Advice on road trip to Melbourne needed

[SPK-250]

Gday all. Me and the missus are heading over to melbourne in 2 weekends time and was wondering if anyone can point us to a caravan park in the suburbs of Melbourne, thats not to far from the city and also a hotel that is near the Telstra Dome that wont cost an arm and 2 legs.

Cheers.

[TZENU]

Might be worthy of check... inner city has an abundance of all sorts of hotels at different prices

http://www.lastminute.com.au/hotels.html

[mcnews]

www.wotif.com.au I use a few times a month. last minute is too much marketing hype for me, Wotif just gives you the hotels and the prices and the availability through a very simple and fast site. Never had a bad dealing with them and reckon I would have made upwards of 50 bookings through them in recent years. Two different hotels in Tassie last weekend for example.

[SPK-250]

For any of the Melbournites, Whats the go in the city with going left ton right at intersections?? I remember being there about 6 years ago and thinking WTF about that. Anyone on here live in or near Coburg?? And is anyone going to the T'n'T at Heathcote on the 10th of june??

[sgt_doofey]

The hook turns are so that cars get out of the way of trams when turning right.

[new2ford]

The dangerous road practice for years was that in Victoria a vehicle turning into a street from the opposite side of a road had right of way over a vehicle turning from the same side - opposite to practice elsewhere in Australia. I think this might have been ironed out by standarisation to Australian Road Rules now.

I once took on a Victoria Police car doing this and he pulled me over. I pleaded New South Wales and they let me off!

[sphell]

Hook turns are a piece of pi$$, get over it :P And if you want a good hotel cheap, look up Bayview on the Park in Queens Rd, St.Kilda. They are on lastminute.com.au. They have rooms for $100 a night and it's 4.5 star. Good pool too

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by new2ford

The dangerous road practice for years was that in Victoria a vehicle turning into a street from the opposite side of a road had right of way over a vehicle turning from the same side - opposite to practice elsewhere in Australia. I think this might have been ironed out by standarisation to Australian Road Rules now.

I once took on a Victoria Police car doing this and he pulled me over. I pleaded New South Wales and they let me off!

Hook turns are still in place, are common sense except to anyone from Sydney : .

The interesections where the rule applies are well signed, but you need to look up to see them.

Basically in the Melbourne CBD all through traffic uses the right lane, the left lane is for either turning right or turning left.

Where the hook turn applies, you should be in your left lane with your right indicator on, you enter on a green light, you pull around if front of the people on your left who are facing a red light, you point the nose of your car as you pull up in a the direction you want to go, when their red light changes to green they will let you first, then they will follow you, quite simple really.

If you are still not sure, park just outside the CBD, walk in and watch a few interesections to see how simple it is (except for people from Sydney : ).

As was siad above, this law is to allow the trams free access without cars blocking them.

[Outbackjack]

I though that they were called box turns??? Anyway they make perfect sense and when you have done one or two they are as easy as 1 2 3.

[xr8 utey]

here's a good caravan pk located in coburg,stayed there for the FPV open day in feb.

big4 caravan pk coburg

[Elks]

Ignore all the hook turn stuff,

If your going to visit telstra dome etc which is down town there are plenty of good cheap stays to be found on wotif.com.au and last minute as plreviuosly advised.

The caravan parks in a urban melbourne a fairly ordinary and by the time you pay for parking or cabs it will end up just as just pick something 3 or 4 star in the CBD or close by such as st kilda or carlton.

enjoy

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by Big_Trev

Hook turns are still in place, are common sense except to anyone from Sydney : .

Um, I wasn't talking about hook turns actually Big_Trev! I was talking about turning into a side street from a main road. The driver approaching from the far side of the main road had priority over the person turning from the near side. I hope ARR have quashed this by now.

[kyro_02]

I've never done a hook turn in my life. have fun :P

may i ask, where you are heading out from? what state

[zetec]

I moved down from Sydney 3 years ago and I can do a hook turn with my eyes closed, if Victorian drivers can do them, any Sydney driver could do it on 3 wheels with no engine. Other than hook turns, Victorian drivers leave a LOT to be desired and from all my driving across Aust, put the rest to shame when it comes to having no clue. Blame the nanny state enforcing the speed rule.

What ****es me off is when fools behind toot you for waiting for the light to turn green. People seem to want to rip around as soon as the original light goes red.

I'd rather not run early and risk getting flattened by a tram in the drivers door...

[pertuan]

Originally Posted by new2ford

Um, I wasn't talking about hook turns actually Big_Trev! I was talking about turning into a side street from a main road. The driver approaching from the far side of the main road had priority over the person turning from the near side. I hope ARR have quashed this by now.

Yeah, its changed now. Has been for the lsat 10 years at least.

It USED to be, when 2 cars going in opposite directions are turning into a street, right turn THEN left turn. Its now left turn then right turn like everywhere else.

[SPK-250]

Originally Posted by kyro_02

I've never done a hook turn in my life. have fun :P

may i ask, where you are heading out from? what state

Adelaide

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by pertuan

Yeah, its changed now. Has been for the lsat 10 years at least.

It USED to be, when 2 cars going in opposite directions are turning into a street, right turn THEN left turn. Its now left turn then right turn like everywhere else.

Again this WAS a law to clear the road in favour of the trams, right turners held up trams, so by getting them to go first go first allowed the trams to continue on their way.

Whilst I am comfortable with the current law, I still believe the previous one was safer, it got the most vunerable out of harms way. The person against the gutter is not as vunerable as the person in the middle of the intersection (just to be more controversial)

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by new2ford

Um, I wasn't talking about hook turns actually Big_Trev! I was talking about turning into a side street from a main road. The driver approaching from the far side of the main road had priority over the person turning from the near side. I hope ARR have quashed this by now.

I understand that now, but for the life of me, I couldn't understand what you were on about, but thanks to pertuan's clarification I now understand.

[XRchic]

You could try Airport Cabin Village (I think it is called that) which is in Airport West, off Mickelham Road, which is just off the Tullamarine Fwy. Nice cabins with bedrooms and ensuites and full kitchen. Nice and new, no scungy ones. Not bad prices either, we stay there every time we go to Melb. Its not far from the city and Telstra Dome, via the Western Ring Road etc....

Telstra Dome is great, its quite a strange experience going there for the first time. We saw the Crows pound the Saints there last year!!!!

[SPK-250]

Yeah we got it all sussued now. Staying at the Melbourne Big4 in Coburg for 2 nights and the Rydges North Melbourne for 1. Cant wait for the Friday night to go to Calder, hopefullly the weather is good.