Like most major cities, Melbourne has a great public transportation system that extends all over the city and surrounding suburbs. A “myki” card will give you universal access to the trams, buses, and trains. Different zones around Melbourne incur different fares, ranging from $2.80 to $4.10. Most of the public transportation around Melbourne University is Zone 1, which is $4.10. Once you tap on your myki card in whichever transportation you are riding, you have 2 hours to ride with that initial fare. For each bus, tram, or train transfer, you have to re-tap on. Luckily, as a student, you can qualify for a concession card that cuts that fare in half, so it is only $2.05 for 2 hours of transportation.
I typically ride the trams, as they cover most of the areas I need to go. Melbourne has a Free Tram Zone, which is basically a rectangle that covers the downtown area and allows you to ride trams without a charge. You don’t have to tap on if you ride solely in this area, so I take advantage of this quite often! However, if you ride outside of this area, you definitely need to tap your myki, even if it seems optional. There are officers who go to random tram stops every day and check people’s myki card to ensure they have tapped and are riding with a valid ticket.
The trains go to the further suburbs around Melbourne. A lot of these trains are still in Zone 1 or 2, allowing you to ride inexpensively!
Besides public transportation, bicycling and Ubering are common ways to travel. Melbourne is very bike-friendly, with bike lanes on nearly all of the roads. An important thing to note is that helmets are required in Australia, and you can get a hefty fine if you do not wear one. Ubers in Melbourne are always around, if you can’t be bothered with public transport or biking!