Ballarat to Melbourne train: Timetable, journey time & fare prices
The Ballarat to Melbourne train service departs every 40 minutes, with a 1h18m journey time. One way fare prices start at $15.96.
The Ballarat to Melbourne train is a viable option for tourists wanting to get back to the Victorian capital from the state’s third largest city.
Ballarat offers the amazing Sovereign Hill open air museum and the quirky Kryal Castle theme park.
Upon arrival in Melbourne, consider ticking you may want to tick Melbourne Cricket Ground tours, Yarra River dinner cruises and cross-city hot air balloon flights off your wish list. For a great range of Melbourne tours and experiences, explore here. To track down the best value Melbourne accommodation, come this way.
Goldfields city Ballarat is worth visiting, largely because of the superb Sovereign Hill open air museum. It’s easy enough to drive from Melbourne to Ballarat along the Western Freeway, but there is a public transport option.
Get the best deals by advance-booking your Melbourne tours and hotels.
Ballarat to Melbourne train timetable
Unlike many Australian train services, the Ballarat to Melbourne train is fairly regular. It is often used by commuters, but works fine for tourists as well. Run by V/Line, the Ballarat to Melbourne trains start at 04.23, with the last departure at 23.34.
In the opposite direction, the first Ballarat train departs Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station at 05.13, and the last at 23.52.
👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇
- Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
- Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
- Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
- Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
- Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
- Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
- Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.
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These trains to Melbourne leave every 40 minutes for most of the day, going to every 20 minutes at peak times. At weekends, Ballarat to Melbourne train services start a little later and end a little earlier – check the full timetable at the V/Line website.
14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne
- Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
- See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
- Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
- A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
- The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
- Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
- Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
- Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
- Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.
Ballarat to Melbourne train: Journey time and stops
Journey times on the Ballarat to Melbourne train vary, largely because some services don’t stop everywhere on the way. The quickest Ballarat to Melbourne train services take around one hour and 18 minutes.
The major stops on the Ballarat train line outside of Melbourne are Ballan, Bacchus Marsh and Melton. Once into suburban Melbourne, they stop at Cobblebank, Rockbank and Caroline Springs before continuing to Deer Park, Ardeer, Sunshine and Footscray. The service terminates at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station. In the opposite direction, the trains terminate in Wendouree, near 1956 Olympic venue Lake Wendouree.
4 Ballarat experiences to book in advance ⬇️
- Sovereign Hill tickets – visit Australia’s best open air museum. Give it a full day, too – there’s so much to see and do.
- Ballarat Wildlife Park entry – meet loads of cute native Aussie animals.
- Kryal Castle admission – enjoy a bizarre knights in armour theme park.
- Beer-making course – learn to brew, with tastings and lunch thrown in.
Ballarat train fare prices
The major advantage of taking the Ballarat to Melbourne train, of course, is that the journey is pretty cheap. One way adult tickets in peak periods cost $22.80. Off peak, the fare cost goes down to $15.96.
Payment is via the Myki system.
Accommodation near Southern Cross Station includes the Alto Hotel on Bourke, the Atlantis Hotel and Melbourne SkyHigh Apartments. Fun things to do in Melbourne include seeing the city from the Melbourne Skydeck, discovering the city’s highlights on a walking tour and visiting the Australian Sports Museum at the MCG.
If you found this guide useful, please consider booking your accommodation and tours through the links to Wotif and Viator below.
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