Southern Cross Station is a great base to begin your trip to Melbourne, capital of Australia’s Victoria State. Located in Melbourne’s Docklands area, Southern Cross is a major transport hub for the city combining a train station, bus station, tram access and shopping mall. Each year, more than 60 million people pass through this bustling complex on the western edge of Melbourne’s central business district (CBD).

If you are travelling across Australia by train, you’ll find Southern Cross a convenient destination with regular train services to Sydney and Adelaide as well as connections to regional lines across the state of Victoria.

Meanwhile if you are flying into Melbourne International Airport (known locally as Tullamarine), you’ll be able to catch Sky Bus an express bus service direct to Melbourne’s Southern Cross Railway Station a great way to reach the city. With buses every 10min, the trip of 35min takes you right from your international flight into the heart of Victoria’s state capital.  Southern Cross is also convenient for the tram network which operates across the city making.

As well as being a great cultural centre, you’ll discover so much to see within an easy drive of Melbourne’s city limits with beautiful beaches and stunning countryside to aim for.

If you are planning a trip to hire a car to explore the Melbourne area our friendly Avis team handily placed at Southern Cross Train Station is ready to offer advice and provide the perfect rental car for your trip.

You’ll find our Avis office at Southern Cross located at 99 Spencer Street between Collins Street and La Trobe Street, close to Southern Cross Railway Station and bus terminal. When you are returning your vehicle to Avis at Southern Cross, you’ll need to access Wilson Car Park at 163-235 Spencer Street. You enter the car park in the right lane and take a ticket following signs for Car Rental Returns.

Our rental location at Southern Cross in Melbourne is close to many of Melbourne’s best tourist attractions, including the colourful harbourside area of the city. You can take to the water on a river cruise or even go kayaking – a very different way to take in the Docklands skyline.

Not far away, you’ll find the Old Melbourne Gaol which once housed many of Australia's most notorious criminals. Now a museum, Old Melbourne Gaol was Victoria’s oldest prison. Today it offers events including an Escape Artist tour revealing untold stories of daring flights from the prison.

For sports fans visiting the city, Marvel Stadium, a popular venue for Australian Rules football is just a 5min walk from our rental location.

Visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to which outings to opt for with a car hire from Melbourne Southern Cross Train Station.

If you want to pack up the car and escape the city for a day, of the most popular road trips from Melbourne’s Docklands district is to head east out of the city and explore the Yarra Ranges National Park. The 80km route is easy to access from the Docklands area taking you out of the city along the M3 highway. The journey will take around 1.5hr.

Lying between Melbourne and the Victorian Alps, the Yarra Ranges National Park offers stunning views, remarkable rainforests and at certain times of year, even the chance of some snow. The trip from Melbourne will take you along the famous Black Spur Drive, renowned for its remarkable scenery.

You can stop off and enjoy the vistas from Mount Donna Buang, or head further into the park along Black Spur Drive, taking in the Mountain Ash forest as far as Lake Mountain.

With Avis you can hire a car and drop it off in a different location so if you are feeling inspired, why not head from Melbourne for a road trip around Victoria.

While Melbourne itself benefits from a great public transport system and you’ll find Southern Cross convenient to access the city in all directions, if you want to explore the outskirts of the city independently or take a road trip across Victoria, a rental car is a great way to explore this region of Australia. Hiring a car is also a great way to get around if you are travelling to Melbourne on business and need the flexibility and freedom self-drive brings.

If you are driving in Melbourne, you’ll find that the city’s road network often intersects with the tram network. There are also several toll routes in Melbourne, so you are advised to plan your route and use GPS to navigate. In Melbourne, like the rest of Australia, you will be driving on the left-hand side of the road.

Before you travel, take time to check the driving rules in Australia.

If you are planning to hire a car from Avis Southern Cross and want to explore the city on foot or by public transport, the Docklands area is popular with visitors and commuters alike so there are plenty of public car parks within easy reach including close by on 163-255 Spencer Street. This is one of 130 city council car parks across Melbourne, and you can pre-book in advance.