Melbourne accommodation.

[Bozzo]

I am looking for 6 weeks accommodation in Melbourne close to Tullamarine while doing type rating. Cheap but good.....any ideas.

[Tee Emm]

Try the Gladstone Park Hotel/Motel at 196 Mickleham Rd which is 10 minutes walk to the Ansett Flight Simulator Centre and next to Gladstone Park Shopping Centre which has a food court. Lots of fast food places. Phone (03)-9338-3533. Costs around $80 a night with continental breakfast. Might be Ok for a few days but a bit noisy due lots of traffic on Mickleham Rd. Several other simulator students over past few months have stayed there for a few days max. CILOM motel in Melrose Drive popular with pilots and transport supplied to simulator (five minutes drive away).

If arriving by plane from interstate and you need to catch a taxi from Tullamarine Airport to accomm near the simulator as above, make sure you grab the taxi from the Departure area upstairs rather than downstairs at Arrivals. The taxi drivers can be downright rude and unpleasant downstairs when you want a short 3K journey and will refuse. Upstairs they are dropping off passengers at departures and don't mind a quick fare pick-up as long as the local grey ghosts don't catch them picking up pax semi-illegally. Generally pretty safe though. Gladstone Park suburb is part of Tullamarine suburb basically.

[Bozzo]

Thanks guys.

[VH-XXX]

On a side note, your comments about Taxi's are true, however they generally won't pick you up from departures as they risk hefty fines for doing so. It is also illegal for a taxi driver to refuse a fair, even for a 2km fare - it's a federal offence and if you are refused transit you should immediately flag the federal officer, local police for protective services for assistance.

[Lasiorhinus]

Taxi drivers are not required to accept or continue with a taxi trip when passengers are violent, noisy, misbehaving, filthy or offensive.

From the Victorian Department of Infrastructure.
Its a state- based thing, too, so the AFP (Protective Service) at the airport aren't going to be too keen to get involved.

[galdian]

Any thoughts of a room in a house in Essendon or not really what you were thinking of??
If a possibility I know a couple of people who have accommodated numerous pilots over the years who may be interested in doing so again, pretty quiet environment for all those long, long nights of study!!

Personally believe Formula 1 after more than a couple of nights would start to get a bit depressing - don't get me wrong, no complaints as such but reckon their market is 1-2 night turnover traffic not longer term stay - and the rooms fulfill that niche.
Also noticed the prices seem to be going up so not the "cheap" option once appeared to be, stand corrected but now $89?? and started off a couple of years ago at $64??

Also play on the internet - see what sites like lastminute.com etc might have.

[ScottyDoo]

Then there's "the Asylum", right near the airport.

Can't remember the real name of it but if you ask around, plenty of guys know about it.

[Centaurus]

Then there's "the Asylum", right near the airport

CILOMS Airport Lodge?