Here we have another station that happens to be fully staffed, completely accessible, and has ample…read morefacilities. I guess being located next to a major shopping centre does help, and help quite a lot, but still, I do quite appreciate the fact that this station is just a little more than a shelter and a platform. I guess also being a termination station for some trains helps as well.

This is the newest mega train station near Point Cook. It looks clean, at least compared to those…read morein US. There is huge car park for commuters, however there is bit of walking distance, plan to give plenty of time.

We flew through Melbourne three times on our latest trip to Down Under…read more International arrivals required a little bit of a hike to get to immigration. We were able to use the egate to enter so no more passport stamp. We grabbed our luggage and proceeded through customs. That was the much longer and slower line. Definitely better to declare conservatively (per announcement on our flight) and explain all Yes answers to the agent. To connect to our domestic leg to Hobart we followed the signs to T3 and did the self serve baggage drop like everyone else. Security was next and water was allowed to be carried through. To connect to our international flight to Queenstown in T2 we had to queue to check bags and get our boarding pass since they had to verify our NZETA and return flight. Security screening was quick but a little slower at the egate customs as people fumbled around for their passport (required first step). Some people had to be rerouted to the in person agent when flagged by the egate. After all this, at least there was a good selection of restaurants and shops in each terminal we visited. Prices were roughly just a couple AUD higher than outside the airport so it felt reasonable. Overall good signage and well connected terminals.

Our recent MEL experience included 2 domestic flights, one coming in from Hobart on Virgin…read moreAustralia, and the other flying up to Alice Springs on Quantas. The highlight of these experiences was running into members of Allegaeon at baggage claim. They are an American death metal band from Fort Collins, on tour here I guess. I'm not into that type of music, but one of my step-sons has made some cool art related to that genre. I can't speak for the International side of MEL, but I found Domestic to be "Easy Out/Easy In", even though this is a busy place. It also helps when your tour guide is facilitating baggage check-in and transportation. Security was on our own, but by this time, Gayle and I knew the Australian Rules (everything out of your pocket, plus belt). Signage was good, so there were no problems finding baggage claim or our gate.

Yeah, I'm sure if you live in Melbourne you will be familiar with this station, and with this…read morelocation. I have ended up here a couple of times, namely because it is a major interchange station where you can not only catch the suburban trains but also the V/Line and even the train to Sydney (which runs twice a day, though you can't catch it into Melbourne, which is a shame). Yeah, basically it is one of those places that you should only go to if you really need to go to it.

Set opposite the massive shopping centre, Broadmeadows Train station is a gateway for those in the…read morenorth. Serviced by both the Craigieburn and Broadmeadows lines, metro trains operate at least every ten minutes from here during the week; and between 10-15 minutes on weekends making it one of the better stations in regards to frequency. The other great thing about this station is that V Line trains run through, and stop here. So if you're coming to Melbourne from the country and would prefer to hop off before you get to Southern Cross, Broady's your port of call. My sister comes from North Vic regularly to visit me on the train, and it's so much easier to meet her and drop her off at Broady from my place not even 15 minutes down the road. However, Broadmeadows is well known for its high crime rates and youth unemployment, making the train station a popular hangout for unsavoury types. Because of this I always feel a little uneasy, but if you plan you're travel for during the day and try to get there so you don't have to wait around too long, it's not so bad. Being a premium station Broadmeadows is manned through the Metro and V Line ticketing office so there is a good sense of security whilst the office is open.

In a way this is a major suburban railway station, namely because it happens to be a stop for the…read moreV/Line trains as well as a number of the suburban trains (well, actually all of the suburban trains that head along this line). It is basically a fully serviced railway station, and quite accessible as well, though I'm not entirely sure if it actually sports restrooms (a lot of them don't, and when they do it happens to be locked). Still, trains are reasonably frequent along here.

Essendon Junction does not have a lot to offer, but it does provide a train station (Craigieburn…read moreLine), tram stop (rout 59), bus depot (many routes), 7 Eleven, a couple of bars and a cafe. Essendon station has a lot of parking, but fills early. It is also close to Windy Hill, if you happen to need to go there for some reason.