The Weather-Proof Parking Plan for Melbourne’s Four Seasons in One Day

Melbourne is known for its unpredictable weather. A warm, still morning can shift to wind and rain before midday with little notice. If you’re flying out, those changes can affect how you move through the airport precinct, especially if you're parking and walking to the terminal.

That’s where a simple weather-proof parking plan helps. At Melbourne Airport, we have a range of onsite airport parking options that let you park once and move on with your day. Pick the one that fits your trip, and you’ll spend less time thinking about the weather and more time getting where you need to go.

The more you know about your trip ahead of time, the easier it is to make airport parking work with everything else. With a few simple decisions early on, you can avoid extra movement, delays or confusion, especially if the weather doesn’t go exactly to plan.

Here’s how to think ahead so your parking choice works with the rest of your trip:

1. Start with where you need to be at the airport. Knowing your airport terminal early helps you plan for distance, timing and weather conditions without needing to rethink things on the day.

Here’s a quick guide:

• Terminal 1 services all Qantas domestic flights
• Terminal 2 is where all international flights depart
• Terminal 3 services Virgin Australia domestic flights
• Terminal 4 services Jetstar, Rex and Link Airways domestic flights

Each terminal offers easy access to an onsite airport car park, either via a covered link bridge or a free shuttle service. Take a look at the terminal maps and car park maps so you know exactly where you’re heading.

2. Plan for the weather you leave in and the weather you arrive to. Melbourne’s weather can shift quickly between suburbs and even more between morning and afternoon. Planning ahead for rain, wind or heat can help you decide what time to arrive, how far you’ll walk, and whether it makes sense to park closer to your terminal.

3. Reduce time spent moving between your car and the terminal. With Melbourne's hit-or-miss weather, the less moving around you have to do, the better. Parking onsite means you're already a short walk from the airport terminal, so you can get from your car to check-in without needing to work around the forecast.

4. Account for delays that come with wet or windy conditions. Wet and windy weather can slow things down. That includes traffic, parking entry, and the time it takes to walk to your terminal. Give yourself a buffer, especially during peak travel periods. Ongoing works around Tullamarine are also adding to travel time. Check lane closures and disruptions before you head out.

5. Book parking online for the grace period. If the weather changes while you're on the way to the airport, your arrival time might shift too. That’s where the built-in grace period helps. When you book parking online, you get a buffer on both sides of your booking. That’s up to an hour either side for short stays under four hours, or up to two hours either side for longer stays. This means you won’t need to rush in or out if the roads slow down or the rain picks up.

6. Add the Overstay Guarantee to your parking booking. Melbourne's unpredictable weather can lead to last-minute cancellations or delays, not only on your flight out but also on your return. Adding the optional Overstay Guarantee to your online booking gives you cover if your return flight is pushed back due to illness, border closures or cancellations.

7. Know how to adjust booked entry and exit times. Weather delays can affect your arrival or your return, or both. If you haven’t parked yet, you can adjust your entry time through My bookings, as long as you do it at least two hours before your scheduled arrival. If you’re already parked, you can extend your booking online at any time before your scheduled exit.

8. Pre-book the right parking option for your trip. It’s easier to plan your trip around Melbourne's changing weather when your airport parking’s already sorted. Whether you need short-term parking or long-term parking, you can pre-book the parking option that suits your trip online up to 12 months in advance and get lower parking rates than drive-up.

Trying to stay dry, cool or out of the wind on the way to your terminal? It helps to know where the covered airport parking options are. Both the T123 and T4 Terminal Car Parks include undercover parking spaces. A few different parking products sit within these multi-level car parks, and each one suits a different kind of trip.

• Terminal Car Parks: If you want covered parking with quick access to your terminal, the T123 and T4 Terminal Car Parks offer a mix of undercover and open-air parking spaces. The T123 Terminal Car Park suits travellers flying Qantas, Virgin Australia or heading to the international terminal, with a covered link bridge to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. The T4 Terminal Car Park is just a few minutes walk from Terminal 4 and works well for those flying Jetstar, Rex, Link Airways, or Virgin Australia.
• Premium Car Parks: When planning around heat, wind or rain, you want less time between the car and check-in. Our Premium Car Parks offer undercover parking bays on Level 1 of both the T123 and T4 Terminal Car Parks. These are prime spots closest to the terminal entrances, making them a practical option if you’re thinking ahead to how the weather might shift on the day.
• Melbourne Airport Valet: No need to find a bay or remember where you parked. Located on Level 1 of the T123 Terminal Car Park, our valet parking team parks your car when you arrive and hands it back when you return. This is useful when the weather’s shifting, and you want to keep things simple. You can even arrange a car wash service with our Valet team, so you can return to a clean car.
• Qantas Valet: When you're planning around Melbourne’s four-seasons-in-one-day weather, Qantas Valet keeps things even simpler. Located on Level 1 of the T123 Terminal Car Park, there’s no need to pre-book here. Just drive in, hand over your keys, and head straight to the terminal. Your car stays undercover, and you can even request a car wash while you’re away. Qantas Frequent Flyers also earn points here.

If you’re looking for the most cost-effective airport parking service onsite, the Value Car Park is a good option. It’s an open-air car park with access via Airport Drive or Mercer Drive, and a free shuttle bus service to Terminals 1 and 4 every 15 minutes, 24/7. The bus stops offer shade and a place to wait if the weather changes while you're moving through the precinct.

During peak travel periods like school holidays, Value Express adds another option. It’s a seasonal valet-style service within the Value Car Park, where you drop your car off near Bus Stop B and hop on the free shuttle. While it’s not an undercover facility, it cuts out the need to search for a parking spot (or find your car on your return), which is useful when the forecast is unpredictable or you're trying to move through the airport quickly.

Weather shifts quickly in Melbourne, but your airport parking plan doesn’t have to. Choosing the onsite option that fits how you move through the airport means fewer surprises on the day, whether you’re flying out or arriving back.

If you’re driving in just for a quick pick-up or drop-off, use our dedicated pick-up and drop-off zones for short stops right outside the terminals. Still working out the details? Head over to our Parking FAQs for more info, or sign up for the Parking Deals newsletter for tips, updates and offers before your next trip.