Travel in Melbourne & Sydney

[fuzzyone]

hi all, i intend to go alone to Melbourne and Sydney on the 19th for a 10 days shooting spree..
Anyone got any good & cheap motel, Youth hostel to recommend in this 2 city?
Ard S$50/nite. As long as it's not too bad...

During that time, the weather should be cold rite ? ( I hope it wont snow man...)

Within Melbourne, izit very convenient juz to take the local transport? ( tram ?)

In sydney, i think i won't be driving ard , and intend juz to use the local transport? Anyone has any experience ?

thanks

 

[foxtwo]

it doesn't snow in melbourne, but there's rain forecasted in days to come. I don't know about the places to stay and what kind of security is there. Try the lonely planet guide.

Tram is only convenient if you stick to the major streets, if you want to explore the much more interesting side streets while outside the city then expect to walk a lot. If so, rent a car instead.

 

[nemesis32]

Not sure abt youth hostel... but if you looking for cheap hotels.., not easy to get in Melbourne city area. I think min is AUD50+ and those are not that great... either very noise or run down...

If you dun mind, you can stay just outside, say St Kilda, then you can get a small service apartment, say 2 bedroom for maybe 400/week?

Transport wise, melbourne is much better than Sydney i feel. You can take trams to almost anywhere. Then there;s the electric trains that goes to main towns etc. Cabs are pretty cheap as well. In city itself, you can walk without getting lost as it's a GRID, so unlikely to get lost.

For outskirts, it depends, you can rent a car or just join day trips. I guess for photography trip, just rent a car, stay in motel is the way to go...

Don't forget to go to Great Ocean Road, Grampians etc in Melbourne and Blue Mountains in Sydney other than those city sights.

 

[fuzzyone]

hi, so if i drive from Mel --> GOR --> Grampain --> Mel --> Mt. Buller --> Mel,
along the way, there is cheap motel ? Roughly how much for 1 person?

 

[Murcielago]

GOR can be nausea inducing...at least for 40% of my gang.

 

[ericp]

Check out www.yha.com.au ...

Also, be careful on the Great Ocean Road, especially if you're alone. It's all too easy to be distracted by the view. The Grampians are not much fun in winter, IMHO a bit dreary (so your "grampain" typo may be accurate !), but Mt Buller should be fun, as is Falls Creek.

BTW, was on a conference call with someone from Melbourne about 2 hours ago, and it was snowing ! Just a few flakes, but still ...

One more thing ... if you're driving in or around the city, beware the hook turns, and the regulations around driving next to tram tracks (ie. you must give way to trams, and beware of people alighting). Check with the car rental agency.

 

[kahheng]

it doesn't snow in melbourne, but there's rain forecasted in days to come. I don't know about the places to stay and what kind of security is there. Try the lonely planet guide.

Tram is only convenient if you stick to the major streets, if you want to explore the much more interesting side streets while outside the city then expect to walk a lot. If so, rent a car instead.

It just snowed in Melbourne.

http://smh.com.au/news/national/snow-falls-in-melbourne/2005/08/10/1123353352628.html

Melbourne people are tough

 

[r32]

www.yha.com.au

is a good place to start looking for backpacker hostels. Unless you had your own vehicle you would spend/waste time using public transport given your 10-day trip, so rent your own.

I managed to rent a Toyota Echo for $25 a day out of Melbourne city, so that's not too bad. Its frugal on fuel too.

 

[ericp]

Sounds like it was more than "reported" ... typical of Aussies to downplay these things :bsmilie:

When I lived there a few years ago all I got were wet, wet, wet tram tracks. I thought it was cold then, but that was before I went to Beijing in the middle of winter.

 

[fuzzyone]

which car rental ? u got any detail ?

 

[k3nn3th03]

Not sure abt youth hostel... but if you looking for cheap hotels.., not easy to get in Melbourne city area. I think min is AUD50+ and those are not that great... either very noise or run down...

If you dun mind, you can stay just outside, say St Kilda, then you can get a small service apartment, say 2 bedroom for maybe 400/week?

Transport wise, melbourne is much better than Sydney i feel. You can take trams to almost anywhere. Then there;s the electric trains that goes to main towns etc. Cabs are pretty cheap as well. In city itself, you can walk without getting lost as it's a GRID, so unlikely to get lost.

For outskirts, it depends, you can rent a car or just join day trips. I guess for photography trip, just rent a car, stay in motel is the way to go...

Don't forget to go to Great Ocean Road, Grampians etc in Melbourne and Blue Mountains in Sydney other than those city sights.

i dun agree on the cab fare thing... it is very expensive to take cab in melbourne..

 

[k3nn3th03]

GOR can be nausea inducing...at least for 40% of my gang.

that is if u go by the winding road..but if u go by the other way ( when those tours drive back to mel that route ), its fast and ok... drive very CAREFUL when u get there..

there is a small town before reaching GOR, try the Fish n chip..

my advise is, go early, for me, i start 10am reach there 4.35pm.. wasted.. by the time, its dark liao.. cant see anything..

 

[k3nn3th03]

which car rental ? u got any detail ?

go for AVIS or Hertz... cheaper and branded.. they will free upgrade u sometime ( if u r over 25 ).. remember to bring licence.. and also buy the insurance ( $ 20-30 ) .. MUST ( to be safer )

DONT EVER GO TO ASCOT...!!!

the YHA at metro melbourne is ok.. try to get 1 room with toilet.. if not, along Elizaberth st.. there is this Toad Hall, not bad.. look old but ok.. in front of main road.. jus walk a while and u reach Melbourne Central Station..

Beware Spencer Street..

http://www.avis.com/AvisWeb/home/AvisHome?COUNTRY=AU
www.hertz.com.au

 

[dolpjki]

You can try Thrifty too for car rental:
http://www.thrifty.com.au/

Please be careful when driving in Melbourne city though.
Be mindful of which road requires the "keep left to turn right" rule.
Personally, i dun think there's a need to drive within the city area
when you are touring the city. it's all within walking distance
Drive only when you need to get out of the city (zone 1 region).

 

[r32]

which car rental ? u got any detail ?

I got mine from Avis, but if you're over 25 you'll do fine (because insurance is cheaper) with just about any agency so it pays to shop around on the internet or walk around the area. You will find that the major car rental agencies in the CBD are in roughly the same area (I cannot remember the street name) so you can enquire before taking it up.

If you plan to do the Melbourne-Geelong-Great Ocean Road-Grampians route you are probably following what is known as the Great Southern Touring Route. You need 4, maybe 5 days to do it.

I did that route back in June, click on the piccy and you'll see my 9 days in Melbourne:



It was cold, but I loved it. It also hardly rained - I take it that it is a rare thing in Melbourne.

 

[kahheng]

Please be careful when driving in Melbourne city though.
Be mindful of which road requires the "keep left to turn right" rule.

Oh yeah, that's ALWAYS an interesting one, and it does take some getting used to

 

[kahheng]

my advise is, go early, for me, i start 10am reach there 4.35pm.. wasted.. by the time, its dark liao.. cant see anything..

And that's especially true in winter. Days are short.

Oh well, it is coming to Spring.

 

[k3nn3th03]

Oh yeah, that's ALWAYS an interesting one, and it does take some getting used to

here mine..

only in CBD, there is this rule.. must ask the car rental pple.. if not, PM me loh...

Thrifty hor, must above 25.. if not need 1k as deposit...

 

[Murcielago]

that is if u go by the winding road..but if u go by the other way ( when those tours drive back to mel that route ), its fast and ok... drive very CAREFUL when u get there..

there is a small town before reaching GOR, try the Fish n chip..

my advise is, go early, for me, i start 10am reach there 4.35pm.. wasted.. by the time, its dark liao.. cant see anything..

thats what i meant
the tour bus took us on a winding road there...making us sick..and we nearly clapped when the driver announced it's a much straighter road home:bsmilie:

 

[r32]

By the way, the 12 Apostles no longer look like the scene that k3nn3th03 and I have posted - the rock nearest the camera in the pictures has collapsed recently (a few days after I left!).

Post an updated one when you get back. :bsmilie: