November 22, 2007

Melbourne



Museums
Home to the nation's finest collection of racing memorabilia, the Australian Racing Museum immortalises some of the most significant events in our racing history.
Officially opened in 1981, under the patronage of HM Queen Elizabeth II, the Australian Racing Museum is the only museum of its kind devoted to horseracing in Australia. The Australian Racing Museum features a changing program of innovative exhibitions and topical displays.
Melbourne has a privatised public transport system comprising trains, trams and buses. Trams are the main form of transport throughout the Central Business District and run up and down most main streets. Trains are the main mode of transport throughout the greater Melbourne area.

The best way to get around the Central Business District is to catch the City Circle Tram, a free service that runs around the perimeter of the CBD. There is an excellent map of the CBD and its main points of interest on the website.

Travelling away from the CBD, your choice is catch a tram or a train (although bus services do operate to most areas).

Trams
Trams going outside the CBD run to the inner suburbs and in some instances a little further. There are different departure points throughout the CBD and you can check these here. A light rail service runs to the popular tourist destinations of St Kilda and Port Melbourne (Beacon Cove).

Trains
There are two main railway stations in the CBD:

Flinders Street Station, at the corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets, which is the main terminus for Melbourne metropolitan rail services; and

Southern Cross Station (previously Spencer Street Station), at the intersection of Bourke and Spencer Streets, which is the main hub for country rail services.

You can plan how to use Melbourne's public transport system using MetLink (includes all train, trams and bus services).