Where To Stay B4 Trip On The Spirit

[bushbandit]

Heading to Tassie next Feb for 5 weeks cant wait .Can i have a heads up where to stay B4 the trip over on the Spirit.We have a night sail so it would be for the previous night.Any other hints about boarding ,parking anything really that will make it abit easier.

Thanks

[D4D]

This is a bit out of town but nicer than the metro parks http://cbtp.com.au/ How far of a drive do you want on the day?

Brickiematt has just done the trip so PM him for the low down on parking/loading etc.

[POD]

There's a van park in Braybrook which a lot of people recommend, it's close to the ring road and then a short drive to the wharf. Not sure of the name of it, do a G search. I would suggest a mid arvo arrival (3 - 4 PM at the boat) but I hate running late and rushing. Ensure you have NO vegies, they'll take them off of you. Just buy them when you get down there.

[Tom]

If coming down the Hume may I suggest Seymour.
Lovely grassed area down near the river ,unpowered.
http://www.goulburnrivercp.com/
Or powered up near bathrooms.we have stayed at this park alot over years as its near my mothers old nursing home.
About an Hour out of Melbourne and direct to the ringroad.
Cheers.
Titch

[brickiematt]

G'day bushbandit. Can't really suggest anywhere close to Station Pier to stay, but as D4D said, it depends how far you want to drive on the day. There are some nice spots within an hour of the CBD. A good one up in the Dandenongs is Kurth Kiln  http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/kurth-kiln-r.p./things-to-do/kurth-kiln-picnic-and-camping-ground

Check in for the ferry starts about 2 1/2 hours before sailing, and closes 45mins prior. Having said that we turned up at around 5pm (for a 7:30 departure), and proceeded to spend the next hour and a half sitting on the pier in the car. You really don't need to get there that early. You go through a few security checks (if you have loose gas bottles you will need to declare them, and pick them up at the other end), check in, get your boarding passes and line up on the pier and then wait.....and wait.....and wait

I would suggest arriving an hour before departure, allowing for shi$$y melbourne traffic of course. Doesn't matter if you're one of the last on, as first on/first off doesn't apply here! We were on board and watching cars turning up and driving straight on at around 6:30!

Hope this helps, and enjoy Tassie mate, it's an awesome place!

Cheers
Matt

[Sixtys Guy]

I usually stay in Geelong the night before. There is penty to do there the day before and that day. The trip down the freeway virtually lands you at the pier with very little traffic.

[fuji]

If coming down the Hume may I suggest Seymour.
Lovely grassed area down near the river ,unpowered.
http://www.goulburnrivercp.com/
Or powered up near bathrooms.we have stayed at this park alot over years as its near my mothers old nursing home.
About an Hour out of Melbourne and direct to the ringroad.
Cheers.
Titch

The way the ring  road is now allow two hours.

[Estelle]

5 weeks in Tassie. Wow. What are you going to do for the other 4 weeks? 

A lovely lovely place.
You MUST do the flight into the Franklin/Gordon River area out of Strahan. Breathtaking.

Enjoy the trip and and don't forget your woolies +.

[Barry G]

Free camp at Mt Franklin, near Daylesford, then across to the Calder Freeway and around theRing Rd

[Andrew_C]

Murrindindi scenic reserve south of Yea, I meet people fairly regularly who use it for a spot to camp before the boat. $7 per night per car. Depends on your boat time, you could do it in about 1 1/4 hours to station pier or in peak, the trip on the boat will be shorter than the drive to get there.
See here http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/131652/FS0010-Murrindindi-Scenic-Reserve-Camping.pdf

[Kelpies]

Having moved from Tassie to SA 12 mnths ago and travelling across the water to compete in sheep dog trials you could say that we've done the trip a time or two. not sure where to stay we always worked it out so we got there just in time to drive straight on and not line up. Melbourne is shocking if you have to park on the water front with a ct. The tassie side on the way back has a lot more room to park after you have checked in. 5 weeks won't be long enough a lot of people think they can drive down the midlands hwy and see everything in a week.

[gowalkabout]

We recently stayed at a big4 park which is the closest to the Melbourne cbd and although not that cheap was a good place to stay. You had to be out by 10am so we drove down near the spirit and found plenty of free all day parking in some back streets only a block back from the water about 1 - 2 km away from the boat. Find Mary street and you will find the free parking. There were several parks and cafe within a short walk or you can do what we did and jump a tram into the city for the day. Having never used the tram system in vic we spoke to one of the drivers and found it very easy (& the kids loved the experience). As said before don't board 2 1/5 hrs before be near by and get there around 1 hr before.
Happy travels and yell out if you want any local info you will find all of us down here will be more than happy to help out a fellow swagger 

[fuji]

The Big4 at 265 Elizabeth Street Coburg or as D4D stated the park in Warrandyte. With the Coburg park, just turn left from Sydney Rd into Gaffney St which becomes Murray Rd and left into Elizabeth. That way you're pretty close to Sydney rd. that will take you all the way into town.
Wayne

[dazzler]

We find Canberra - Yass to be a good stopover point when coming from up north coast way.  We leave Canberra around 9.30am and poke our way down with some comfortable stops along the way.

This is if you are not planning on site seeing in melbourne before the trip across.

cheers