Melbourne Travel Forum

Hi all,

I'm new to this site and just need some info on where it would be good to stay in melbourne.Me and my wife are only in melbourne from the 15th till 18th aug so not long to go now. My wife is on crutches so would be ideal if any one knows of any good hotels witch are maybe close to places of intreste etc.

Also we have a camper van hired from sydney from the 3rd to 14th aug to drive up to cairns .dose any one have any info on camp sites along the way and cost of camp sites ,fuel, and how long each day should we drive for to reach cairns while stoping in drifferent places on route..

All help would be realy great many thanks Scott.

Hi Scott, welcome to VT.

There are plenty of camp sites on the way, although as you get further up into north Queensland they are much further apart. How much driving to do really depends on tiredness. Driver fatigue is the biggest killer on our country roads, so stop every couple of hours to have a break. There are more places of interest to stop at in New South Wales and southern Queensland, but as you get further north there's a lot of space in between places. Watch the fuel gauge and don't let it get too low, petrol stations can be hundreds of kilometres apart. Unleaded petrol is around A$1.30 or $1.40 a litre but it varies from day to day and costs more in country areas than in cities.

Sydney to Cairns is about 2,500 kilometres, so you have plenty of time to do it and stop at places you find interesting.

I have a Travelogue of that road trip on my Australia page and there are many other pages here on VT with general info and specific tips. To go to the pages of anyone who replies just click on our names, then follow the links. You can also use the search panel to go to Australia or any specific place.

I'm only going to comment on the travel part, I'm in Melb at present but staying out in th e suburbs, don't really know where I would stay in the city. Fuel is very expensive now, cities up to $1.60 litre and I paid $2.10 for diesel in country Victoria this weekend. At home in Northern NSW it is already hitting $1.60 mark and higher - it will be much more expensive on your travels.

Van sites vary a lot and altho it is not always legal there are some great places to stay on the side of the road - well at least a bit off the track and you will find them or talk to others on your travels. The national parks are tyhe cheapest and probably less resourced but good places to look out for.

I've done Sydney to Cairns and to get a fair look around you want a minimum 7 days - 10 would be better but you don't say if that time will include Cairns and the far north. Check out also the RACQ and NRMA web sites - they have interactive maps and lots of driving tour info
http://parks.camping.com.au

I stayed at The Holiday Inn which is in Flinders Street, It was a few years ago now but am sure it will still be ok.