Spending money for Melbourne

The Sweeper

As you can see from the count-down timer, I'm doing three weeks in Aus over Christmas...

Most of that time is going to be spent with family in and around Melbourne. Three days will be up in Queensland.

I'm looking for some guidance on cost of things in Melbourne - I know that questions like these are usually a pin-stickers guide, because you can spend literally anything on a meal out and so on.

I don't know whether or not to bring all cash, or just say AUD$100 in cash and our ATM cards with various international symbols on them. My ATM card is a visa debit (not an electron). The Visa part seems to be what gets it to work internationally (so far, at any rate).

I'm really looking for guide prices on the following from someone who lives there/ has been relatively recently.

So:
1. Price of beer?
2. Mid-range meal for two with bottle of wine and waiter service?
3. Small basket of groceries?
4. Public transport - trains/buses?
5. Anything else I need to watch out for?

Plus - I'm not carrying Christmas presents half way around the world so I'll be buying gifts for people when I'm down there. Has anyone any idea if the sort of "ceramic serving dish, set of glasses, bunch of napkin rings" thing that I might buy in Ireland/England that going to cost me an arm and a leg if I wait till I get to Melbourne? (I need a real "hello family-in-law who I've never met, we're at your house for dinner, hence home-ware related gifts" present.)

amp

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

5. Anything else I need to watch out for?

KANGAROOS!




oh lord I tried not to post that, I really did..

POSSUMS!

rofl.

I'm sorry, I only came in here to check out information on flying, it's been so long since I was on a plane that I don't know what does be going on at all at all

Skittlebrau

Righteo I'll do my best to answer some of your questions.

I've never had any problems using my (Irish) ATM card over here. I imagine you should be alright with yours but don't come after me if that's not the case.

Beer - Standard drink is a Pot (roughly half a pint). Costs around 3.20-3.60 depending on the pub. That price is for Aussie beer too like Carlton Draught or Victoria Bitter. Most places will do pints too though if you ask and a pint will be around 5.50ish. If you want to drink anything foreign/imported then you'll pay extra. A pint of Guinness will be around 7 dollars.

Meals - I don't tend to eat out that often so I'm not going to be much help here. There are some very cheap eats in Chinatown especially at lunchtime.
Otherwise I was out recently in a standardish restaurant and paid about 30 dollars a head for dinner, desert and drinks. But you're right, you can pay almost anything for a meal out.

Groceries - Again it depends what's in the basket. If you're buying fresh food and the staples then 30 bucks will get you a decent amount.

Public Transport - Buses/Trams/Trains all use the same ticket. Trains are great if you're near a line. Trams are pretty much everywhere but are slower and I've never had to take a bus here yet.

Cheapest ticket is a 2 hour one which costs 3.20 and you can travel as much as you want in 2 hours.

A daily ticket is 6.10 and a weekly is 26 dollars. These are all based on Zone 1 tickets. There's also zone 2 and 3 but they're pretty far out. Zone 1 covers the city centre and most of the surrounding suburbs. I'm about half an hour by tram out of the city and it's still zone 1.

If you're staying in Melbourne and going to be using a lot of public transport I'd definitely recommend the weekly one. You just have to validate it when you get on.

As for home-ware related gifts, well luckliy I've never had to buy anything like that but there's some huge department stores here like Meyer that would be sure to have what you're after. No idea on prices though. You could always try the Reject Store . Some very cheap stuff in there!!!


And that's about it I think. Except for the kangaroos of course. Be careful there!!!

Our man in Havana

Skittlebrau wrote:

And that's about it I think. Except for the kangaroos of course. Be careful there!!!

The Wombats are just as dangerous.

BrokenArrows

Skittlebrau wrote:

Beer - Standard drink is a Pot (roughly half a pint). Costs around 3.20-3.60 depending on the pub.!

Standard drink is a Schooner. Never heard of a Pot over here. Anyway a schooner is 425mls and a pint is 568mls. Not a huge difference.

Drink a beer called "New", yes thats what its called. Carlton comes in a close second and VB third.

Skittlebrau

BrokenArrows wrote:

Standard drink is a Schooner. Never heard of a Pot over here. Anyway a schooner is 425mls and a pint is 568mls. Not a huge difference.

Drink a beer called "New", yes thats what its called. Carlton comes in a close second and VB third.

Are you in Melbourne? You won't get a schooner here unless you specifically ask for one and even then it's not guaranteed. Now in New South or Queensland that's a different story.

Pot is standard. A barman will ask you "Pot or Pint"


Also Toohey's New isn't as common in Victoria as it is elsewhere (eg New South Wales where it's everywhere). You can still get it, it's just not that popular. Draught and VB all the way.

Our man in Havana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_English_terms_for_food_and_drink#Beer_glasses

BrokenArrows

Skittlebrau wrote:

Are you in Melbourne? You won't get a schooner here unless you specifically ask for one and even then it's not guaranteed. Now in New South or Queensland that's a different story.

Pot is standard. A barman will ask you "Pot or Pint"


Also Toohey's New isn't as common in Victoria as it is elsewhere (eg New South Wales where it's everywhere). You can still get it, it's just not that popular. Draught and VB all the way.

ah right didnt know that. Thats my learning done for the day.