourist I would play it safe and stick to using DAY Tours for everything.

The thing is do you really need a car?If I was a visiting tourist I would play it safe and stick to using DAY Tours for everything.
I'm the kind of guy who uses public transport in Los Angeles, but if you have more than a few days to spend in Melbourne, you pretty much need a car. Not so much for the city itself, but for exploring anything in the vicinity (Yarra Valley, Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island etc), your only sensible options are to either join an overpriced guided bus tour that sticks firmly to the beaten path, or to rent a car and set your own pace and itinerary.