Let’s go on an easy road trip in Melbourne this September!

Many of us had probably gone on a trip or two this year. With June, the biggest school holiday of the year, past behind us I hope you have had the chance to bring your whole family out for a good vacation.

But if you have not already done so, then you are in for a treat. And that’s also why you are here.

As the title says it all, we are going to Australia. Wait, you might say, I’ve already gone to Australia so many times! Why go again? Here’s why: It can be done as a short trip, it can be cheap and it’s very good for a family.

And Australia is big. You might have gone there several times, but never one the same. But the biggest problem and concerns for many right now is, the rising costs of flights. It’s beginning to look really crazy for certain places.

If you’re thinking about going to popular places like Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the likes, it’s going to cost you a lot more now. And even if you’ve already covered the same places in Australia, going again after a few years can still be a very rewarding experience, especially with your kids.

Drive your way around Australia

One of the best way to experience the true nature and outbacks of Australia is to drive through it. Imagine this:

Daddy’s on the wheel cruising through the long stretch of road, with mommy and the kids humming the songs away happily, just as the wind caresses your skin. The aroma of the coffee mommy’s brewing alleviates all your senses as you lazily bench on the picnic chair, with the kids in the foreground running and jumping around in nature. There simply can’t be a better picture than this.

What I plan for this trip is a simple family retreat that will take 10 days during the September school holidays. And I also plan to bring it all in at around SGD 2,200 to SGD 2,500 per pax for a group of 4.

Yes you heard that right. Alright, let’s get started!

Note: Below itinerary and costs outlaid is based on a group of 4 adults. Do adjust to your group size and age range accordingly.

Flying with Scoot to Melbourne in September

First off, air tickets. Yes I know there are many airlines to bring you to Australia. But if you want to keep it cheap, Scoot is the way to go. Not the most comfy, but the easiest on your pocket. Unless daddy has a deep one, in which case this might not work for you – most of my trips planning revolves around budgeted options.

Airline: Scoot and Jetstar

When: 02 Sep to 11 Sep

Price: SGD 600 to 700 per pax

September Weather in Melbourne

You know what’s even better than what you already know from above? It’s going to be pretty cooling and beautiful weather painted by the colours of the nature.

Month: September

Season: Spring

Temperature: 10.5˚C

With Summer always being the most popular season for any countries, it also meant that it’s crowded and hot. I can’t stand hot, can you? But yet a Summer trip is always very appealing to many because of the school holidays and wider range of activities available for the family.

Yet it doesn’t mean the other seasons aren’t as good. In fact, perhaps the Summer season overshadows the others. In particularly, I absolutely adore and love the Falls (Autumn) season.

And in Spring, weather tends to cool down a lot more from the Summer season. If you’ve lived in Singapore you would know how much we hate the heat. And guess what, smack right in the September school holidays is Spring in Australia!

Perfect time to cruise through the endless roads of Australia, feel the cooling breeze and gentle warmth from the Sun. It’s absolutely stunning.

Where are we going from Melbourne?

With 10 days, you can do plenty of things or just a few things leisurely. And I personally like leisure. But if you would like to pack more locations, go ahead. You might just know more places than I do!

Spend a night or two in the bustling city for a good rest, stock up some food for when you’re on the road, and check out a few popular attractions if you would like.

I would, since I haven’t been to this city yet. Maybe even grab a few souvenirs or gifts.

Mount Buller or Phillip Island

If you’re a skier, or intend to expose your kids to their first skiing lesson, Mount Buller is just close by Melbourne. Easy access and family-friendly. If it so pleases you as well, you might even want to stay a night over there and treat Mommy to a decent spa experience!

Note: Depending on the dates you’re traveling, do check out Mt Buller website to see if they are opened. As I understand it, they are indeed open in Spring but that could be mid-Spring too.

But if you’re not, why not go South and see the majestic colony of penguins? The Phillip Island also offers a superbly relaxing farm stay for the night!

There’s also plenty of things to see and do in this small island, where the entire family could do a short hiking trail, visit the local museums or even some water sports! What’s really cool is the direct availability of coastal and scenic routes you can explore in Phillip Island.

I was very much attracted to that idea and entertained that thought even. But beware, it’s quite expensive for a night.

The Great Ocean Road

For this trip, the main focus is the road tripping experience. Where else would give you one of the best experience to drive along the coast near our home?

Take a couple of days to cruise along this stretch, making multiple stop points to enjoy the scenery and hike a short distance to see waterfalls and such. The kids would absolutely love it!

The trick to making a road trip enjoyable and different from a city-hopping trip, is to take it slow. Real slow. And when you slow down your pace, your senses capture every moment and bits that you feel – the fresh air you breathe, the cooling soothing wind and the beautiful scenery you see.

There are too many things to see along the stretch of road and one does not try to ambitiously cover it all. There’s always another time to cover other locations. Pick a few, maybe 1 or 2 de-routes, and continue off your journey.

Tip: Don’t try to think of it as “I just want to pick and cover the best locations on this trip” cause that tend to set the bar higher and when it isn’t what it seems, it crashes your mood and satisfaction. All locations can be awesome and best in its own class. Just enjoy the journey and soak in the moment. You can’t go wrong with that.

Where are we staying throughout the road trip?

You will be either staying a night over at Mount Buller or Phillip Island and that’s going to set you up for a good SGD 700. It’s pretty expensive to stay in either place but hey, well worth the money for an unforgettable experience! (Especially the kids)

Once you start your GOR road trip, things get a lot easier, more accessible and cheaper as well in my opinion. If you aren’t looking for something fancy, most Airbnb offers very beautiful stays that are not only large enough for a family, but also giving you a very localised experience and ambience.

For example, Airbnb stays in Otway and Childers are easily affordable between SGD 200 to SGD 350 per night. But of course, the price can swing all the way to the right and cost you a lot more if you decide to pick fancier or luxurious choices (the same goes to hotels too).

My preference is always to go somewhere in between or just let your budget decide what you can get.

Type of vehicle and Rental rates?

At the start of the planning, it was designed to be a road trip. So our mode of transport is certainly going to be a rental car. But as you might have already guessed it, there are different rates to the type of vehicle you rent and from which provider.

In my opinion, globally established providers like Sixt and Hertz tend to be more expensive (obviously). If you already have an account with them and had been using it for awhile, it certainly makes sense to just go with that. But if renting a car is your first time and you’re absolutely find to navigate on your own, local providers are a great way to save some unnecessary costs.

Why do you say navigating on your own then? Well, local providers generally (not all, but most of them) aren’t always located near the airports or hotels. And that means you will have to walk and navigate your way to their location in order to grab the rental car. Usually, an airport pickup or collection does cost extra charges.

I’ve had a personal experience in New Zealand with renting from a local provider and it was amazingly good. For $40 per day rental, I get a decent Toyota Altis that carries all of our baggages with plenty of space left. The only downside was, we had to walk at least 2km from where we stay (in central) to reach their location.

But yes, local providers can sometimes save you near 2 times of what global providers would charge you. Other considerations are, what the local providers cover and provide, such as insurance and collision coverage, etc. Make sure you read carefully before booking.

Did you know? My experience taught me that global or local, it’s never safe to assume that one would not “overcharge or penalise ” you for any scratches, dents from stones, or any other matters. (because I got charged by Hertz for something I didn’t do too) So if this was your concern for comparison, save yourself that trouble and just go with the cheaper one. Cost wise, it probably evens out if you do get charged.

Now let’s talk about type of vehicle and which one to choose. We always imagine the perfect SUV to go with on a road trip. It makes sense. Or does it?

SUVs are great because of its comfort on a long drive. But comparatively, it doesn’t always hold as much as a sedan does. Likewise, both sedan and SUVs are generally larger than a hatchback vehicle, so navigating on tight off-roads or paths could prove tricky at times.

Having said that, it is indeed more practical to go for a sedan for the optimised car trunk to store all your luggages. It is, in my opinion, much better than SUV. Ultimately, preferences and price decides which one you lean towards. What type would you choose?

If you’re traveling in larger groups of 4 and above, I personally think that sedan is still ultimately better for you. The SUV just isn’t enough to hold all of your baggages with everyone sitting in it.

The hatchbacks are perfect for the couple though. It provides great manoeuvring while having enough space in the trunk and utilising passenger seats for additional storage.

4×4 or Jeeps are essentially a must when going off-road, winter periods and paths that are generally harder to manoeuvre. For those who had driven one before, you know why.

But for those who don’t, 4x4s are vehicles that can help you get unstuck in a tricky situation like deeper water levels, muds, sands, snow, and basically anything that your vehicle has a harder time gripping the ground.

4x4s are a life saviour when any of your other wheels are trapped by the environment, there’s always at least one wheel that has the power to push your vehicle out of that situation.

The latest addition to the type of vehicles you can choose from are the EVs. Personally, I think these are situational basis and also generally more expensive. For example, Sixt provides that option for you to choose from, but as you can see it does cost you more.

Hint: Take note and research beforehand if there are charging points along the route you’re taking. In Great Ocean Road, there is one over at Torquay Golf Club carpark by Chargefox. But that’s the only one I heard of, though a single recharge should get you through to the end anyways.

If you’ve planned a road trip before, you would know that there may be some “hidden costs” here and there. These are costs that you may not foresee. So what we do know, we should always buffer in a little more just so we’re covered. Some items that come to my mind are:

Levy fees & charges = $120 (est. $20 per day)

Petrol costs = $195 full tank ($3.00 per litre)

Once you factor all these in and assuming you took the general sedan option, we’re probably looking at around SGD 1,155 for approx. 9 days rental. Not too bad, not too bad.

Tip: Whichever provider you pick, ensure you don’t get charged based on mileage. The usual basic collision protection, unlimited mileage and insurance is good enough, in my opinion. The GPS isn’t necessary but a good to have. Some providers charge exorbitant price per day for these tools, so be mindful.

So what’s the total costs per pax for this entire trip?

Alright, now that you’re aware of the whole plan and it’s individual costs, it’s time to put them together for a clearer picture. The itinerary is made for 4 pax and the costs below are assumed for each pax.

Not bad, not too bad at all! I’m happy that we managed to bring our costs to right around the budget we’re aiming for, and that is around SGD 2,300 per pax for a 10 days road trip. Take that into days, that’s just SGD 230 per day – cheaper than a 1 night stay in a hotel!

Well yes, you have not factor in other costs and additional expenses indeed. However, that’s a cost that really depends on your lifestyle and can range drastically.

For example, friends of mine always only dine in restaurants that could easily cost you SGD 50 per meal upwards, while I famously love to self-cook and pack within Airbnbs or portable stoves – this doesn’t even cost me anywhere near SGD 20 per meal.

Likewise, many loves shopping and buying bags of gifts while I don’t. In any one of my trip, I could keep my (misc, not activities) expense well below SGD 500 for a 14 days trip but friends of mine could swipe thousands easily.

I can’t make that call for you. But what I can tell you is, the important parts of the trip alone doesn’t cost all that much. And can be even cheaper if you aren’t going to the Phillip Island or Mount Buller. Even for the cost to stay in CBD Melbourne, was also a fancier penthouse Airbnb.

Alright, there we have it! A road trip that costs around SGD 2,300 per pax to Australia that does not sacrifice any part of the experience and instead, increases every bit of it along the way with many moments worthy of a life-time memory.

NEXT UP: Refining the itinerary

Let’s begin refining the details of the trip and take a closer look at what activities to do and what to see during the trip. So stay tune for the next part!

And before we end this, let me know in the comments or email me your thoughts, if this is what you’re looking for or that it helps guide you in planning a trip of your own. I would love to hear from you!

Note: If you think you will have some extra days left or that you would like to cover more, there are certainly additional attractions to go to that you can slot in between the days. What this article intend to cover is the major bulk of the complications that require more planning than the odd days that are empty. More on this in the next follow-up article for this trip.

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