Useful Melbourne information
Arriving in Melbourne airport, everything is really easy to follow. I have a new passport that is electronic, so i put it in a special machine (sign posted) that prints out a ticket for you to take up further to another machine. While everyone is going through customs you go up to the lines for electronic entry, put your ticket in, like in a subway, move forward when it turns green. You then look into the camera and when it recognises your face and lets you into Australia. Depending on what you put on your arrival form go through either the red or green lines to declare anything. Done…youre now in the main part of Melbourne airport.
From the airport you can catch the skybus which costs $16 and goes to the city. There are several other options but this is what i did. You buy your ticket from the kiosk right next to the bus.
Public transport is awesome. There are trains, trams and buses. The trains and trams have timetables and maps that you can get from any major station, but because there are over 300 bus routes, you need to go online for each individual time tables. Lots of the transport connects but its not that simple some times as you need to go to different platforms or stations. Im still figuring this out. There are two zones, 1 and 2 and the cost differs between the two. Zone 1 is blue and if you have this ticket you can travel anywhere within the zone which stretches about 20km in diameter around the CBD. Everywhere i have needed to go so far is in zone 1. I travel from the boarder of zone 1 in the south east to the boarder of zone 1 in the north.
I brought a Melbourne mini street directory to ensure i dont get lost, i tend to follow where i am going on the map to help me get to know the city better. I would recommend you get one of these or get a smart phone/iphone to be able to access maps. There are free apps for tram tracker and train tracker. These are awesome, but ive a cheap phone at the moment.
I brought my phone from Big W (a department store like Kmart) for $39. If you want prepay you have to buy an unlocked phone to be able to put any sim card in it. This enables you to get cheaper calling. For me at the moment i pay 15c txt all over the world and 25c per min to NZ cells or 5c per min to nz landlines. I will be getting an Iphone when i can as they offer great deals on data, and unlimited calling and txts.
There are information booths and people wearing vests that you can ask for help about almost anything. I have found these people very helpful.
Back to public transport, there is the ‘city loop’ which all trains come in to. This incorporates the main stations, Southern cross(the biggest), Central station (full of shopping), Parliament (underground) and Flinders (the oldest). All trains can be caught or transferred to from any of these stations. It costs about $30 for a weekly unlimited pass, though they are bringing out a new card called mykey, which is like the metro cards in NZ. You put cash on it, buy a weekly pass and then just flash your card past the sensors. I have read that around 400,000 people use public transport everyday.
Bring walking shoes, as you will walk walk walk walk. I have blisters on my feet and hope that my weight will drop off!!!!
People in Melbourne are much more fashionable than back home. There is so much choice and good looking people are everywhere. I hope my hunni still loves me when he sees all the hot chicks over here.
You can get on the trams for free, but you are meant to validate your ticket. There is a fine you can get and there are transport officers patrolling the system all the time. They have the power to arrest you.
Getting on and off a tram is easy, like a bus but the trains you need to press the electric button on the doors to open them or pull on the handle to activate the electric door. Every station or stop has a number and you can call metlink to get timetable information if need be. The larger stations have a speaker, screens and people that you can ask. or you can press a green button which will tell you when the next train is coming.
You can hire bikes for $2.50 per day or get an annual subscription for a year for $50. This is in the CBD.
You can take your bike on public trains and some places have bike lockers, like gym lockers that you can use for free. Not sure how to get key, but the information people will tell you.
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