Flights to Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL)

Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine (MEL) is where nearly every traveller from Malaysia to Melbourne first sets foot in Victoria. It is Australia's second-busiest airport and the city's international gateway, so if you are booking flights to Melbourne from Kuala Lumpur, this is almost certainly where you will land. This page focuses on the airport itself: where it is, how the terminals work, how to reach the city and what to do once you are there. If you would rather see every Melbourne airport together, the all-airports Melbourne page covers them in one search.

About Melbourne Tullamarine Airport

Location

The airport takes its name from the suburb of Tullamarine, in the north-west of greater Melbourne, and sits beside the Tullamarine Freeway, which leads straight into the CBD. Unlike some Australian airports it runs around the clock with no night curfew, which is why a number of long-haul flights from Asia arrive late at night or very early in the morning.

Terminals

Tullamarine has four passenger terminals in a row. Terminal 2 is the international terminal, used by flights from Malaysia and the rest of Asia. Terminals 1, 3 and 4 handle domestic flights, and T1, T2 and T3 are joined under one roof, so you can walk between them. Terminal 4 is next door, beside the multi-storey car park. Allow time to clear immigration, biosecurity and customs in T2, because Australia checks food, plant and animal products carefully on arrival.

Getting to and from the airport

There is no train line to the airport yet, so the express airport bus is the most popular way into the city. It runs frequently to Southern Cross Station, where you can switch to trains and trams. Taxis wait at ranks outside each terminal, ride-hailing pick-ups are in a dedicated zone, and all the major rental car companies have desks in the car park area. If you are driving, remember that Australia drives on the left, just like Malaysia.

Direct and connecting flights to Melbourne Tullamarine

Nonstop services link Kuala Lumpur with Tullamarine, so many Malaysians can reach Melbourne without a layover. In the search results, use the Direct filter to show only nonstop flights, and compare departure times, as some leave KLIA late at night and land in Melbourne in the morning.

Travellers from Penang, Johor Bahru or East Malaysia typically connect through Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. If you want to combine Melbourne with Sydney or the Gold Coast, flying into Tullamarine and out of another Australian city can save backtracking. Melbourne also has a smaller second airport, Avalon (AVV), on the Geelong side of the bay. It is mostly domestic with a small, changing set of international routes, and suits trips that start in Geelong or on the Surf Coast. Do not confuse either airport with Melbourne, Florida (MLB) in the USA.

When to fly to Melbourne

Melbourne weather can change quickly, so keep a jacket in your hand luggage whatever the season. December to February is summer, with warm days and occasional heatwaves. June to August is winter, with cool, grey days and the odd foggy morning.

Return flights to Melbourne from Malaysia are in highest demand around the year-end school holidays, when families visit relatives and students fly home, and around Chinese New Year and Hari Raya. The start of Australian university semesters also brings a wave of student travel. Outside those peaks, and away from big events such as the Australian Open and the Melbourne Cup, you will usually find more seats and better-value fares.

Popular places in Melbourne

Federation Square and the National Gallery of Victoria

Opposite Flinders Street Station, Federation Square is the city's meeting point, and a short walk south brings you to the NGV, with free entry to its permanent collection and a famous stained-glass ceiling in the Great Hall.

Melbourne Cricket Ground

The MCG is one of the largest stadiums in the world and the home of Australian Rules football. Catch a match or join a stadium tour to see the sporting museum.

Phillip Island

South-east of the city, Phillip Island is known for the Penguin Parade at dusk, when little penguins waddle ashore after a day at sea. It makes a relaxed day trip by coach or car.

Great Ocean Road

This coastal drive west of Melbourne passes surf beaches, rainforest and the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles. Most visitors join a full-day tour or spread it over two nights.

Brighton Beach bathing boxes

A row of brightly painted wooden beach huts lines the sand at Brighton, with the city skyline in the distance across the bay.

Where to stay near Tullamarine and in Melbourne

If you land late or leave early, the suburbs close to the airport, such as Tullamarine, Attwood and Essendon Fields, keep your transfer short. For sightseeing, stay in the CBD near Southern Cross Station so the airport bus drops you close to your door. Docklands and Southbank are a short walk away, Richmond is great for food and the sporting precinct, and North Melbourne is a quieter, more residential option close to the city.

Food to try in Melbourne

Dim sim

Melbourne's own take on a Chinese dumpling, larger and chunkier, and sold steamed or fried at takeaway shops and at stalls in South Melbourne Market.

Souvlaki

Melbourne has one of the largest Greek communities outside Greece, so grilled meat wrapped in pita with garlic sauce is a late-night favourite.

Vietnamese pho

Victoria Street in Richmond and the streets around Footscray are known for steaming bowls of beef or chicken pho and fresh rice paper rolls.

Lamington

Squares of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut, an Australian bakery classic that goes perfectly with a coffee.

When your dates are set, search flights to Tullamarine on Traveloka and weigh the nonstop KLIA options against a connection. Your e-ticket arrives straight after payment.