Traveling to Melbourne, advice on a few things pleaseeee

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Forums › Finance and wealth management › Traveling to Melbourne, advice on a few things pleaseeee

tardtasticx

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#175782 11-Jul-2015 18:33

Hey hey,

As title suggest, going to Melbourne but it's next weekend so quite soon. I haven't been overseas since I was in primary school so I'm a bit unseasoned. I have a few questions that I'm hoping a few of the more seasoned travellers will be able to help me out with? Any advice greatly appreciated!

Public transport: We're staying in the Sofitel Hotel and it looks like trams run right by it, from what we can tell trams are free in the CBD. How do we use them? Do we still need their equivalent of a Snapper/HOP card even though it's free?
Mobile: We use a lot of data, I think probably at most 1GB for the weekend will be ample for us both. We're with Spark but don't want to roam if we can avoid it. I was thinking of buying a single SIM and putting it in this ( http://www.vodafone.co.nz/shop/mobileDetails.jsp?skuId=sku30190617 ), then both of us turning our phones to WiFi only and just connecting via that.
- What's the best carrier in Melbourne for that type of thing?
- Is that advisable?
- Are there restrictions around SIMs/mobiles there? I thought I read somewhere you had to register/give ID to buy a SIM?
We have a few places we want to visit but any recommendations would be fab.

In terms of money and that, we got some cash when the dollar was nearly on parity, anything we need to spend above that will just be on a credit card but it probably won't happen.

Cheers!

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#1341259 11-Jul-2015 18:39

VodafoneNZ $5 daily roaming would be cheaper and easier than getting a local SIM for a few days and its 4G roaming but yes ID required for local SIM

dafman

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#1341261 11-Jul-2015 18:41

Trams are a great way to travel, dead easy (a great example of how good public transport can be). You need to buy a 'snapper' type card to travel - from memory it was $7 per card last year. Can't remember if free in CBD, but overall trams are not expensive. If you do get tram cards, the trip out to St Kilda is a great excursion for a few hours.

aumouth

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#1341273 11-Jul-2015 18:44

There is a "city circle" free tourist tram only, going around most of the CDB tourist sites. All other trams and public transport is charged which require a card (like AT HOP, called Myki). The card is a $5 charge.

johnr

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#1341288 11-Jul-2015 19:00

Melbourne is a great city easy to get around

tardtasticx

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#1341292 11-Jul-2015 19:04

http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PDFs/Maps/Network-maps/PTV-Free-Tram-Zone-Map.pdf This is the free tram zone I was talking about in the OP. It seems different from the city circle one? http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PDFs/Maps/Network-maps/City-Circle-map.pdf

Either way happy to pay for it but want to know if I need a card first haha.

@John if we use the Data $30 prepaid addon, that's eligible for the $5/day thing? Or is it Post-pay only?

Edit: Also, can we buy that add on while we're roaming if we run out of data? we have some left over on the SIM the hotspot linked in the OP came with. Would love to just use that it seems way easier than buying a new SIM over there.

networkn

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#1341294 11-Jul-2015 19:11

Don't miss Victoria Markets and the food market behind it. I can give you a long list of extremely worth while places to eat, though I tend to have expensive taste when it comes to food and this wouldn't suit everyones budget. Agree with JR about $5 roaming. Amayasim is ok, but internet speeds are rubbish.

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xlinknz

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#1341300 11-Jul-2015 19:15

johnr: VodafoneNZ $5 daily roaming would be cheaper and easier than getting a local SIM for a few days and its 4G roaming but yes ID required for local SIM

Ah the ridiculous Australian laws no doubt just in case I am a terrorist

I found if I went to Dicksmith I did not need to provide my passport or IDs etc, the credit card authorization sufficed

Handle9

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#1341301 11-Jul-2015 19:17

Optus $2 days are hard to beat for a weekend. You get 500mb a day and unlimited calling and texts. If you go over your data they charge you an additional $2 for another 500mb. From memory there is an Optus shop at Tulimarine Airport.

You will need to buy a card to use trams or trains, other than the free loop tram, from memory they sell them at the stations for about $5. It's only the loop tram that's free, the rest you tag on and off. Of course the airport doesn't have a train station, just like Auckland.

aumouth

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#1341302 11-Jul-2015 19:21

tardtasticx: want to know if I need a card first haha.

No, a Myki card is not required for travel on the city circle and wholly within the free zone.

xlinknz

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#1341303 11-Jul-2015 19:23

Handle9: Optus $2 days are hard to beat for a weekend. You get 500mb a day and unlimited calling and texts. If you go over your data they charge you an additional $2 for another 500mb. From memory there is an Optus shop at Tulimarine Airport.

You will need to buy a card to use trams or trains, other than the free loop tram, from memory they sell them at the stations for about $5. It's only the loop tram that's free, the rest you tag on and off. Of course the airport doesn't have a train station, just like Auckland.

+1, from memory we used Optus and their $2 thing too

wasabi2k

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#1341318 11-Jul-2015 19:42

If you are staying at a Sofitel the concierge will be able to sort out any questions you have while you're there.

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Disrespective

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#1341349 11-Jul-2015 20:55

The travel cards are called MyKi cards. It's something like a maximum of $4 per day and cost about $7 or so. The airport bus does a return ticket from the train station which is worth getting. It's something like $35 total which is worth doing.

josephhinvest

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#1341354 11-Jul-2015 21:13

I have an Optus wifi hotspot you're welcome to borrow (Auckland). You'd likely need to buy a new SIM card or you can try to top up the one I used earlier in the year.
It's an Optus 4G rechargeable hotspot, worked well for me.

Cheers,
Joseph

johnr

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#1341451 11-Jul-2015 22:50

tardtasticx:@John if we use the Data $30 prepaid addon, that's eligible for the $5/day thing? Or is it Post-pay only?

Edit: Also, can we buy that add on while we're roaming if we run out of data? we have some left over on the SIM the hotspot linked in the OP came with. Would love to just use that it seems way easier than buying a new SIM over there.

All INFO is here but $5 covers all calls / txt back to NZ around OZ all incoming calls and use any amount of data included in your Vodafone NZ plan

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/daily-roaming/

tardtasticx

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#1341455 11-Jul-2015 23:03

Wow thank you josephhinvest, such a kind offer. We've got a hotspot very similar otherwise I'd deffo take you up on that!

So it seems now the choice is between Voda NZ roaming, easy. Or Optus, cheap. I probably see ourselves going the Voda route tbh, never really considered roaming as its always looked ridiculously expensive when I've looked at it for family.

Thanks everyone for advice! Deffo a lot less to think about now haha. Cheers!

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