Melbourne - Australia 2004 - page 527

between Australia's two largest cities daily; trip time is 10 1 ⁄ 2 hours. The full fare
for economy class is A$110 (US$72) on the day of travel; A$66 (US$43) 1 week
in advance; and A$55 (US$36) 2 weeks in advance. The first-class fare is A$154
(US$100) on day of travel, A$92 (US$60) 1 week in advance, and A$77
(US$50) 2 weeks in advance. A first-class sleeper costs $231 (US$150) on day
of travel, A$169 (US$110) 1 week in advance, and A$154 (US$100) 2 weeks
in advance. Students presenting an ISIC international student card travel
at “2 week in advance price” in all categories, even if booked on the day of
travel. For more information, contact Countrylink ( & 13 22 32 in Australia;
www.countrylink.info).
The Overland provides daily service to and from Melbourne and Adelaide
(trip time: 12 hr.). Fares are A$57 (US$37) in economy and A$105 (US$68) for
a first-class sleeper. You can transport your car on the Overland for A$168. For
more information, contact Great Southern Railways ( & 13 21 47 in Australia;
www.gsr.com.au).
Daylink 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 11 hours, and the fare is A$60 (US$39) economy and A$69 (US$45)
first-class. The Canberra Link connects Melbourne with the nation's capital,
and consists of a train journey from Melbourne to Wadonga, and bus from there
to Canberra. The journey takes around 11 hours and costs A$45 (US$30) in
economy, and A$64 (US$42) in first-class. For train information and reserva-
tions for the daylink services to Adelaide and Canberra, contact V/Line ( & 13
61 96 in Australia; www.vlinepassenger.com.au).
BY BUS Several bus companies connect Melbourne with other capitals and
regional areas of Victoria. Among the biggest are Greyhound Pioneer and
McCafferty's ( & 13 20 30 in Australia, or 03/9670 2533; www.greyhound.
com.au). Greyhound Pioneer buses and McCafferty's coaches depart and arrive
at Melbourne's Transit Centre, at 58 Franklin St., 2 blocks north of the Spencer
Street Railway Station. New arrivals can take a tram or taxi from the station to
their hotel. V/Line buses ( & 13 61 96 in Australia), which travel all over Vic-
toria, depart from the Spencer Street Bus Terminal.
BY CAR You can drive from Sydney to Melbourne along the Hume Highway
(a straight trip of about 9 1 ⁄ 2 hr.), although a much nicer route is via 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 Auto-
motive Club of Victoria ( & 03/9607 2222; www.racv.com.au).
VISITOR INFORMATION
The first stop on any visitor's itinerary should be the Melbourne Visitor Cen-
tre, Federation Square, Swanston Street and Flinders Street ( & 03/9658 9658 ).
The center, which opened in 2002, serves as a one-stop-shop for tourism infor-
mation, accommodations and tour bookings, event ticketing, public transport
information, and ticket sales. Also here are an ATM, self-help Internet terminals,
and interactive multimedia providing information on Melbourne and Victoria.
The center is open 7 days from 9am to 6pm. The Melbourne Greeter Service
also operates from the Melbourne Visitor Centre. This service is available in
20 different languages and connects visitors to enthusiastic local volunteers who
offer free one-on-one orientation tours of the city. Book at least 3 days in advance
( & 03/9658 9658; [e-mail]).