What to Expect When Parking at the T123 Accessible Car Park

Thinking of parking at the T123 Accessible Car Park soon and picturing travel day? Easy. You drive in, scan the QR code, follow the ramp up to Level 2 and scan once more, then park in the undercover Accessible Parking area. From there, you just cross the covered pedestrian bridge to Terminals 1, 2 and 3.

Melbourne Airport’s T123 Accessible Car Park is the only bookable Accessible Parking option onsite. Located on Level 2 of the T123 Car Park, it’s close to all three terminal bridges: the Virgin Australia bridge to Terminal 3, the new bridge to Terminal 2 and the Qantas bridge to Terminal 1. Every bay here is undercover and built to match AS/NZS 2890.6:2009 wheelchair accessibility standard.

You’ll take Exit 20 off the Tullamarine Freeway and follow the airport signage through to the T123 Car Park. You then scan the QR code at the boom gate and drive up the ramp to Level 2. The T123 Accessible Car Park has its own entrance up there, so you scan the same code a second time to get in.

Check your vehicle height before you leave, as the entrance to the T123 Car Park clears 2.2 metres and anything taller won’t fit through. If that’s your car, our open-air Value Car Parks are the ones to book. Both the Value North Car Park and Value South Car Park have Accessible Parking bays, and each runs a free wheelchair-friendly bus to the terminals every 15 minutes around the clock.

You come off the ramp onto Level 2, where the 71 Accessible Parking bays are clearly marked. Your booking covers entry to the T123 Accessible Car Park rather than one particular bay, so you take whichever vacant bay suits you and whoever you’re travelling with.

• Each bay is wider and longer than a standard space, measured at 2.4 metres across and 5.4 metres deep.
• Beside each bay has a shared zone striped in diagonal yellow lines. At 2.4 by 5.0 metres, that shared zone is there so you can open the door fully and get in or out of a wheelchair from the side of the vehicle.
• Overhead, you’ve got 2.3 metres of clearance, a touch more than at the entrance of the T123 Car Park. Every bay is marked with the white international symbol of access on blue.

Once parked, your Australian Disability Parking Permit goes on display for as long as the car is there, with the permit number, expiry date and QR code readable through the windscreen. Taking the original with you? A clear photocopy left on the dashboard also works.

You cross a covered bridge on the one level, no changing floors. There are three covered bridges leading off Level 2. There's the Virgin Australia bridge to Terminal 3, the new one across to Terminal 2 for international flights, and another bridge to Terminal 1 for Qantas domestic. It’s under cover the whole way, so you won’t need to worry about the weather from the car park to check-in.

• Terminal 1 serves Qantas domestic flights.
• Terminal 2 is where all international flights depart.
• Terminal 3 serves Virgin Australia domestic flights.

If you need to change levels at any point, the lifts across Melbourne Airport car parks have wide doors and low-height controls you can reach from a wheelchair, with the control panel written in Braille.

You can reach us from anywhere in the car park through the HELP button. You’ll find them in the entry and exit gates and more throughout the car park. Each one connects you to our customer service team.

For the walk itself, Melbourne Airport Assist is a free service we run in partnership with Travellers Aid. It can take you between the car park and the terminal. You can book special assistance with at least 24 hours’ notice so someone is ready to help when you arrive.

Carers assisting a Companion Card holder can claim a full parking fee refund on a stay of two hours or less in the Terminal Car Parks. That covers both the T123 Terminal Car Park and the T4 Terminal Car Park for those heading to Terminal 4. The passenger has to be arriving on or departing for a flight. Keep the parking receipt and lodge the request online, and we’ll be in touch to confirm the details.

The return runs the same way, with one extra step. Arrivals and the baggage carousels are on the Ground Floor, so once you’ve collected your bags, head up inside the terminal to the covered bridge back to Level 2 of the T123 Car Park. Going up from inside keeps you under cover the whole way, rather than crossing the forecourt outside.

Collect the car and scan your QR code at the exit gate to leave. There’s nothing to pay at the gate, because your parking was settled when you booked.

Need special assistance after landing? Melbourne Airport Assist covers this leg too. The team can meet you after you’ve collected your bags and take you from the arrivals hall through to the T123 Accessible Car Park.

The more you know before you travel, the less there is to think about on the day. Look through our Online Mobility Hub before you fly, where Melbourne Airport gathers its accessibility information, journey videos, facility guides and sensory maps.

For other parking options, every Melbourne Airport car park has Accessible Parking bays on a ‘first-come, first-in’ basis, including in the Terminal Car Parks and Premium Car Parks. You can book any of these up to 12 months ahead, but sorting it early locks in the online parking rate at the time of booking.

Rather hand the parking over than do it yourself? Both Melbourne Airport Valet and Qantas Valet sit in the T123 Car Park, and either valet parking service offers optional car cleaning while you’re away.

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