Following Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah’s claims that “Public Transport Victoria has advised that no public transport will be made available for the 2015 Soundwave Event” for the Melbourne leg of the festival this weekend, many punters are feeling a little apprehensive.

Given the recent events (and words) between Maddah and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, it’s understandable if you may feel a little confused on the best way to get to your favourite metal utopia this 21st and 22nd of February.

To help confused punters out this weekend, we’ve done the homework and put together a cheat-sheet guide to the best travel options out there for getting to and from the event. Check out our tips below, print them out and take them along with you, to make sure you don’t get caught out, and ensure that you have a great day.

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Car

Though driving to the festival isn’t encouraged by Soundwave organisers, there are a few things to keep in mind if it’s your planned transport method.

Travelling To The Site

  • Avoid the CBD, there are a number of events happening in Mleborune over the weekend including White Night, A League Soccer clash, Cricket World Cup, and the Flemington Races.
  • If travelling from the North it’s recommended you take the M80 Ring Road exiting at Bulla Rd only 6kms from the festival site.
  • If travelling from the south it’s recommended you take the Princes highway until exiting the M2 to Racecourse Rd/State Route 83 in Kensington, just 3kms from the festival site.

Car Pooling

  • The closest car park for Soundwave punters are Riverbank, spaces are limited and can ONLY be pre-booked by patrons attending with at least four occupants in their vehicle.
  • To utilise this Carpark at Riverbank you MUST pre-purchase your ticket online: Car Pool tickets are $30 + Booking Fee / Day (online pre-bookings only).

Park & Ride System

  • This is ideal for those with less than four passengers.
  • Additional event parking will be located at Mooney Valley Racecourse, with shuttle buses operating throughout the day. Tickets for Park & Ride must be pre-booked. you must pre-purchase your ticket online, tickets are $15 +p/f.

Accessible Parking

  • Vehicles with an accessible parking permit will be able to access Melbourne Showgrounds Western Carpark via Leonards Crescent off Langs Road.

Taxi/ Uber

Given the car parking restrictions, it could be worth your while (and your peace of mind) to consider taking a taxi or Uber to the festival.

  • An Uber ride from Melbourne’s CBD to the festival site in an UberX is estimated at $14-$19 or Uber Black $29-$36, but please keep in mind the potential for surge pricing on Saturday.
  • New Uber passengers should visit the Uber website, or keep their eye on Uber Twitter page for potential promo codes.

Public Transport

While there is obviously no dedicated train line that will take punters to directly to the Melbourne Showgrounds, those who aren’t able to secure a ride, bike it, or fork out for a taxi can still utilise Victoria’s renowned public transport system to make it to Soundwave.

PTV Shuttle Buses

  • Free PTV shuttle buses will run to Soundwave Melbourne over the festival weekend.
  • The shuttles will depart from Footscray and North Melbourne train stations every five minutes.
  • Soundwave organisers previously offered punters special Soundwave shuttles at a cost. Those who bought tickets will now have the ticket price refunded.
  • Organisers previously claimed that if either station is deemed to be at full capacity after the show, shuttles may be diverted to the alternate station without warning.

Train

  • PTV have confirmed that all regularly scheduled train services will be running on the day.
  • A dedicated train line is being offered to punters heading to Flemington Racecourse (a 15-minute walk from the Showgrounds) for the races.

Tram

  • PTV have confirmed that all regularly scheduled tram services will be running on the day.
  • Punters are able to take the Route 57 tram, which stops just outside of the Melbourne Showgrounds.
  • PTV will be running extra trams leaving every 10 minutes to accommodate for White Night.

Bike

For those who live north-side or close to the Melbourne CBD, bike riding to the festival could be the way to go! To plan your ride visit the excellent website www.bikepaths.com.au. 

Northsiders

  • If travelling from the north (Northcote/ Fitzroy/ Collingwood/ Thornbury) the ride is quite leisurely, under 10kms. The best way to get there is via the Capital City Trail bike path that passes through the northern suburbs through to Flemington/ Racecourse rd, but 1.5km from the site.

Southside

  • If travelling from Melbourne’s CBD/ the south side, the trip is under 7km from the CBD. The best way to travel is via Elizabeth St, Racecourse Rd in Flemington.

Bike Parking

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