Toll road signage

Toll roads in Melbourne have blue signage with gold coloured lettering. This is in contrast to the green signage with white lettering used on roads that do not require the payment of tolls for their use.

Visitors to Melbourne

Are you driving a rental vehicle?

Most hire car operators will have arrangements in place allowing you to drive the vehicle on Melbourne's toll roads without restriction and you will be automatically billed for any usage. These arrangements will either consist of an electronic tag fitted to the vehicle's windscreen or the registration of the vehicle's number plate with toll road operators for identification during your rental period. Confirm these arrangements when collecting your vehicle. Additional processing charges may be added to standard toll fees.

If your hire car operator is covering all toll usage, you should not contact toll road operators to buy toll passes or pay for usage, otherwise you may end up paying twice.

Are you driving a private vehicle fitted with an electronic tag?

Electronic tags issued by any toll road operator in Australia will work seamlessly on all of Melbourne's toll roads. Simply drive though toll gantries without stopping and usage charges will be automatically billed to your own toll road account.

Brisbane - Go Via

Sydney - E-Toll

Sydney - E-way

Sydney - Roam

Sydney - Linkt

Are you driving a private vehicle without an electronic tag?

If you currently have a toll road account with CityLink or EastLink in Melbourne, and you have registered your vehicle's number plate with them, simply drive through toll gantries without stopping. Toll charges will be automatically billed to your own toll road account. You will be charged a number plate matching fee, however this is waived for motorcycles.

If you currently have a toll road account with a toll road operator in Brisbane or Sydney, and you have registered your vehicle's number plate with them, your registration number will be photographed as you drive through toll gantries and offered to other toll road operators to see if any will accept the charge on your behalf. If that charge is accepted by your own toll road operator, then it will be directly billed to your Brisbane or Sydney toll road account, including either a number plate matching fee or a no tag fee.

Casual toll road passes issued by Brisbane or Sydney toll road operators are not regarded as toll road accounts and cannot be used on Melbourne's toll roads, except for the Linkt Sydney Pass.

Otherwise if you don't have a compatible toll road account or accepted casual pass, you will need to make payment either prior to or no more than 3 days after using a toll road.

Casual toll road passes can be purchased by either:

• Visiting the CityLink or EastLink website and making payment online
• Phoning CityLink on 13 26 29 or EastLink on (03) 9955 1400
• Purchasing a pass at selected newsagents, 7-Eleven and United Petroleum service stations

When purchasing a casual pass, you will be asked to provide your vehicle's registration number so that it can be recognised by cameras when driving through toll gantries.

CityLink casual passes provide unlimited travel for 24 hours for a fixed fee on either the entire tollway or just the "Tulla" section between Bell Street and Flemington Road. There is a special weekend pass that offers unlimited travel on the entire CityLink tollway from midday on Friday to Sunday night for the same cost as a weekday 24 hour pass.

EastLink casual passes are single trip passes that cover one journey of any length in one direction on the tollway. Therefore a return trip on EastLink requires the purchase of two passes.

A convenient option for visitors to Melbourne planning to make multiple trips on any of Melbourne's toll roads over an extended period of time is a Melbourne Pass. No electronic tag is required and tolls are automatically charged to your nominated credit card using number plate recognition technology when driving through toll points. This arrangement simplifies things as you don't need to keep buying casual passes and you only accumulate charges when you actually use toll roads. The Melbourne Pass is valid for up to 30 days. It cannot be used on interstate toll roads.

Are you unsure if you used a toll road in your private vehicle?

If you have used a toll road without a valid toll account or casual pass, then sometime after 3 days since your first toll road journey, an invoice will be posted out to the registered owner of the vehicle. This invoice will request payment for outstanding tolls and it will also include additional processing fees.

To avoid having an invoice issued which attracts additional fees, ensure you contact the appropriate toll road operator if you think you may have used their toll road. You have 3 days from the beginning of your first journey on the toll road to check if you have incurred any tolls and make payment.

Here's a link to tolls and fees, probably best to follow this link as any prices I post would be subject to change: https://www.citylink.com.au/help/payments-tolls-and-fees/tolls-and-fees/what-are-the-tolls-and-fees

Driving in general we find to be more aggressive than our experience in on the Sunshine Coast. It's not often you'll get let in to a stream of traffic by simply indicating, you need to take your life in your hands and shove in, most will then yield. There are traffic lights aplenty but none seem too well synchronised so the traffic flows from one set to the next in any direction. Red lights get jumped on many occasions so beware before setting off from your green light. There are red light cameras scattered around and falling foul of one will cost you $389 plus 3 demerit points.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

As with most major metropolitan cities, Melbourne has a good Public Transport infrastructure. This is made up of Trains, Busses and Trams. All services fall under the banner of PTV (Public Transport Victoria) and fares are paid using a MYKI pass, similar to an Oyster card or an Opal card. The base payment for the card is currently $6, with various concessions available at $3. 

Buy a myki

Choose your myki card from the list below and top up to start using public transport.

myki card types

Card type	Cost	Who's eligible to use this card?
Full Fare	$6	People aged 19 years and over with no concession entitlement International visitors 19 years and over
Concession	$3	Victorian Healthcare card holders Australian Pensioner card holders Seniors from other states in Australia PTV ID card holders (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary or Asylum Seeker)
Children	$3	Children aged 5 to 18 years (including visitors from other states and international visitors) Children aged 4 years and under travel free and don't need a myki Customers aged 17 and 18 must carry government issued proof of age ID (such as a passport, drivers license or proof of age card) Children aged 16 and under don't need proof of age to travel
Seniors	$3	Victorian Seniors Card holders Seniors receive a free myki with their Victorian Seniors Card Seniors from other states in Australia must buy a concession myki

myki Explorer

Visitors to Melbourne and Victoria can buy a myki Explorer. The pack comes with a ready-to-use card, handy maps and discounts to some of our favourite places.

Buying a myki at a retail outlet

Visit the myki retail outlets page.

Buying a myki on board a bus

Buy a myki on board a bus within the myki area and top up to a maximum of $20. Routes 401 and 601 do not sell or top up myki cards.

Buying a myki online or via the call centre

If you're buying a myki card online or through our call centre you'll need to provide your postal address so we can send you the card. We'll delete these details within 30 days of sending you the card. Your myki will take seven to 10 business days to arrive. Once you receive the card you need to top up so you're ready to travel. 

You can also register your myki. This protects the balance of the card if your myki's lost or stolen. When you buy a registered myki online or from the call centre, you can choose to print your name on it.

Buying a myki with an overseas credit card

Credit cards issued outside Australia cannot be used to buy myki cards online.

Buying a myki on a V/Line train

V/Line conductors sell myki cards pre-loaded with myki Money for travel to and from V/Line stations between Melbourne and Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Traralgon and Seymour.

• Full fare cards cost $30 and include $24 myki Money.
• Concession cards cost $15 and include $12 myki Money.

Pre-loaded myki cards are also available to purchase at staffed V/Line stations outside the myki enabled area (beyond Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Traralgon and Seymour).