Melbourne Transport

Getting to places around Melbourne – using public transport.

Melbourne is renowned as the best city or one of the most livable cities in the world. Studying in Melbourne is not complete if you have not experienced this wonderful city in Australia. The things to see and experience in Melbourne are vast. Melbourne Visitor Center at Federation Square is a one-stop shop for information.  Here you get information on Melbourne and Victoria, free brochures and maps.

One reason Melbourne is known as a great city to live in is its public transport system which gives access across the city and to outback town centers. Trains, trams and buses connect the metropolitan city of Melbourne. The extensive rail and coach network connects the city with regional areas of Victoria as well.

An interesting thing to do is to go on the free tour of the city of Melbourne accompanied by a local guide. In fact you will find these guides in the city directing people. So Melbourne is a friendly city and you won’t get lost!

The face of public transport in Melbourne is called Metlink - a partnership of Melbourne’s train, tram and bus operators. Metlink provides customers with a ‘one-stop-shop’ for information about services, fares and ticketing. Information on Metropolitan and V/line can be obtained though interpreters from English to German as well.

Myki is Victoria's new ticketing system which is operating on metropolitan trains. Myki is a reusable smart card that can store either travel days (Miki pass) or a dollar value (Miki money), and these are used to pay for your journey. 

The myki and Metcard systems operate in parallel for now, so you will be able to use either a myki or a Metcard if you are travelling in Zones 1 and / or 2. Zone 1 is the area close to the city of Melbourne while Zone 2 refers to outer suburbs of Melbourne. V/line refers to trains and coaches traveling away from Metropolitan Melbourne. Myki is also operating on regional bus services in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Seymour, Warragul and the Latrobe Valley.

Bicycles can be carried on metropolitan trains. Cycling is a healthier and greener option which is applauded by Aussies. Cycling would enable you to see places and get to know the area you are living in which you would miss. You can park your bicycle safely at the train station. You can also store your bike in bike lockers at selected Metro and V/Line stations which can be rented free after paying a bond as little as Aus$50 for 3 months.

A little caution must be exercised not to inconveniencing passenger though, especially during office hours. You cannot board at the first door of the first carriage, as this is a priority area for mobility impaired passengers. Always walk your bike along the platform and do not mount until you have exited the station.
So keep to the rules and enjoy the easygoing but busy lifestyle of Melbourne.