Car Rentals In Australia

There are several rental car options at the airport https://www.melbourneairport.com.au/car-rentals?srsltid=AfmBOorIbwnhibTKX1P0LIaV17eKwgLXdk_z6KM6vHWNYrfiYV256xFj

We've always used AutoEurope in Australia and have never had any issues. As always, double check your insurance cover for the peace of mind involved.
My experience has been that the default rentals are usually automatics (wise choice) but it's probably prudent to double check that too.
Some suggested day trips outside the city:
Driving at least a portion of the Great Ocean Road as far as the Twelve Apostles. After that it gets a bit tedious.
The Tower Hill Game Reserve near the town of Koroit is a particular favorite of ours. There you'll see lots of Emus, Kangaroos and Koalas in the natural setting of an extinct caldera. The walks and hikes there are an altogether pleasant way to spend a sunny afternoon, and the nearby town of Port Fairy is a good place to overnight if you so choose.
Northwest of the city is the old Aussie gold mining country around Ballarat and Bendigo, and Grampians National Park is worth a stop too, assuming that it's not actively on fire when you visit (lots of bush fires in that area).
One cautionary note: driving in central Melbourne isn't for the faint of heart. There are some unique, and usually confusing, local rules of the road to accommodate the trams that operate in and around the central business district. Suggest previewing any drives using the street map feature on Google maps, and maybe reviewing some YouTube videos describing the dreaded "Hook Turn" that can even cause Aussies visiting from elsewhere in the country so much angst.

Just some practical advice, not sure what you are planning for insurance, but there are a few credit cards that exclude Australia and New Zealand from rental car coverage, so verify before you go.

We used vroomvroomvroom to compare companies and then picked the cheapest and went to their website and booked, I think I used Hertz and thrifty. But we got rentals in cairns and Uluru. We had a stick I think, not a consideration for us. I will say our flight to Uluru was cancelled and we lost a over 24 hours there because Qantas had to reroute us and I was absolutely exhausted from only getting a few hours of sleep during the delays but it was 1000% worth it to have gotten to Uluru.

Thank you for your replies.

Robert, I never considered Auto Europe in Australia, so thank you for the suggestion. Driving a portion of the Great Ocean Road is definitely the motivation for getting the car. I like the idea of The Tower Hill Game Reserve. We wouldn’t be overnighting anywhere and may limit the car to one day, depending on if there was something else we really want to do. The apartment I have already rented happens to have parking, but I’m hesitant to drive in the CBD and that’s where we’re staying. Thanks for confirming my concerns and actually amplifying them. I’m not interested in the gold mining country because I live a very short distance from the California gold country and would like to see something unique to Australia.

Paul, I had not yet given any thought to insurance, but I have never relied on credit card coverage with my many rentals in multiple European countries. If we rent through AE we would likely get the full coverage from them. I know Costco has car rentals, though I’ve only used them in the U.S. I’m not sure how insurance would work with them because I always decline it for domestic rentals.

northwestern, thank you for your recommendation. I’ll look into that company as well.

There is a lot to consider and I have to consult with my friend, but I will be the driver.

I can tell you more in March (ha!), but my rental is from Thrifty through booking.com. I compared prices through Autoeurope, American Airlines, and carrentals.com, as well. I am renting and returning at the airport - no interest in driving into the center of Melbourne. There’s a good bus system from the airport into town. Everything I saw was automatic.

I took Robert’s advice (to someone else previously) and am aiming for Tower Hill my first day. I will not go as far as Port Fairy, but am staying in Warrnambool the first night (that’s as far as I am going), then Apollo Bay the second night as I go back along the Great Ocean Road. I think I will have lots of time to stop along the way. I opted for a day tour from Melbourne out to Phillips Island for the penguins because I no longer like driving after dark - especially in new places.

Going the other way, lots of people recommend Healesville Sanctuary.

We spent a week in Melbourne in February 2020. We took a day trip from the CBD from a very easy to work with company. They used a small van for our trip to a winery and wildlife area, NE of Melbourne. We saw kangaroos hopping along in the countryside as we drove out of the city. We chose seeing the local little blue fairy penguins on the bay where we could use a tram to get to the popular St Kilda pier. They don’t swim back to shore until sunset which was after 9PM and that would make a late drive back to Melbourne if you go to Phillips Island to see them. https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/st-kilda-pier-and-breakwater/attractions/little-penguins#:~:text=St%20Kilda%20Pier%20Breakwater%20is,familiar%20with%20them%20before%20visiting.

Suggest googling the CityLink (M1) toll road in Melbourne to see if it will affect you - it probably will if you're staying in the CBD. There's a Visitor's Pass that will make it easier than paying as you go.
You can avoid it if you collect and return your rental at the airport but that's probably too far out of your way to be practicable for a one day excursion.

You are all great!

TTM, I will definitely be talking to you after your return. I wish we were in a position to pick up a car upon arrival in Melbourne and use it before our time in the city. You’re lucky that you won’t be jet lagged. Me on the other hand, there’s no way I’m driving after the long journey from the western U.S.

Mona, I think day tours are the way to go as opposed to renting a car. I clicked on your link and apparently the St. Kilda Pier Breakwater and penguin viewing area are closed as part of a major project. I will also be picking your brain about Australia. I’m sorry I missed seeing you yesterday.

Robert, thank you for your information about driving. I’m thinking now it won’t be worth it, especially if we can take day tours.

Thanks again everyone.

Keep your eye on this type of announcement buried within the parks page. I wonder what an Australian’s idea is of “shortly”? It’s a great waterfront for viewing the Melbourne skyline with a park, Luna Park, across the street. It has the iconic open mouthed clown entrance to the park and roller coaster! There is also a botanical garden but I much prefer the extensive one on the south side of the river from the CBD.

The new St Kilda Pier is now open - Demolition of old pier now underway

As of December 2024, the new St Kilda Pier is open to the public. Demolition of the old pier is now underway. As we work on removing the old pier, users of the Bay Trail should be mindful of temporary detours around the foreshore construction compound.

St Kilda Kiosk and the penguin viewing area experience will reopen shortly.

We rented a car from a small Avis office about 20 minutes from Melbourne. We ubered there and found it a lot easier to start our trip from there instead of downtown Melbourne which looks very difficult to drive in, especially as Americans! We drove to Healesville Sanctuary and then to a motel by Phillip Island. We checked in, had dinner, then went to the Penguin Parade and were glad to have a hotel nearby. The next day we started along the Great Ocean Road, spending 2 nights along the way. Then on to the Grampians for a few nights. The mountains weren't too impressive to us but we stayed at a place in a valley that had lots of emus and kangaroos at night.

First, let me say that I think you've made a good choice to skip the car in favor of a day tour.
Second, I really believe that you ought to rethink skipping Uluru - it's only a 3 hour direct flight from Melbourne and is frankly worth the time, cost (cheap on JetStar), and effort it would take to get there. It's one of the world's iconic sites, and by staying over 2 nights (one full day) you'd have a chance to combine it with a trip over to the Olgas ... another iconic site about 45 minutes from the Rock ... either by booking a tour or renting a car and striking out on your own.
It's one of those once in a lifetime experiences, and it would be a shame to miss it if you're in the neighborhood.
Just my 2 cents ...

Thanks Mona and cindyeb.

Robert, this trip is unlike my normal trips. Those consist of me planning and my husband asking for the itinerary a few days before we leave. Lol! This time my friend has invited me on the trip and I only have just so much say in it. From Melbourne we are going to Hobart, Tasmania which made the trip to Uluru much longer. From Uluru we would fly to Brisbane to take a 10 day tour that she wants to do. That was also a very long travel day. She decided she didn’t want to spend two days in transit when we would only be there for two days. Her call. Possibly in a couple of years my husband and I will go to New Zealand and we could tack on some time in Australia. In the meantime under the circumstances I will encourage doing day tours as opposed to dealing with the rental car.

Thank you for the car rental information. We have decided to do organized day trips rather than renting a car. I will edit the original post to reflect that.

We always use AutoSlash.com. Not only does this broker find us the best deal absolutely everywhere we've ever been, but their customer service is wonderful. Once you rent a car from them, re-enter their website and select 'track my rental'. They will continue to track your rental for a lower price. The only thing you need to watch when their system comes back with a lower price for you is that the pickup and drop off places are the same as you requested and the insurances are the same. Every so often one of those additional things might change a bit even though they're still looking for the same basic vehicle you requested. Anyway, we've had great experiences with them all over the world, even here domestically and I truly can't promote their customer service department enough. I was nervous at first because it's all online, but they respond quickly and stay on with you until resolution is found. They're wonderful.