huskydog

Hi,

I'd like some advice with my stay in Melbourne. I'll only be spending a brief amount of time here, as it'll be the end of my stay in Australia. I'll arrive in Melbourne at 2:25pm on Saturday, the 28th of June. Then will be departing on Sunday evening at 6:15pm to head back to Sydney, and leave Australia the following morning.

When I arrive on Saturday, I'd like to see the penguin parade that evening. Is there inexpensive bus or other transit down there? And how long does it take to get there from the airport? I'm thinking I should stay in a hotel closer to central Melbourne, because on Sunday, I'd like to ride Puffing Billy. But that's another problem. The train returns to Belgrave on that Sunday at 3:57pm, and our plane departs for Sydney at 6:15pm. How long would it take to get back to the airport from there on a Sunday? Should I reconsider doing something else? Like sightseeing more of Melbourne? If so, what in Melbourne could I best spend my time on? All help is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Donna

Pumblechook

Hi Donna,

I think you're cutting it a bit fine here. It's quite a hike from Melbourne to Phillip Island (where the penguins are) - somewhere between 2 and 3 hours depending on the traffic. Most tours will want to be down there by dusk, which is about 5:30 - 6:00 at that time of the year and so will probably leave Melbourne by about 2:00 - 2:30 at the latest. And that's the City, not the airport. I'm pretty sure there won't be any tours leaving from the airport.

My suggestion is to hire a car. It's an easy trip down to Phillip Island. You could then stay the night somewhere up in the Dandenong Ranges, which is where Puffing Billy goes from. Lots of cute little hotels and B&B's up there, many with a pseudo-European feel. Also cheaper than staying in the City and closer to Phillip Island than the City.

Then on Sunday just go one-way on Puffing Billy. According to www.puffingbilly.com.au you can be done by about 12:00, allowing you plenty of time to do something else on your way back to the airport.

Or, if you'd rather stay in the City, catch Puffing Billy one way from Gembrook to Belgrave then you can hop on a suburban train at Belgrave and get back into town. Of course, you'd have to get to Gembrook in the first place but the large tour operators like Kings and AAT can probably help with that.

If you finish up with a couple of hours to kill in Melbourne, I'd recommend a wander along Southbank or check out Federation Square in the City.

Enjoy your stay,
Pumblechook

P.S. It's absolutely freezing at the penguin parade - rug up.

mrsfletcher

huskydog -

I wouldn't really recommend either considering your timetable. I for one, think the Penguin Parade is a long trip for what you get - and to be honest, by the time you got a rental car & headed out to Phillip Island I think you'd be too late. It is getting early just after 5:00 these days. I don't think Puffing Billy leaves you enough time either for your return flight. Both are excursions worth taking, but I can't see the feasability this time around. Now, after having shot holes in all of your plans here are a few things I can recommend:

1) Stay in the city.
2) Sat. night there is a football game at the Telstra Dome (covered stadium so don't worry if it is cold or raining). Footy is a fun game to watch,easy to understand, and it is a Melbourne passion.
3) Sun take the #16 tram down to St. Kilda (weather permitting).
4) Southbank, as mentioned above.
5) Melb. zoo
6) City in general - tons of cafes, pubs, bars.
7) check www.citysearch.com for Melb. - concerts, sporting events, theatre, etc. will be listed there.

Enjoy your trip.

johhj_au

Well Husky

why anyone would leave Sydney to spend 26 hours in Melbourne really escapes me!

huskydog

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I got a great airline price online, which is why I included Melbourne in our trip, and wanted my niece to see the penguins. But, unfortunately, didn't realize how far away it was from Melbourne before booking. Melbourne is our last stop, coming in from Ayers Rock, before we return to Sydney to fly home the next morning. Just trying to see as much of Oz as we can. Thanks, Mrs. Fletcher, for the itinerary ideas. Catching a football game sounds like fun. How long do these games last? And does the afl.com website list the teams' schedules? Is there public transport to the Telstra Dome? Thanks again.

Donna

mrsfletcher

Night games usually start at about 7:30 and are done by 10:00. On the AFL website (www.afl.com.au) there is a schedule by rounds, & I think that will be round 14 (??) when you are here. Look for something called 'fixture'. Should have ticket info there as well. I'm sure you could buy tickets at the stadium on the day. The Telstra Dome is on Spencer St. near the intersections of Bourke St. - roughly. It is a huge stadium and you can't miss it. There are plenty of trains & trams, but if you are staying in the city it is an easy walk.

Daneille

Try and get seating at Telstra Dome on the ground level rather than up in the stands-although you get a good "birds eye view" of the game you are a long way from the action - better still if you can get seating on the fence - it's really exciting when the play comes up close (you may even get hit by a footy).

KayF

You can still see fairy penguins without going all the way to Phillip Island. There are tours from Southbank in the city, along the Yarra River to St Kilda. You can probably find info on times etc on www.citysearch.com.au or www.visitvictoria.com.au or just search on penguins and St Kilda.
St Kilda has a great craft market on a Sunday along the upper esplanade, and Acland St, at the end of the market area, has to-die-for cake shops and nice restaurants.
Kay

Pumblechook

The game at Telstra Dome is Western Bulldogs (bottom side) versus Collingwood (huge, feral following). It starts at 7:10 pm. Normally buying tickets at the ground isn't a problem and because the Doggies are going so badly this year you should be OK for this game.

But Collingwood has the biggest following in Melbourne, so if you really want to be sure of a ticket you might want to think about pre-booking. You can do this at www.ticketmaster7.com.

Cheers,
Pumblechook

huskydog

Thanks again to everyone. I'll look into the websites mentioned and the game as well. You've been a great help.

Donna