How to Get to Melbourne: Tullamarine Airport (MEL), SkyBus, Southern Cross & myki Guide

Positioned near the southeastern corner of the Australian mainland, Melbourne serves as Victoria's primary international aviation, rail, and highway gateway. Melbourne Airport does not yet have a dedicated heavy-rail station. Understanding the express coach link into Southern Cross Station and how the city's smartcard ticketing works will save you time and money upon landing.

Arriving at Melbourne Airport (MEL, Tullamarine) and Avalon Airport (AVV)

Almost all international and domestic flights arrive at Melbourne Airport (IATA: MEL), universally known as Tullamarine Airport. Opened in 1970, it sits 23 kilometres northwest of the Melbourne CBD along the M2 Tullamarine Freeway (CityLink). Melbourne Airport is the only airport terminal complex in Australia with four walkable terminals joined under one contiguous roofline. Because all four buildings connect indoors, you never need a shuttle bus to transfer between domestic and international flights:

• Terminal 1. Qantas domestic departures and arrivals sit at the northern end of the concourse.
• Terminal 2. All international arrivals and departures operate in the central building.
• Terminal 3. Virgin Australia domestic flights depart immediately south of Terminal 2.
• Terminal 4. Jetstar, Rex, and low-cost domestic carriers use the southern end beside the Ground Transport Hub.

The air corridor between Melbourne (MEL) and Sydney is consistently one of the busiest domestic passenger air routes in the world. Frequent trans-Tasman flights also link Melbourne directly to Auckland and Queenstown. A smaller secondary airport, Avalon Airport (IATA: AVV), sits 55 kilometres southwest of Melbourne near Geelong along the M1 Princes Freeway. Avalon handles selected domestic Jetstar services, so always double-check your three-letter airport code when booking low-cost domestic tickets.

Getting from Melbourne Airport into the city centre

You have three reliable ways to travel the 23 kilometres from Tullamarine into the Hoddle Grid:

1. SkyBus Melbourne City Express (Fastest and most convenient). Red double-decker SkyBus coaches depart from the kerbside stops directly outside Terminals 1, 3, and 4. They run nonstop down the CityLink tollway into the basement coach terminal of Southern Cross Station on Spencer Street. The trip takes approximately 30 minutes outside peak freeway rush hours. You can buy tickets online or at the red kerbside kiosks without reserving a specific departure slot; check the official SkyBus portal for current schedules. For flights landing at Avalon Airport (AVV), the separate SkyBus Avalon City Express reaches Southern Cross Station in 55 to 65 minutes.
2. Public Bus 901 + Metro Train via Broadmeadows (Budget myki option). Travellers carrying a topped-up myki card (sold at the airport SkyBus counter or PTV Hub) can use public transit. Walk to the Terminal 4 Ground Transport Hub and board the orange Route 901 SmartBus to Broadmeadows Railway Station (15 to 20 minutes). From Broadmeadows, take a city-bound Metro train on the Craigieburn Line into the underground City Loop and Flinders Street Station (around 35 minutes). The entire bus-and-train transfer falls under a standard Zone 1+2 daily myki cap.
3. Taxis and Rideshare (Uber, DiDi, 13cabs). Official taxi ranks operate outside Terminal 1 and between Terminals 2 and 3. Dedicated Uber and rideshare pick-up zones sit in the lane outside Terminals 1, 2, and 3 and on Level 2 of the Terminal 4 car park. Allow 25 to 45 minutes into the CBD depending on Tullamarine Freeway traffic.

Southern Cross Station, interstate trains, and the City Loop

Southern Cross Station occupies an entire city block along Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe streets at the western edge of the CBD. Opened in 1859 as Spencer Street Station and redeveloped in 2006 under architect Nicholas Grimshaw's wave-shaped roof, it serves as Victoria's regional and interstate rail hub. Long-distance trains arriving here include the daily NSW TrainLink XPT from Sydney Central, which covers 878 kilometres in roughly 11 hours by day or overnight. The twice-weekly Overland train also arrives from Adelaide (828 kilometres, roughly 10 hours), while purple V/Line regional trains connect Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo. Note that the Spirit of Tasmania passenger and vehicle ferry from Devonport no longer docks at Station Pier in Port Melbourne. Since October 2022, it sails to Spirit of Tasmania Quay in Geelong, 65 kilometres southwest of Melbourne, where V/Line trains link to Southern Cross. Outside Southern Cross, free trams run along Collins and Bourke streets into our recommended Melbourne hotel neighbourhoods.

Melbourne's 16 suburban electric train lines converge on the five stations of the City Loop. Two surface terminals anchor the loop: Flinders Street Station, which is Australia's busiest suburban railway station, and Southern Cross Station. Three underground stations sit beneath the Hoddle Grid perimeter: Parliament on Spring Street, Melbourne Central on La Trobe Street, and Flagstaff on William Street.

How to use the Free Tram Zone and myki smartcards

Melbourne operates the world's largest urban tram network, with 250 kilometres of double track and roughly 500 trams across 24 routes. Keep three simple rules in mind when riding:

• Inside the Free Tram Zone. Travel within the CBD grid (bounded by Victoria Street, Spring Street, Flinders Street, and Docklands, plus Queen Victoria Market) is 100 percent free. Do not touch on a myki card if your trip stays inside this zone, including on the heritage W-class Route 35 City Circle Tram.
• Riding outside the Free Tram Zone. You need a ticket before boarding a tram to Carlton, Fitzroy (Routes 11 or 86), South Melbourne and St Kilda (Routes 96, 16, or 12), or Port Melbourne (Route 109). A paid fare is required for the Shrine of Remembrance and Royal Botanic Gardens along St Kilda Road as well. Buy a physical myki card at Southern Cross Station, Flinders Street Station, or any 7-Eleven store. Android phone users can also set up instant Mobile myki in Google Wallet, while iPhones require a physical myki card. Load pay-as-you-go "myki Money", which caps automatically at a daily maximum rate.
• Touch-on rules. On trams, touch your myki card to the reader when you board. You do not need to touch off when getting off unless your entire trip stays strictly within outer Zone 2. On Metro trains and V/Line regional trains, you must touch on at the entry gate and touch off at the exit gate. Pair these transit links with our 3-day Melbourne itinerary and Melbourne orientation guide.