Przewodnik dla kibiców Grand Prix Australii

Damian Gapiński 08 Czerwca 2015, 17:30

1. Hotels near the stadium and their pricing

Travelers should be prepared to spend at least $150 per night. The later a hotel is booked, the higher the price is likely to be. However, there are hotels that cost less than that. Many hotels offer additional discounts, if guests spend at least 7 nights there. We recommend focusing on hotels that have minimum 3 star rating due to hygiene. It also needs to be remembered that many Australian hotels often do not offer free WiFi and access to it is available only at additional charge.

2. Transport from the airport to the stadium and the hotels

International flights arrive at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. Although it is possible to get to the city centre (where most hotels and Etihad stadium is located) in several ways, we advise to choose one of the two methods below:
- Taxi. It will be comfortable and cost effective in case of 2 – 3 people. Taxis are located right next to the arrivals hall and offer easy and relatively fast transport to any location in Melbourne. Costs are the disadvantage. Traveling from the airport to the city centre is around $60 and even for 3 people it could still be more expensive than taking a shuttle bus.
- Shuttle bus. There are many companies that offer shuttle bus services directly from the airport to a specific hotel or the stadium. It is an optimal solution for one person or a couple. Most buses arrive directly to hotel’s entrance and also provide assistance in baggage handling. Some of the available companies include:
Skybus Express http://melbourneairport.com.au/to-from-the-airport/skybus/overview.html
Skyvans http://www.skyvans.com.au/
Blue Bird Shuttle http://www.bluebirdshuttle.com.au/

Prices start from $18 per person one way. If flying from another Australian city, tourists may arrive at one of the remaining Melbourne airports: Avalon Airport, Essendon Airport or Moorabbin Airport. We suggest the same options as in case of the international airport – going by taxi or a shuttle bus.

3. Melbourne city centre (Melbourne CBD)

Melbourne CBD begins more or less around Queen Victoria Markets (north), has its western border at Victoria Harbour, ends at Fitzroy Gardens in the east and ends around Yarra River in the south. The streets divide the centre into squares and rectangle – similar to other Australian cities. As a result, it is quite easy to find your way around the city even if you get lost. All that needs to be found is one of the main streets: Collins St, La Trobe St, Flinders St, King St or Spencer St and then look for the nearest tram stop. There are many museums in Melbourne, there is also Chinatown (We strongly recommend trying different types of foods in that area), shopping centres with supermarkets like Coles as well as smaller retail outlets. Melbourne CBD map is available in Google Maps, it can also be obtained from tourist information centre.

If your hotel is based in Melbourne CBD, you will be able to walk to many locations. However, we do realise that time will be constrained and therefore, we recommend using trams which are the fastest and the most popular transport mode in the city centre. The most popular of them is No 35 – also known as City Circle Tram http://ptv.vic.gov.au/route/view/1112. Travelling on it is free and it stops near Etihad Stadium. It also stops at Docklands, La Trobe St, Flinder St and Spring St. IMPORTANT: the tram has its last ride around 9 pm. Therefore, it is likely to be unavailable after the Grand Prix meeting has finished. It is necessary to buy a tram ticket before the event. We recommend familiarising yourselves with Myki Money – Melbourne ticketing system which will help you get ready for this situation. http://ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki/myki-money/

5. Melbourne and Victoria attractions

Speedway is not everything. We recommend spending some time to do some Melbourne and surroundings sightseeing. Below are some of the most popular tourist attractions.

Flinders St Station and Yarra River – it is practically not possible to miss Flinder St Station and Yarra River. We suggest walking through a tunnel near the main train station and then walking along Yarra River. Unforgotten views. Best transport: Tram Line 35 – City Circle.

Federation Square – located right next to the corner of Flinders St and Swanston St. We recommend looking closer at this amazing construction and enjoy great views of Melbourne CBD from that location. St Paul’s Cathedral is located right next to it and its architecture is also worth looking at. Best transport: Tram Line 35 – City Circle.

Queen Victoria Markets – large marketplace which is well known in the whole Melbourne. Apart from food, you can also buy clothing, souvenirs and many other things. There is even a Polish shop where some Polish treats can be bought. The markets are closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.

More information available under http://www.qvm.com.au/ . Best transport: Tram Line 35 – City Circle. You will need to get off at La Trobe St and then have a short walk to the markets.

Museums – Melbourne is strongly focused on cultural aspects. Therefore, there are many museums for tourists, especially in the city centre. Some of the more interesting ones include Victoria Parliament House (Spring St), Chinese Museum (Lonsdale St), Immigration Museum (Flinders St) and Hellenic Museum (La Trobe St). Each of the locations is reachable by Tram Line 35 "City Circle".

St Kilda Beach, Lunapark and Botanic Gardens – St Kilda is the most popular beach in Melbourne. Beautiful views, long molo with a restaurant, black swans – all of this attracts tourist attention. In order to get there from city centre, you will need to catch tram line 55 and get to the other side of Yarra River and then get off at St Kilda Road. There, you will need to catch one of the following tram lines which will take you to the beach: 3, 3a, 5, 16, 64 lub 67. Some of these lines depart from Flinders St Station so if you are located close to it, you can catch the direct transport to the beach from there. Lunapark and Botanic Gardens are located close to the beach and the same mode of transport is recommended to get there.

Melbourne ZOO and Melbourne Aquarium – for those who love nature, Melbourne recommends ZOO and Aquarium. At ZOO you will see kangaroos, koalas, wombats, emus, crocodiles, seals, dingos and many more animals typical for this part of the world as well as from other parts of the world. The Aquarium focuses on sea world and apart from the previous mentioned crocodiles it also has sharks (you can swim together with them), stingrays, turtles, penguins and many more. Melbourne Aquarium is located near Flinders St, which is why it is best to get there with free tram line 35. As for the Melbourne ZOO, it is best to get there by tram line 55.

The Eureka Tower and Observation Skydeck – the highest building in Melbourne allows seeing the aerial view of city. We recommend it to anyone, it is completely safe. Telescopes are also available and they allow having a closer look at certain places. Crossing to the other side of Yarra River will allow you to walk to the tower. If you are located a bit further, you can take one of the tram lines that were previously mentioned during St Kilda transport options.

Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles – for those, who are into beautiful views, we suggest spending one day traveling through Great Ocean Road which has its best spot at the viewing point of so called 12 Apostles. You can either rent a car or buy a bus trip. Other interesting views at Great Ocean Road include Loch and Gorge, London Bridge, Gibson Steps, The Grotto and Perce Rock.

Phillip Island – located just 70 km south of Melbourne and known of Moto GP race track (2015 Australian Moto Grand Prix will be held there on the 18-th October – 6 days before Australian Speedway Grand Prix). It is also known of Phillip Island Nature Park where penguins in wild can be seen. Tourists can also see a blowhole. We recommend doing the trip by either a bus or a rented car.

6. Etihad stadium – Detailed Map

The detailed map of the stadium is available under this link.

http://www.etihadstadium.com.au/documents/Etihad-Stadium-Detailed-Map---UPDATED-0614.pdf

7. Australia – read it, worth knowing

The below info could be useful for anyone who plans to travel to Australia.
- Most Poles and European Union members qualify for eVisitor tourist visa. Getting it should be a formality. It does not cost anything and the application is done online after your flights and hotels have been booked. More details available under this link http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/651.aspx
- If your country is not on the list of eligible countries for eVisitor, please contact Australian consulate or Australian embassy in your country. Alternatively, you can try calling Immigration Office directly. Contact details are available on www.immi.gov.au.
- Australian currency is called Australian Dollar. Its value is approximately 0.70 Euro for each 1 AUD.
- You cannot take food to Australia. That includes fruits that are given to passenger on airplanes (fine for attempt to take such fruit through the border and not declaring it is at least $200). Most of sweets (for example chocolate) are an exception but we still recommend declaring them on your arrival card.
- Polish and International Driving License are valid in Australia but only for the holders of temporary visas (for example eVisitor). Showing one of these documents (best to have passport too) will allow you to hire a car.
- Maximum legal speed on Australian roads is 110 km/h. There are several areas in Northern Territory where you are allowed to drive 130 km/h though.
- If you are planning to stay in Australia longer and see more speedway meetings, you can expect tickets to cost around $25 per person. In addition, you will most likely need to bring your own folding chair to the event.

Opracowanie: Dominik Janusz

Pomóż nam ulepszać nasze serwisy - odpowiedz na kilka pytań.