Getting There

By Plane

Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) and discount airline Virgin Blue (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia; www.virginblue.com.au) both fly to Melbourne from all state capitals. Qantas's discount arm, Jetstar (tel. 13 15 38 in Australia, or 03/8341 4901; www.jetstar.com.au) flies to and from Darwin, Townsville, Hamilton Island, the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, and Hobart. Jetstar also flies between Avalon Airport, about a 50-minute drive outside Melbourne's city center, and Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. New low-cost carrier Tiger Airways (tel. 03/9335 3033; www.tigerairways.com.au) has its hub in Melbourne, and from there flies to Adelaide, Alice Springs, Canberra, Perth, Darwin, Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania, Newcastle in New South Wales, Mackay, Rockhampton, and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts in Queensland. The skies are highly competitive, and, with rapidly expanding networks, more flights are likely to have been added by both Jetstar and Tiger before you arrive in Australia.

Melbourne Airport's international and domestic terminals (www.melair.com.au) are all under one roof at Tullamarine, 22km (14 miles) northwest of the city center (often referred to as Tullamarine Airport). Newcomer Tiger Airways has a separate terminal next door, distinguished by the tiger-striped water-tower landmark outside it. A travelers' information desk is on the ground floor of the international terminal and is open from 6am until the last flight. The international terminal has snack bars, a restaurant, currency-exchange facilities, and duty-free shops. ATMs are available at both terminals. Showers are on the first floor of the international area. Baggage carts are free in the international baggage claim hall but cost A$3 (US$2.70/£1.35) in the parking lot, departure lounge, or domestic terminal. Baggage storage is available in the international terminal and costs from A$10 to A$20 (US$9-US$18/£4.50-£9) per day, depending on size. The storage desk is open from 5am to 12:30am daily, and you need photo ID. The Hilton Melbourne Airport (tel. 03/8336 2000) and Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport (tel. 13 83 88 in Australia, or 03/9933 5111) are both within 5 minutes' walk of the terminals.

Thrifty (tel. 1300/367 227 in Australia, or 03/9241 6100), Budget (tel. 13 27 27 in Australia, or 03/9938 6955), Avis (tel. 13 63 33 in Australia, or 03/9338 1800), Hertz (tel. 13 30 39 in Australia, or 03/9338 4044), and Europcar (tel. 1300/131 390 in Australia, or 03/9241 6800) have airport rental desks. The Tullamarine freeway to and from the airport joins with the CityLink, an electronic toll-way system. Drivers need a CityLink pass. A 24-hour pass costs A$11 (US$9.90/£4.95). Check with your car-rental company.

The distinctive red Skybus (tel. 03/9335 3066 for recorded information; www.skybus.com.au) runs between the airport and Melbourne's Southern Cross station in Spencer Street every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the day and every 30 to 60 minutes overnight, 24 hours a day, every day. Buy tickets from Skybus desks outside the baggage claim areas or at the information desk in the international terminal. A free Skybus hotel shuttle will pick you up at your hotel to connect with the larger airport-bound bus at Southern Cross, but you must book this. It operates from 6am to 10pm weekdays and 7:30am to 6:30pm weekends. One-way tickets cost A$16 (US$14/£7.20) for adults, and A$26 (US$23/£12) gets you a two-way journey. Kids cost A$6 (US$5.40/£2.70) each way. A family ticket for up to six people costs A$36 (US$32/£16) one-way or A$56 (US$50/£25) round-trip. The trip takes about 20 minutes from the airport to Southern Cross station, but allow longer for your return journey.

Sunbus (tel. 03/9689 6888; www.sunbusaustralia.com.au) meets all flights and runs back to the airport from 167 Franklin St. and Southern Cross Station, and also operates a transfer service to Avalon Airport for Jetstar flights. One-way tickets from Melbourne airport cost A$22 (US$20/£10) for adults, A$15 (US$14/£6.75) children ages 4 to 14, and A$63 (US$57/£28) for a family of four. Round-trip fares are double. One-way fares from Avalon Airport are A$20 (US$18/£9) adults and half-price for children to Southern Cross station, more to other CBD locations and other suburbs.

A taxi to the city center takes about 30 minutes and costs around A$45 (US$41/£20).

By Train

Interstate trains arrive at Southern Cross Railway Station, Spencer and Little Collins streets (5 blocks from Swanston St., in the city center). After a multimillion-dollar face-lift completed in 2006, the station was renamed Southern Cross, but you will still hear locals refer to it as Spencer Street Station. Taxis and buses connect with the city.

The Sydney-Melbourne XPT travels between Australia's two largest cities daily; trip time is 11 hours. The adult fare is A$91 (US$82/£41) for economy class or A$128 (US$115/£58) first class. A first-class sleeper costs A$216 (US$194/£97). For more information, contact Countrylink (tel. 13 22 32 in Australia; www.countrylink.info).

The Overland train, fully refurbished in 2007, provides daylight service between Melbourne and Adelaide (trip time: just under 11 hr.) three times a week. The adult one-way fare is A$139 (US$125/£63) in first class and A$89 (US$80/£40) in economy. For more information, contact Great Southern Railways (tel. 13 21 47 in Australia; www.gsr.com.au).

V/Line services also connect Melbourne with Adelaide. This trip is by train from Melbourne to Bendigo and by bus from Bendigo to Adelaide. Total trip time is around 11 hours, and the fare is A$49 (US$44/£22) for adults and A$34 (US$31/£16) for children. The Canberra Link connects Melbourne with the nation's capital; it's a train journey from Melbourne to Albury, and a bus from there to Canberra. The journey takes around 12 hours and costs A$43 (US$39/£19) for adults, A$3.10 (US$2.80/£1.40) for an accompanied child. For information and reservations, contact V/Line (tel. 13 61 96 in Australia or 03/9697 2076; www.vline.com.au).

By Bus

Several bus companies connect Melbourne with other capitals and regional areas of Victoria. Among the biggest are Greyhound Australia (tel. 1300/473 946 in Australia, or 07/3868 0937; www.greyhound.com.au). Coaches serve Melbourne's Transit Centre, 58 Franklin St., 2 blocks north of the Southern Cross Railway station on Spencer Street. Trams and taxis serve the station; V/Line buses (tel. 13 61 96 in Australia; www.vline.com.au), which travel all over Victoria, depart from the Spencer Street Coach Terminal.

By Car

You can drive from Sydney to Melbourne along the Hume Highway (a straight trip of about 9 1/2 hr.), via Goulburn in NSW (good for supplies), and Wangaratta in Victoria (where you can detour into the Victorian Alps if you wish). Another route is along the coastal Princes Highway, for which you will need a minimum of 2 days, with stops. For information on all aspects of road travel in Victoria, contact the Royal Automotive Club of Victoria (tel. 13 13 29 in Australia, or 03/9790 2211; www.racv.com.au).