Let me re-phrase that, you won't get it on the ground south of the Murray. You WON'T get it on the ground at any of the Airports that ring Melbourne that are underneath the Class C steps.
I suspect that if you are a VFR flight taxying at Essendon and you ask for a clearance, you'll get your clearance into Class C while still on the ground!
Only been there a couple of times, but yes, my reputation had preceded me - boys in the tower looked after me well!
Dr 