It is a real pain in the butt . If you are early start going slower. I have to unhook car from behind motor home so I just went up a nearby side street and found somewhere to pull up and took a long time to un hook. It is such a crazy setup on the Melbourne side of the trip. I suppose Victoria want everyone to stay and not go to Tassie. There used to be a lot of parking at the ferry but then a restaurant in some of the parking area and their customers take up the rest of the parking.
Neil
Thanks mate, I am thinking of heading over to Williamtown as there is a boat ramp in the area with long parking bays, might be worth sitting there until close to time for the loading
If you do hang around in Williamstown Brett allow plenty of time to get to the good ship 'Spirit' as the Western Freeway will be chockers, more so the other side but still heaps your side.
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Don't do what we did: We decided to have a look around Melbourne central while waiting so we parked in one of the many parking areas and then hoofed it around for a few hours. When we were ready to go we couldn't remember which carpark we'd left our car. Luckily the third one we looked through proved fruitful and we hightailed it to the Ferry, getting there just in time.
What day of the week are you going? We went on a night sailing earlier this year on a Sunday. Parked in Todd St north of the Westgate bridge. Their are parking bays on the right as you drive north , do a U turn at the first round-a-bout near the Holden building. Parked near the gocart track. Check it out on Google maps.
Their may be better places to park, we found it was quite on a Sunday afternoon.
What day of the week are you going? We went on a night sailing earlier this year on a Sunday. Parked in Todd St north of the Westgate bridge. Their are parking bays on the right as you drive north , do a U turn at the first round-a-bout near the Holden building. Parked near the gocart track. Check it out on Google maps.
Their may be better places to park, we found it was quite on a Sunday afternoon.
That's the general area I was thinking. Port Melbourne.
Plenty of short term parking available along Beaconsfield Parade south of Luna Park (St Kilda), 10 minutes drive away from Station Pier. Also further south near the Brighton Yacht Club, about 20 minutes away. Try being last on otherwise you'll be stuck down in the bowels of the Spirit for an hour at the Tassie end waiting for everyone above you to get off. Boring!
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IF loading starts 2.5 hours before the ship depart why would you need to park up some where near the ship .
Most people who need a little help are probably making their 1st trip. Getting lost, traffic congestion because of an accident, even a puncture. It is easier to wait an hour, my choice of along Williamstown Rd, while maybe not the most picturesque is certainly the easiest, especially if you have a van hooked on behind you. Room there for B-doubles, they stop there for their lunch and to get a coffee, so the food must be good. There is a pharmacy there as well if you need some Quell for motion sickness. There is over a kilometre of free parking there and no need to access side streets that are a lot narrower. The best time to head to the ship is about 30 minutes after the gate opens, that way the rush is over.
The Esplanade at Sandridge Beach is a lovely spot to park, overnight especially if you are going on a morning trip, lots of people go there to park, short trip through the housing estate, come out right at the loading point at Station Pier.
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