Melbourne finds itself at the hub of great airline deals such as the recent $10 fares to Sydney. To further minimize excess costs, travellers utilize different payment methods, Jetstar pricematching, bring food on the plane, and pack everything into a carry-on bag. The hardest expense to  minimize is transportation to Melbourne Airport.

Your choices:

• Skybus ($17/ow, $28 return) – Runs 24 hours a day, takes 20 minutes from Southern Cross Station.
• Taxi  (~$60/ow from city) – Same as above.
• Private buses  ($15-$20 (e.g. Starbus) o/w.) Takes 1 hour from city/city suburbs.
• Park yourself – ($29/day (airport), $19/day at  nearby private car park, e.g. Andrew’s Airport Parking) Airport parking is the easiest option.
• Public buses– From city, $5.54/ow. ~1 hour From Gladstone Park Shopping Centre $2.26. ~5 minutes. (There is only 1 public bus that goes from the city to the airport and only runs once a day (don’t even try). There are other lines that run to the airport but you will need to catch them in the outer suburbs. The easiest route utilizing public transport from the city would be to take a train out to Broadmeadows station then catch the 901 bus to the airport.)

There is one last method that I tried out on a recent trip to Sydney. According to this map via reddit, you can park your car for free in and around Gladstone Park Shopping Centre. The centre is about a 5 minute bus ride from the airport and serves the 478, 479 and 901 bus. The 901 bus runs the most frequent.  Drive at your leisure, park the car, 1 minute walk to bus stop, catch bus to airport.

1. Park for free at Gladstone Park Shopping Centre or surrounding streets. There are no restrictions on either.

2. Walk 1-2 minutes to the bus stop on Mickleham Road.

3. Take the 901 bus to Melbourne Airport. The bus runs every 15 minutes during the day and at later intervals at night/early morning.

4.  The bus ride should take around 5 minutes and the airport will be the first stop.

5.  The bus will drop you off outside Terminal 4 (Tiger).

5.  Walk to your terminal. Terminal 4: 2 min, Terminal 3: 5 min, Terminal 1: 12 min.

If you are traveling with another person or group, drop them all of at the airport with the bags. Drive back to Gladstone Park Shopping Centre, park, and take the bus back to the airport. Want to get a cheap meal? Grab some food for the plane at Woolworths, located in the shopping centre.

*Notes:

If you don’t possess a MYKI card you will need to purchase one for $6. The card allows you to travel on trams, trains, and buses in Melbourne. So if you are taking the train to Broadmeadows, you will need a MYKI. If you are just taking a bus, then you can just purchase your fare on board without having to purchase a MYKI.

Airport parking prices vary and tend to get cheaper the longer you park. For the purposes of this post, a daily rate was used.

Depending on the route you drive to the Airport / Gladstone Shopping Centre, you may incur tolls using Citilink. You can avoid these by using local roads.