Information for Visitors to Melbourne

If you are visiting Melbourne for one of our events, the following information and links may be useful.

Citylink Tollway

The South Eastern Freeway is almost always used to get to Phillip Island and can be used to get to Sandown.  The first part of the freeway as far out as Toorak Rd is a tollway.  Visitors from Sydney who are customers of the RTA and visitors from Queensland who are customers of Queensland Motorways are able to use their E Toll devices on CityLink in Melbourne.  Others who want to use the part subject to toll can buy over the phone or via the internet various short term passes from Transurban, the tollway provider.  For more information, click here for the Transurban web site.

Accommodation

A wide variety of accommodation is available throughout Melbourne city, but if you prefer to stay close to the circuits, both the Phillip Island and Sandown websites contain information about local accomodation.

Maps of the Area

An internet site that allows you to create a map and list of instructions from one location to another is travelmate. 

A directory that displays a map showing the exact position of a street address that you enter is whereis.com.

Restaurants

Melbourne is renowned for it's restaurants.  There are literally thousands of them spread throughout the the city.  The vast majority provide excellent food at reasonable prices.  Many restaurants are clustered together in the following areas and you can normally find one with a free table without pre-booking:

Lygon Street - approx 2km north of the CBD and a little to the east of Melbourne University.  Mainly Italian food.
St Kilda - Immediately south of Albert Park along much of Fitzroy St towards the coast and also by following this road around to Acland St.
Chapel Street - Approx 2 km east of Albert Park, between Toorak Rd and Commercial Rd.
Chinatown - In the CBD.  Little Bourke St, to the east of Swanston St
Southbank - South edge of the CBD.  Along the southern banks of the Yarra River, to the west of St Kilda Rd.

Driving in Melbourne
The speed limit in Melbourne is 50kph unless signposted otherwise.  This typically means that local suburban streets have a 50kph speed limit, while more major roads typically have limits of 60 or 70 kph, but beware that the limits can change frequently along these roads, speed limits are enforced (the tolerance over the limit is only 3 kph) and fines are quite high.

Driving in Melbourne provides the relatively unique challenge of sharing many roads with trams.  Generally this presents no problem, but the major rules that you should be aware of are:

• Do not pass a tram if it is stopping at a tram stop (unless there is a specific pedestrian area in the middle of the road).  Stop behind the tram.  Passengers crossing the traffic lanes between the footpath and the tram have the right of way.

• In the Central Business District ONLY, many intersections have a special rule for turning right known as a hook turn.  At these intersections, you move off to the LEFT of the road (to keep out of the way of straight through traffic) and wait there until the lights turn red, then you proceed with the right turn.  The intersections where this rule applies have an overhead sign indicating the hook turn.  

• Don't hold up a tram - cars are supposed to keep out of the way of trams.  In reality it is virtually impossible to never infringe this rule. 

Australian F1 Grand Prix

The Australian F1 Grand Prix is run on the weekend after the International Challenge at Phillip Island.  It's location is Albert Park in Melbourne City, about 2 km south of the CBD.  Practice is held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and the main event is held on Sunday.  Extensive public transport is provided so it is wise to go by bus, train or tram.  Melbourne has a ticketing system where one ticket covers all modes of public transport.  For example buying a 1 day ticket means you can travel on any mixture of bus, train and tram for that day, but note that the city is divided into zones based on distance from the city centre so buy a ticket for the maximum zone distance in your travels.  More information on public transport at the VicTrip website.  Once you get to the city centre, free trams leave from Flinders St Station and Spencer St Stations continuously for Albert Park (and return) on all days of the event.