City Guides

July 19 2020

How To Use Public Transport in Melbourne | Using MYKI

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Have you ever wondered how to use Melbourne’s public transport system and that MYKI card, well Internash is going to show you how to ace the Melbourne public transport system for train, buses and trams.

If you want to travel in Melbourne on the public transport all you need is one card, the MYKI card. You can use this to travel on the trams, buses and the trains!

You can purchase these from any 7-eleven, some post offices and at any of the train stations where PTV have either a vending machine (where you also top up) or manned booths (kisok’s) during daylight/opening hours.

Your MYKI card will cost $6.00 AUD and you have two top-up options

Difference Between the Top Up Options

1.) MYKI Pass is ideal for those who travel often, with MYKI Pass you can travel unlimited for the amount of days you purchase (from 7 days, 28 days and 365 days). The cost of a 28 day pass is $145.04 (as at February 2018) and if you travel at least 5 days per week the MYKI pass works out a lot cheaper at $5.18 AUD per day over 28 days, where as MYKI Money costs up to $8.60 AUD per return trip.

2.) MYKI Money is for those who don’t travel often. There’s a maximum daily cap of $8.60 AUD no matter how many trams, trains or buses you travel on within that particular day. So, if you travel more than 4 days per week this is going to be a cheaper option than MYKI Pass, however if you travel 5-7 days per week opt for MYKI Pass as MYKI Money could cost you in excess of $172.00 AUD within 28 days travel! Know your schedule and choose accordingly.

One thing to note, if you buy MYKI Money and realise you need to purchase MYKI Pass it’s easy to change by topping up at a MYKI Kiosk or Vending Machine. This won’t cost you anything to change from Money to Pass, and if you’ve still got MYKI Money remaining this will stay on your card until you run out of MYKI Pass or your card expires – which ever comes first.

Fines

Now you’ve got your MYKI card and you’ve topped up it’s time to travel! Don’t forget to touch on every time you enter a train station or when you jump on the tram or the bus because if a PTV officer catches you for not touching on they will fine you on the spot $238.00 AUD and nobody wants that!

Touch Off!

When you are traveling on trains and buses don’t forget to touch off to avoid being charged a “default” fare if you’re using MYKI Money this is the daily cap of $8.60 AUD. However with trams you don’t actually have to touch off and in the city there is a free tram zone which is amazing! You don’t have to touch on or off and you don’t even need your MYKI if you don’t plan on leaving the city.

APPS

Another handy tip is to download the PTV app as you can check bus, tram and train timetables. You can also plan your journey and set reminders, personally I use this every single day as sometimes its even more up-to-date than the actual schedules displayed at the stations.

Night Services

Now, if you’re going out during the week Sunday through to Thursday just keep in mind that at midnight all the public transport stops running until five o’clock in the morning so you don’t want to get stranded. However, Friday and Saturday night it’s running 24 hours a day (usually a train every hours after midnight depending on your line) so you’ll definitely be able to get home after a big night out.

Register

Register your MYKI card on the MYKI website if you’re going to be here for some time because if you lose that MYKI card you lose the money on it. If you register online then PTV they can just transfer that money over to a new card you buy from their manned kiosks. The website has an option to manually top up or organise automatic top ups when your card reaches a low balance which is really handy if you’re anything like me and constantly forgetting to top up my MYKI money every 28 days.

I hope these tips were helpful! Comment below if you have any questions, or tell us how you’ve found the Melbourne transport system since traveling around the city and surrounds

Author: Jocelyn Wardle

July 19 2020

Cost of living in Melbourne

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Melbourne is one of the best cities to live in the world and it is important to know how much does it cost to live in this city especially if you are planning to move to Melbourne for your studies or migrate to Australia. For your convenience, we have divided this video in three parts.

Accommodation, Food, and Transportation. So, #CheckItOut

Accommodation Costs

Your rental price in Melbourne depends on how close you are living from the city or how we call it CBD(central business district) in Australia. The closer you are to the city, the more expensive it’s going to be.

In the Melbourne CBD, you can find a room by yourself in a shared house around $300 to 400 per week or if you don’t mind sharing, you can cut your expenses down to around $200 per week. As an international student in Australia, it is important to manage your expenses. You can do that by moving into the outer suburbs of Melbourne where you could find your own room in a shared house for $200 a week or if you don’t mind sharing, you can bring that down to $100 to $150 dollars per week. However, it is important to remember that if you live in Melbourne CBD, you do not have to pay for public transport as long as you are commuting within the CBD using trams.

Food Costs

Heads up peeps, Melbourne can be expensive if you do not know how to cook, so the number one advice for all international students would be to learn how to cook and cook your meals at least 5 days of the week. Melbourne has one of the best brunch cultures and you would be able to find some amazing cafes and brunch spots all across the city, so save those two days a week to explore new cafes every week.

How much would eating out cost in Melbourne, Australia?

You’re looking at spending at least $20.00 for your breakfast at an average cafe so if you’re eating out for three meals a day that could add up to $50 to $100 in just one day. However in saying that, you can go to a lot of Asian and Indian restaurants that usually have meal deals around lunchtime for about $10 a meal and if you must eat out, this is going to be the most cost-effective option. For example, Delhi Rocks in Melbourne has a $10 meal deal all day, every day.

How much would it cost to buy groceries and to cool at home?

If you don’t mind cooking, grocery stores are gonna be your cheapest option and the best options for grocery stores are Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi. There are a lot of Indian and Asian grocery stores all over Melbourne as well. If you’re buying your groceries and cooking it at home for most of your meals you’re going to be spending around $200-$300 dollars per month.

Pro tip – Cheaper and fresher option you have is to go to your local fresh food market on a Sunday afternoon where a lot of vendors are trying to sell their items at a discounted price because it’s usually the last day of their trading week. You can pick up a box of mixed vegetables for around $30.

Transportation Costs

Public transportation in Melbourne

Melbourne has an amazing public transport system connecting you to trains, trams and buses all over the city. All you need to travel on public transport is a MyKi card. To get a MyKi, it would cost $6 and there are two top-up options. One for the not so frequent traveler with a daily cap of around $9 dollars or the other option is a MyKi pass now if you’re traveling five to seven days per week you can pay around $150 for 28 days so it’s going to save you some money. Melbourne also has a free trams zone in the CBD where you don’t have to touch on your Myki card. You can jump on and off all day every day and not pay a cent.

If you want to travel to suburbs that are further away from the city such as Geelong we have V-line service. It will take you all the way up to Turalyon and down to Geelong so you’ll be able to see country Victoria and you don’t need a car.

Pro tip – International undergraduate students can save 50 per cent on an annual myki with an international Undergraduate Student Education pass (iUSEpass) myki card.
Alternatively you can save by buying passes. Android users can also take advantage of GPay Myki integration and skip the $6.00 Myki Card purchase fee.

Is buying a car a good option and how much would it cost every month?

As an international student, if you’re looking to buy a car in Melbourne the best websites to have a look at are, www.carsales.com.au or to check out www.gumtree.com.au. Another place which is gaining a lot of popularity lately is ‘buy & sell pages’ on Facebook.

However, it is important to keep in mind that maintaining a car can get very expensive in Australia.

Annual insurance is going to cost you around $500,
Car registration is going to cost you around $900
Car service might cost you at least $150 – $200 per service and at last,
Fuel averages at a dollar and thirty-five cents per liter

So you’re going to be looking at spending at least 1,600 to $2,000 per year on a car.

For occasional travel, Melbourne also has taxis and Uber.

Pro Tip – Your cheapest option is to buy a bicycle because Melbourne is very flat and it’s very easy to get around there are bike paths everywhere you’ll be riding through the suburbs through parks along beautiful rivers and you’ll be able to explore the city in a totally different way so those are our top three things that will contribute to your cost of living in Melbourne.

July 16 2020

7 TIPS FOR VISITING MELBOURNE

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Thinking about coming to Melbourne but you’re not sure where to start. There’s so much to do and see it’s overwhelming! Here’s a list of our top 7 tips when coming to the beautiful, fashionable and eclectic city of Melbourne.
Where to stay?
In Melbourne you can find accommodation from $25 a night, hotels and motels usually start at $80. Find the best deal on hostel world or bookings.com. We recommend staying in the CBD as that’s where the cities heart resides and it’s really easy to travel around Melbourne with a free tram zone with in the city and easy transport options out of the city center.

Travelling in Melbourne. It’s easy to walk around Melbourne as it’s very flat, or hire a bike and enjoy riding along the gorgeous Yarra river.
Melbourne has some of the best public transport in Australia, all you need is a MYKI card which you can buy at train stations, 7/11’s and some Post Offices for $6. If you’re in town for a week and plan to use public transport at least twice a day buy a 7 day unlimited MYKI pass for $48 or a visitors MYKI and download the PTV app which will help guide you through the city and surrounds.
There is transport to more rural areas of Victoria but a lot of you will want to see The Great Ocean Road, so rental a car to leave the city. A small compact car will cost about $40 per day plus fuel, but includes insurance however if you’re less than 25 the age surcharge is usually $30 extra per day. Find the best deal on www.drivenow.com.au

Food
For as low as $10! You’ll find amazing restaurants on Zomato and Trip Advisor.
Here’s a quick list of some of our favourite cheap eats:
HOT STAR
With cooked chicken for only $8.50
Nhan Ngai
Vietnamese street food with $3.50 rice paper rolls on Richmond’s Swan Street
MAEVE FOX
Another Richmond favourite for a some $1 dumplings and spring rolls on Fridays from 5-9pm
MR SCRUFF’s
Satisfy that craving for $5 nachos on Wednesday evenings

Shopping til you drop.
Stores are usually open 10 – 7 with late night shopping on Thursday and Friday until 9pm, keep in mind a lot of places close by 6pm on weekdays so get your shopping in during the day while it’s less busy. The best places include Docklands and Essendon DFO, Chadstone Mall is the biggest in Australia with stores from Target to Prada in the one building — Bourke Street mall in the CBD is a well known open air shopping street which no cars are allow to drive but you can catch a tram, also in the city check out Q.V., and the Emporium for both Australian and European brands. But our favourite is Chapel St because after a day of shopping your favourite brands it’s time for the best food, drinks and people all in one place.

Party! Party!
South bank is buzzing with restaurants and bars open until very late, Chapel street is one of the most famous with bars and restaurants lining the street for four suburbs, a few of our favourite places include the Rialto towers bar called Lui Bar in the city for the most amazing selection of cocktail and a beautiful view from 50 stories high in a relaxed setting or for something a bit cheaper in the city check out El Coco with weekday happy hours from 5pm-8pm, head North to Fitzroy to watch the sunset on the roof of Naked for Satan then head to The Black Pearl and buzz the hidden bar upstairs called the Attic for a night cap.

What To SEE?
Our top places to see include royal botanical gardens, Queen Victoria market, Luna Park, Melbourne zoo, St Kilda, the great ocean road, Philip island, go on a wine tour in the Mornington Peninsula and the Yarra valley. You can spend a few days exploring the CBD include Graves Lane for amazing graffiti, turn to De Graves Street for a plethora of cafes, refer back to our shopping suggestions, and not to mention the many historical monuments scatters about Melbourne but there is a whole other post..
This is a quick list of things you might not of know about Melbourne, let us know in the comments what you want to know about Melbourne, or Australia
Author – Jocelyn Wardle