Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

ACCOMMODATIONS YOU CAN AFFORD 533
Consulates The following English-speaking countries have consulates in
Melbourne: United States, Level 6, 553 St. Kilda Rd. (& 03/9526 5900);
United Kingdom, Level 17, 90 Collins St. (& 03/9650 4155); and Canada,
1st Floor, 123 Camberwell Rd., Hawthorn (& 03/9811 9999).
Dentist Call the Dental Emergency Service (& 03/9341 0222) for emergency
referral to a local dentist.
Doctor The “casualty” department at the Royal Melbourne Hospital,
Grattan Street, Parkville (& 03/9342 7000) responds to emergencies. The
Traveller’s Medical & Vaccination Centre, 2nd Floor, 393 Little Bourke St.
(& 03/9602 5788), offers full vaccination and travel medical services.
Emergencies In an emergency, call & 000 for police, ambulance, or the
fire department.
Internet Access There are numerous Internet cafes along Elizabeth Street,
between Flinders and La Trobe Street, and also around Flinders Lane, and
Little Bourke Street in the Chinatown area. Most are open from early until
well into the night.
Lost Property Contact the nearest police station, or call in at the Melbourne
Town Hall, Swanston Street, City (& 03/9658 9774).
Pharmacies The McGibbony & Beaumont Pharmacy is in the Grand Hyatt
hotel complex, 123 Collins St. (& 03/9650 1823). It’s open Monday
through Thursday from 8am to 6:30pm, Friday from 8am to 7pm, Saturday
from 9:30am to 2:30pm, and Sunday from 9:30am to noon.
Post Office The well known General Post Office (GPO) at the corner of
Bourke Street Mall and Elizabeth Street has closed and will be made into
a new hotel. Postal services are now available at two nearby locations—
De Bono Centre, 257 Collins St. or on the corner of Elizabeth and Little
Bourke streets. Both are open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm.
Poste Restante hours are the same.
Safety St. Kilda might be coming up in the world, but it’s still not wise if
you are alone to walk there late at night. Parks and gardens can also be
risky at night, as can the area around the King Street nightclubs.
Taxes Sales tax, where it exists, is included in the price, as is the 10%
Goods and Services Tax (GST). There is no hotel tax as yet in Melbourne.
Telephones For Directory Assistance call & 1223; for International Directory
Assistance call & 1225.
Weather Call & 1196 for recorded weather information.
3 Accommodations You Can Afford
Melbourne is generally a little less expensive to stay in than Sydney, and getting
a room is generally easy enough, especially on weekends, when business travelers
are back home and discounts apply. You need to book well in advance, however,
during the city’s hallmark events (say, the weekend before the Melbourne
Cup, and during the Grand Prix and the Ford Australia Open). Hostels in the
St. Kilda area tend to fill up quickly in December and January.
Once considered dead after offices closed for the day, the city center has been
rejuvenated in recent years, and you’ll feel right in the heart of the action if you