You can book a chauffeur service in Melbourne on BlaakLane.com at a fixed price. Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine is about 23 km from the CBD, usually 25 to 45 minutes via the Tullamarine Freeway and CityLink; waiting sits inside the fare, while gratuity is charged at actual cost and added to the booking. We also cover Avalon, Essendon Fields and the big event weeks: the Australian Open in January and the Grand Prix in March.
Getting a Melbourne chauffeur booked
The engine on this page, or the book page, needs five things: pickup, destination, date, time and vehicle. For Tullamarine or Avalon, add the flight number. You then see a fixed fare. Accept it and the job goes to a vetted affiliate operator contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard; the confirmation shows the operator's name, the chauffeur and the car. Dispatch runs from our Toronto desk 24/7, so a 05:45 arrival from Singapore or Dubai is watched just like a mid-afternoon domestic hop.
The price stays put when the Tullamarine Freeway crawls, when the Bolte Bridge is slow or when a Grand Final crowd empties onto Brunton Avenue. There is no surge and no meter.
Inside the Melbourne fare
- One fixed price for the vehicle and chauffeur on your route.
- Waiting: 60 minutes from actual landing on international arrivals, 30 minutes on domestic flights and 15 minutes for other pickups, then 15-minute blocks.
- Child seats on request, free.
Airport charges for pre-booked vehicles at Tullamarine and Avalon, parking and gratuity sit outside the Melbourne fare and are added to the booking at actual cost. Planning figures by class are on rates. Cancellation is identical on every booking: nothing if you cancel more than 72 hours ahead, 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours, and 100% inside 24 hours or for a no-show.
Tullamarine terminals and pickup
Melbourne Airport (MEL) has four terminals in one line. Terminal 2 is international. Terminal 1 is Qantas domestic, Terminal 3 is Virgin Australia domestic, and Terminal 4 handles Jetstar, Rex and other carriers. All four are within walking distance of one another, which makes international-to-domestic connections straightforward.
The chauffeur collects you curbside at the airport's designated pickup area for pre-booked vehicles, and your confirmation says where it is for your terminal. A name-board meet and greet at the arrivals exit is an add-on, available only in selected locations. After an international flight, allow time for Australian Border Force passport control and the biosecurity check at baggage claim; the 60 minutes of included waiting starts when the aircraft actually lands.
| Tullamarine to | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| CBD (Collins or Bourke Street) | 23 km | 25-45 min |
| Southbank, Crown, MCEC | 25 km | 30-50 min |
| Docklands, Marvel Stadium | 22 km | 25-45 min |
| St Kilda, Albert Park | 30 km | 35-60 min |
| Toorak, South Yarra | 30 km | 35-60 min |
| Box Hill, eastern suburbs | 35 km | 40-70 min |
| Geelong | 85 km | 60-80 min |
Avalon and Essendon Fields
Avalon Airport (AVV) sits about 55 km south-west of the CBD on the way to Geelong and handles a limited schedule of flights. The drive into the city is 50 to 70 minutes along the Princes Freeway, and much shorter to Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Great Ocean Road. Enter Avalon as the pickup with your flight number.
Private and corporate aircraft often use Essendon Fields, about 13 km north-west of the CBD and 15 to 30 minutes from Collins Street. The chauffeur meets the aircraft at the operator you name, subject to that operator's ramp rules. See private aviation and FBO transfers.
CityLink, EastLink and the West Gate: how Melbourne tolls work
Melbourne's two big toll roads cover different trips. CityLink links the Tullamarine Freeway to the West Gate Freeway on its Western Link, then runs under the Yarra through the Domain and Burnley tunnels to the Monash Freeway on its Southern Link; nearly every airport trip to the CBD or the south-east uses a section. EastLink is a 39 km motorway from Ringwood to Frankston through the eastern suburbs, useful for the Mornington Peninsula and the Yarra Valley. The West Gate Tunnel, opened on 14 December 2025, gives a second crossing from the western suburbs to the city and the port. None of these have cash booths; vehicles pay by e-tag through an account such as Linkt.
Hook turns, trams and CBD driving
Melbourne has the largest tram network in the world, and its streets are shaped around it. Australia drives on the left, and at many intersections in the CBD grid, right turns are made as hook turns: the car pulls to the far left, waits in the intersection until the lights on the cross street turn green, then turns right across the tram tracks. The intersections are signed "Right turn from left only". It looks strange to visitors but keeps the trams moving. Your chauffeur plans pickups on the correct side of the street to avoid unnecessary hook turns.
Two tram rules also shape where you get in and out. Cars must stop behind a tram at a stop without a safety island while its doors are open, and many kerbs on Collins, Bourke and Swanston Streets are tram-only or loading zones. Drop-offs usually happen in a side lane or a hotel porte-cochere rather than on the main streets. Swanston Street through the centre is largely closed to general traffic.
The Grand Prix and the Australian Open
These two events shape Melbourne's roads more than any others.
The Australian Open is played at Melbourne Park in January, over two weeks, on Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena. The park is on the eastern edge of the CBD, 5 to 15 minutes from most hotels, but night sessions end late and Batman Avenue and Olympic Boulevard fill with crowds. Pickups are agreed at a designated point outside the precinct. Official information is on ausopen.com.
The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix runs on the Albert Park street circuit, usually in March. Setting up the circuit closes parts of Albert Park and Lakeside Drive for weeks, and on race days the roads around Albert Park, St Kilda Road and Queens Road are restricted. Car access to the precinct is limited; the chauffeur drops at an agreed point and collects at a set time. Dates and access maps are on the Australian Grand Prix site.
Both events are event transportation weeks: hotels fill and every good pickup slot is booked early. Hospitality groups and sponsors with several vehicles are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Melbourne's other event months
- March: Moomba on the Labour Day long weekend and the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
- March to April: the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
- September: AFL finals, with the Grand Final at the MCG, usually on the last Saturday in September.
- October to November: the Spring Racing Carnival, with the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November, a public holiday in metropolitan Melbourne.
- 26 December: the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
The main venues are the MCG and Rod Laver Arena in the sports precinct, Marvel Stadium in Docklands, AAMI Park, Flemington Racecourse and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) at South Wharf.
Which vehicle for a Melbourne trip?
| Trip | Suggested class | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One traveller, T2 to Collins Street | Standard Sedan | Quick set-down in a side lane |
| Two executives, Southbank meetings all day | Luxury Executive Sedan | Hourly booking between offices |
| Family ski trip or golf bags | Executive SUV or Standard Black SUV | Space for bulky gear |
| Hospitality guests at the Grand Prix | Sprinter Van | Planned by a coordinator |
| Melbourne Cup day party | Stretch limousine or Bentley (partner) | Flemington arrivals |
| Principal with a security profile | Armoured sedan (partner) | Only after a risk assessment |
Vehicles are four model years old or younger; only Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley are accepted up to seven. The classes are on the fleet.
Hotels, Southern Cross and Station Pier
Melbourne's luxury hotels are close together. Crown Towers and The Langham are in Southbank beside the Yarra; the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne occupies the top of a tower on Lonsdale Street; the Grand Hyatt and Sofitel on Collins are at the Paris end of Collins Street; W Melbourne is off Flinders Lane; the Park Hyatt is in East Melbourne near St Patrick's Cathedral; and The Hotel Windsor faces Parliament House.
Southern Cross Station on Spencer Street is the terminus for regional V/Line trains, the NSW TrainLink XPT to Sydney and the SkyBus airport coach. Flinders Street Station serves the metropolitan network. Cruise ships berth at Station Pier in Port Melbourne, about 5 km from the CBD and 15 minutes by car; the season runs mainly from October to April, and see cruise lines and ports for how disembarkation timing is handled.
Day trips: Great Ocean Road, Yarra Valley and the peninsula
| Destination | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Yarra Valley (Healesville) | 65 km | 1-1 h 15 |
| Mornington Peninsula (Sorrento) | 95 km | 1 h 15-1 h 30 |
| Phillip Island | 140 km | 1 h 45-2 h |
| Daylesford and Hepburn Springs | 110 km | 1 h 20-1 h 40 |
| Lorne, Great Ocean Road | 140 km | 2 h |
| Twelve Apostles | 275 km | 3 h 30-4 h 30 |
A full-day city tours and day trips booking keeps the same chauffeur for the whole route, which matters on the Great Ocean Road where the coastal stretch is slow and scenic. For flights onward, see Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra.
Visitor entry: authorisations and the arrival declaration
Almost everyone except Australian and New Zealand citizens needs an authorisation before boarding a flight to Melbourne. Eligible passports, including those of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore, can use the Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) via the Australian ETA app, which carries an AUD 20 service charge; EU citizens may apply for the free eVisitor (subclass 651). Other nationalities apply for a Visitor visa. The Department of Home Affairs explains each option at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. Melbourne is one of the first airports where selected international flights use the digital Australia Travel Declaration in place of the paper card, and the change is being extended across the country. Declare food and plant products at biosecurity; undeclared items can bring on-the-spot fines. Live terminal information is on the official Melbourne Airport site.
Corporate travel in Melbourne
Melbourne's CBD, Docklands and Southbank hold large banking, insurance, mining and technology head offices, and MCEC runs a steady calendar of medical and trade congresses. A corporate account gives monthly invoicing, cost centres, traveller profiles, duty-of-care trip data and a named coordinator. Planners who need hotels and flights too can use the travel desk, and executive chauffeur service covers leadership visits. The Australia country page lists every other city we serve, including Brisbane and Perth.
