Melbourne without car
Dec 10th, 2005, 08:03 AM
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Melbourne without car
1. I am thinking about trying to do Melbourne without a car. Is this reasonable? I assume that there is no problem to get from the airport to downtown Melbourne on public transportation.
2. How difficult (and expensive) is it to get out to Phillips Island and the penguin parade from Melbourne by public transportation or tour?
3. When I am in New Zealand, I was also planning on seeing penguins. Is there really a good reason to see the penguins more than once? Is one location better than another?
4. When I leave Melbourne to get back to Sydney, I will rent a car. Is it reasonable to take public transportation to the outskirts of Melbourne to pick up a car?
5. I was planning on a one-way dropoff in Sydney at the airport (or outside Sydney to avoid the traffic). Any idea how expensive the dropoff charges might be?
6. When I leave Melbourne with the rental car, I will be leaving in the morning, so I assume that this would not be a good time of the day to see the penguins.
Thank you for any help that you can give me,
Dennis
2. How difficult (and expensive) is it to get out to Phillips Island and the penguin parade from Melbourne by public transportation or tour?
3. When I am in New Zealand, I was also planning on seeing penguins. Is there really a good reason to see the penguins more than once? Is one location better than another?
4. When I leave Melbourne to get back to Sydney, I will rent a car. Is it reasonable to take public transportation to the outskirts of Melbourne to pick up a car?
5. I was planning on a one-way dropoff in Sydney at the airport (or outside Sydney to avoid the traffic). Any idea how expensive the dropoff charges might be?
6. When I leave Melbourne with the rental car, I will be leaving in the morning, so I assume that this would not be a good time of the day to see the penguins.
Thank you for any help that you can give me,
Dennis
Dec 10th, 2005, 01:08 PM
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Can't help with the penguins, but you'll be fine without a car in Melbourne city. Buses and shuttles from the airport to the city. Public transport in Melbourne is excellent.
One-way drop off costs vary from company to company. There's some useful info in a current thread on car rental. That poster has been quoted $50.(Sorry, tried to cut & paste it, but can't get it to stick!).
I think it's "Car rental Sydney to Melbourne" or similar.
One-way drop off costs vary from company to company. There's some useful info in a current thread on car rental. That poster has been quoted $50.(Sorry, tried to cut & paste it, but can't get it to stick!).
I think it's "Car rental Sydney to Melbourne" or similar.
Dec 10th, 2005, 10:25 PM
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I don't think there's much to be gained by renting a car on the outskirts of Melbourne - getting out of town may not be accomplished at high speed, but it's straightforward enough.
Sydney is messier overall than Melbourne (not to mince words, it's a bloody mad dog's breakfast), but fortunately the road in from Melbourne is a follow-your- nose exercise. Make sure you have $3.30 for the toll booths as you enter Sydney - they give change in the appropriate lane.
The tollway will take you very close to the airport (actually, underneath runway 16/34), but by that time you're almost in the city and I think you may as well keep going. Just make sure to take the right exit from the tollway - I think it's William Street. I'm sure the car rental company will help out with a map and directions. If the drop-off location is in the central business district (CBD), make sure to take note of which streets are one-way.
NB: I believe the NSW State Government has implemented what was expected to be a great leap forward for Sydney drivers, and a demonstration of the value of "partnerships" with the private sector (pause for hollow laugh) - the Cross-City Tunnel. Unfortunately, as in many partnerships it seems that one partner has ended up on top, and it isn't the government. By all accounts the result has been barely-controlled chaos, so you may find your arrival in the city a little slow.
Sydney is messier overall than Melbourne (not to mince words, it's a bloody mad dog's breakfast), but fortunately the road in from Melbourne is a follow-your- nose exercise. Make sure you have $3.30 for the toll booths as you enter Sydney - they give change in the appropriate lane.
The tollway will take you very close to the airport (actually, underneath runway 16/34), but by that time you're almost in the city and I think you may as well keep going. Just make sure to take the right exit from the tollway - I think it's William Street. I'm sure the car rental company will help out with a map and directions. If the drop-off location is in the central business district (CBD), make sure to take note of which streets are one-way.
NB: I believe the NSW State Government has implemented what was expected to be a great leap forward for Sydney drivers, and a demonstration of the value of "partnerships" with the private sector (pause for hollow laugh) - the Cross-City Tunnel. Unfortunately, as in many partnerships it seems that one partner has ended up on top, and it isn't the government. By all accounts the result has been barely-controlled chaos, so you may find your arrival in the city a little slow.
