Getting Around Melboune
This page is for people who aren’t familiar with the city of Melbourne and details advice on how the city is laid out and how to make use of the public transport there. For information on actually getting to the convention venue, Rydges on Swanston, please refer to this page.
CITY LAYOUT
Moving around Melbourne is relatively simple, as we have both a train and tram system and the CBD (Central Business District) is based on a grid layout. As you can see, there are a number of main streets running along and across the city. Going clockwise from the southernmost road, Flinders Street, Spencer Street, LaTrobe Street and Spring Street encircle the CBD. At the top of the CBD runs Victoria Street at a different angle – just past this road is the convention venue: Rydges On Swanston (701 Swanston Street.)
Click this link to View Larger Map
TRAINS
On the map below you can see the train stations of Melbourne. Going clockwise from the southern-most station we have: Flinders Street Station, Southern Cross Station (formerly Spencer Street Station), Flagstaff Station, Melbourne Central Station and Parliament Station. Almost all departing trains will go around this loop of stations (referred to as the City Loop), going clockwise CALL METRO 1800 69 63876. For more information on Melbourne trains, including timetables, please see the official website.
TRAMS
Melbourne boats the largest tram network in the world and make for an easy way to move quickly around the city. Tram stops have no uniform look, but they’re easy to spot. They’re all just variations of the stops pictured below. While some stops come complete with seats and shelter, most are just out in the middle of the road. Just take care when crossing the road and stay near the fence while waiting for your tram. For more information on Melbourne’s trams, see the website here.
Then there are the City Circle trams. These are refurbished trams that run in various loops around the city. These are completely free to use. They’re easy to spot and look like the red tram pictured below. For information on the City Circle tram routes and timetables, see theirwebsite here.
TICKETS
Our train and tram tickets are called Myki. There are two kinds of Myki cards: short term paper cards and the plastic cardswhich can be loaded with credit. At the time of writing, the system is in the process of being implemented and currently only plastic cards are in use. For visitors the short term Myki should suffice – but we’ll update this page with further information on buying cards once the Myki system has been completely put in place.
Myki is a swipe card, so be sure to swipe the card when you get on and also when you get off a public transport vehicle. For trams, there are small swipe units by the door. For trains these are part of the ticket gates when you enter and exit the train station. Both are easy to spot thanks to the blue and yellow/green colour scheme and the Myki logo of a hand holding a card.
Here’s some more tips you’ll want to know:
- For Melbourne travel, you want a Zone 1 ticket.
- You’re eligible for concession prices if you’re under the age of 16, or if you carry an approved Victorian concession card, such as a health care card.
- Please note that train ticket machines don’t give more than $10 in change
- Also note that the ticket machines on board trams only accept coin
- Melbourne has a strong fare evasion stance, so we encourage you to buy a ticket to avoid any hassle.
- As you can see on their website, Metro staff grey suits with a blue tie or scarf – or sometimes just a striking blue shirt. Feel free to ask them if you have any questions.
For information on Melbourne train routes and timetables, see thewebsite here.
TRAINS
On the map below you can see the train stations of Melbourne. Going clockwise from the southern-most station we have: Flinders Street Station, Southern Cross Station (formerly Spencer Street Station), Flagstaff Station, Melbourne Central Station and Parliament Station. Almost all departing trains will go around this loop of stations (referred to as the City Loop), going clockwise CALL METRO 1800 69 63876. For more information on Melbourne trains, including timetables, please see the official website.
TRAMS
Melbourne boats the largest tram network in the world and make for an easy way to move quickly around the city. Tram stops have no uniform look, but they’re easy to spot. They’re all just variations of the stops pictured below. While some stops come complete with seats and shelter, most are just out in the middle of the road. Just take care when crossing the road and stay near the fence while waiting for your tram. For more information on Melbourne’s trams, see the website here.
Then there are the City Circle trams. These are refurbished trams that run in various loops around the city. These are completely free to use. They’re easy to spot and look like the red tram pictured below. For information on the City Circle tram routes and timetables, see theirwebsite here.
TICKETS
Our train and tram tickets are called Myki. There are two kinds of Myki cards: short term paper cards and the plastic cardswhich can be loaded with credit. At the time of writing, the system is in the process of being implemented and currently only plastic cards are in use. For visitors the short term Myki should suffice – but we’ll update this page with further information on buying cards once the Myki system has been completely put in place.
Myki is a swipe card, so be sure to swipe the card when you get on and also when you get off a public transport vehicle. For trams, there are small swipe units by the door. For trains these are part of the ticket gates when you enter and exit the train station. Both are easy to spot thanks to the blue and yellow/green colour scheme and the Myki logo of a hand holding a card.
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Here’s some more tips you’ll want to know:
- For Melbourne travel, you want a Zone 1 ticket.
- You’re eligible for concession prices if you’re under the age of 16, or if you carry an approved Victorian concession card, such as a health care card.
- Please note that train ticket machines don’t give more than $10 in change
- Also note that the ticket machines on board trams only accept coin
- Melbourne has a strong fare evasion stance, so we encourage you to buy a ticket to avoid any hassle.
- As you can see on their website, Metro staff grey suits with a blue tie or scarf – or sometimes just a striking blue shirt. Feel free to ask them if you have any questions.
For information on Melbourne train routes and timetables, see thewebsite here.