Luxury Car Hire in Albert Park

There is one suburb in Melbourne where the sound of a good engine is part of the local calendar, and this is it. Albert Park spends most of the year as a quiet grid of terraces between a lake and a beach, then once a year the roads around the water turn into a Formula 1 circuit and the whole place smells like petrol. We hire supercars, sports cars and prestige here all year, not just the one week.

The lake, and the road around it

Albert Park Lake is the centre of everything. The park roads that ring it, Aughtie Drive and Lakeside Drive among them, become the Australian Grand Prix circuit each year, along with the Supercars round that supports it. For the other fifty-one weeks they are park roads with park speed limits, shared with runners, rowers heading to the lake and people walking dogs.

Worth saying plainly: hiring a supercar here does not come with a lap. The circuit is temporary, it is built for the event, and outside the event it is not a racetrack. What Albert Park actually gives you is a rather good backdrop, and a very short run to roads where a car like that makes sense.

Grand Prix week changes the suburb

If your dates fall near the race, plan around it. Road closures build up over the preceding weeks, Lakeside Drive and the park entrances shut in stages, and the traffic that normally cuts through the park pushes out onto Canterbury Road and Beaconsfield Parade instead.

For us that means the delivery point moves, sometimes by a few streets. It is easily handled if we know early. Tell us the address and the date, and we will nominate a handover spot that is still open on the day, along with a realistic time given how the traffic will be running.

The village: Bridport Street and Victoria Avenue

Away from the lake the suburb is small and self-contained. Bridport Street and Victoria Avenue carry the cafes, delicatessens and boutiques that locals simply call the village, Gasworks Arts Park sits at the western edge, and the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre anchors the park side.

Street parking is tight and mostly permit-controlled, which is why we hand cars over in person here rather than dropping and leaving. It takes five minutes and saves an argument with a parking officer.

The terraces behind the village are the other consideration. Most were built with no off-street parking at all, and the ones that have a garage have a narrow bluestone laneway leading to it. Tell us which you are dealing with and we will pick the handover point to suit.

Out to the bay, and along it

Beaconsfield Parade runs the length of the foreshore, and from there it is a clear run down through St Kilda or up into Port Melbourne and the city. It is a short, pretty stretch of road that flatters most cars, and it is the reason plenty of local hires start with a lap of the bay before they go anywhere else.

The rest of the map is on the areas we serve page.

Choosing the car

This is sports and supercar territory more than chauffeur territory. A Porsche is the sensible answer for a weekend, because it is quick without being exhausting and it will actually get over a speed hump. Something more dramatic is available when the occasion wants drama.

If you are working out what a few days of this costs, our exotic car hire price guide explains what drives the number. Your own figure is confirmed to the car and your dates when you enquire, along with the bond, insurance and terms.