Value North · Value South
Value car parks at Melbourne Airport
Value North and Value South are the low-cost, open-air choices for airport parking. This guide shows which terminal each one serves, how the shuttle works, and when Value beats terminal parking.
Budget tier explained
What makes Value different
Value parking is the airport's budget tier for parking Melbourne Airport trips: open-air rather than under cover, further from the terminals, and priced to suit longer stays. You are not paying for proximity. You are paying less for the days you do not need it.
The difference shows most on long stays, where a week or a fortnight of terminal rates adds up fast and the Value daily rate stays flatter. For a two-day trip the gap is small. For a two-week holiday it can decide the booking.
Surface
Open-air
Access
Free shuttle bus
Best for
7–21 days
Two open-air car parks feed the terminals by free bus, not on foot.
If the trip is long and the schedule is loose, the shuttle is an easy trade for lower daily rates.
Value South and Value North, side by side
Melburne airport parking splits Value into two ends of the precinct. Match the car park to your terminal first, then check the drive in off Tullamarine Freeway Exit 18.
Value South and Terminal 4
Direct free bus to Terminal 4 makes this the natural pick for Jetstar and Rex. Virgin Australia travellers from Terminal 3 can also use it, with a connection across the precinct. The bus is part of the car park service, not a separate ticket. On a peak Monday morning allow extra buffer; on a quiet midweek day it is a short hop.
T4 · Direct bus · Open-air
Suits
T4 + T3 trips
Value North, and when it makes sense
Value North covers the same low-cost brief from the other side of the precinct. Both Value car parks sit just off Tullamarine Freeway Exit 18, so the approach is straightforward once you know which one you booked. The choice between North and South usually comes down to your terminal and which side you would rather drive.
Exit 18 · Low-cost · Open-air
Check first
Terminal, then side
The Exit 18 approach
Follow Value parking signage once you leave the freeway rather than the terminal drop-off lanes, or you will loop back around. Set the car park itself as the destination in your navigation app. Searching only for Melbourne Airport tends to route you to the terminal kerb on the wrong side.
Address for nav
2 Terminal Drive, VIC 3045
Night approach · Tullamarine Freeway to precinct
The honest trade
The shuttle trade-off, honestly
The shuttle is why Value costs less. It is also the part people underestimate. Park, walk to the stop with your bags, wait, ride, then walk into the terminal. On a busy morning that is a real fifteen to thirty minutes, not a two-minute stroll.
Park and walk to the stop
Open bays mean a longer walk with bags than a multi-level garage. If you travel heavy, keep this leg in mind.
Wait and ride to the terminal
The ride itself is short. Waiting time moves with the morning peak, so build buffer for early flights.
Value versus terminal parking
Short trips favour the garage: the daily premium is small over two days. Long trips favour Value: the same daily gap over fourteen days is not small. Count your total days first.
Who Value suits
- Long-stay holidaymakers who can absorb a shuttle wait.
- Jetstar and Rex passengers flying from Terminal 4.
- Travellers who would rather spend the difference on the trip itself.
Who should stay terminal-side
- Tight connections with a hard check-in cut-off and no margin.
- Early peak flights where a 6am start leaves no room for waiting.
- Anyone who finds the walk with heavy bags genuinely difficult.
Terminals · Crossing
Booking Value parking
Value North and Value South book through the same airport flow as the other car parks. Enter entry and exit times, choose your terminal, and compare what is available. Payment happens online, with credit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, so mobile checkout is quick.
Pricing runs on a 24-hour basis, so the times you enter set the total you see. Be honest about your return time, especially after a late inbound flight.
Prebook checklist
Enter exact entry + exit times
Choose terminal before car park
Pay online · card + mobile wallets
Navigate to car park, not terminal
Open 24 hours, 7 days · 2 Terminal Drive, VIC 3045
Open-air by design · lower rate, longer walk
Surveyor note
Two weeks under open sky with a bus ride beats two weeks beside check-in, if the calendar allows it.
That is the whole Value question. If your airport parking stay is long and flexible, the shuttle time fades. If it is short and tight, the garage walk wins.
Terminal forecourt at night · a few minutes on foot from the garage.
Value answers
Short answers for the four questions every budget traveller asks before choosing Value North or Value South.
Is Value South or Value North better for my terminal?
Value South runs a direct free bus to Terminal 4 and suits Jetstar and Rex passengers, and it works for Virgin Australia travellers from Terminal 3. Value North covers the same low-cost brief from the other side. Match the car park to your terminal first.
How long is the shuttle from the Value car parks?
The ride itself is short, but the full process includes walking to the stop, waiting, riding, and walking into the terminal. On a peak morning allow considerably more time than the ride alone suggests.
Is Value parking under cover?
No. Both Value North and Value South are open-air car parks. That is part of why they cost less than terminal or valet parking.
Can I book Value parking on my phone?
Yes. The Value booking flow accepts credit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, so you can complete the booking on a mobile device.
Know your terminal, then pick your side.
Compare Value against terminal parking for your dates, or walk through the prebooking steps before you lock in.
Value North · Value South · Open-air · Free shuttle · Tullamarine Freeway Exit 18