Image courtesy of Dreamstime.com

Image courtesy of Dreamstime.com

In case you missed it, I was in Melbourne a couple weeks ago covering the Sneaker Freaker x G-Shock launch party and since I came straight from the airport, I needed a place to stash my suitcase, after a spot of Googling there wasn’t anything recent regarding luggage locker storage in the CBD so here’s a quick run down that will hopefully help other travellers.

Flinders St Station – has limited space and times via the third party Travellers Aid place which provides lockers and other assistance to travellers.

IBIS hotel – work in conjunction with baggagestorage.com.au and have 24hr access. Going by their online calculator, the pricing is based on per item. $13 for carryon luggage, add a backpack it jumps to $29.

Southern Cross Station – Is the best bet for those in town for a short time ie. Heading straight to a gig, be it photo, video, dj or performance and don’t have time to drop your stuff off at the hotel or your friend’s place (or they might not live in the CBD). It’s conveniently the same station where the Skybus stops so if you’re not driving or getting picked up, you will be more than likely getting off at this stop in the CBD.

The heavy duty lockers unmanned and fully automated and being inside the Skybus station which runs buses all hours means the lockers are accessible 24/7. Access and paying is via an ATM-like terminal in the middle of each bank of lockers, there are several along the length of the station in this area as well as some upstairs at the train station (note: the upstairs ones may not be open 24/7). The lockers that have a green arrow are the ones that are free and unlocked so it’s a good idea to test fit your gear before paying as the price varies for sizes. Note the door of the locker is noticeably smaller than the locker cavity, so while it may look like it will fit on the outside its best to open the door and “try before you buy”. Once in they are quite roomy, a medium size one easily fits a carry on sized suitcase, a backpack and some shopping bags. Using the terminal to allocate your locker and pay is very straight forward, just follow the prompts.

Prices are listed on the console and will probably change over time but a medium size locker was $12 which is for 24 hours of access so it may be a little expensive if you only need it for a couple hours but the up side is you can access the locker as many times as you like in that period via a unique code which is printed on a ticket when payment is made. This was ideal for my trip as it began with about 8 hours in the evening, collected at about 2am, then back the next morning to dump my stuff for another 4-5 hours and be baggage free to wander around the city.

Travel tip: the re-entry code is on a small paper slip which could easily be lost while travelling so treat it like money. Writing down the number elsewhere or taking a photo of it on your phone adds extra piece of mind. Also note when re-entering the locker you will be prompted to continue using the locker or to end the use. Obviously not a good idea to get these two mixed up!

Hope this helps some what, happy travels! (:

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