For Year 11 and 12 students, a Melbourne uni open day is often the first real look at life beyond school. Walking a campus, talking to current students, sitting in on a sample lecture: it gives VCE students something a university prospectus cannot. For excursion coordinators, though, the practical question is the same every year. How do you get the whole cohort to a campus on time, together, without anyone disappearing on a tram?
Quinces Coaches has been running school charter services across Melbourne’s south-east since around 1944. Every July and August, we handle university open day transport for secondary schools along the south-east corridor: single-campus visits, multi-campus days, and the annual VCE and Careers Expo at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in the CBD.
What is a Melbourne uni open day and why do schools attend as a group?
A university open day is when Melbourne universities open their campuses to prospective students, families, and school groups. Students can tour faculties, attend information sessions, and speak with academic staff. For schools, co-ordinating a group visit is part of careers education in the senior years. It shifts the conversation from a PDF of course listings to an actual campus visit.
Most excursion coordinators in Melbourne’s south-east take the whole Year 12 cohort, or a combined Year 11 and 12 group, rather than letting individuals sort out their own transport. A dedicated coach keeps everyone together, removes the tram-change headache, and gives teachers a firm return time. Every major Melbourne-area university campus is within 30 kilometres of the Quinces Coaches depot in Oakleigh.
Melbourne university open day calendar: campus locations and typical dates
The table below lists Melbourne-area universities that run public open days, their main campus suburb, and the typical timing each year. Dates shift annually: confirm the exact date from each university’s official open day page before booking transport.
| University | Primary campus | Typical open day window | Distance from Oakleigh (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Melbourne | Parkville | Late July | 16 km |
| Monash University | Clayton | Early August | 8 km |
| RMIT University | Melbourne CBD / Bundoora | July to August | 18 km (CBD) / 22 km (Bundoora) |
| Deakin University | Burwood | August | 14 km |
| La Trobe University | Bundoora | August | 28 km |
| Swinburne University | Hawthorn | August | 22 km |
| Australian Catholic University | Fitzroy | August | 19 km |
Best for a half-day visit: Monash Clayton and Deakin Burwood sit closest to the Quinces Coaches depot in Oakleigh and to most south-east Melbourne schools. Both are straightforward half-day options with short travel times and relatively easy drop-off access.
Best for a combined day: The University of Melbourne in Parkville and RMIT in the CBD are close to each other geographically and offer genuinely different academic cultures. Schools wanting to show students both a research-intensive university and a TAFE-aligned institution often put both into a single trip.
Official open day pages for date confirmation: University of Melbourne Open Day | Monash University Open Day | RMIT Melbourne Open Day | Deakin University Open Day
How Quinces Coaches plans multi-campus open day itineraries in Melbourne
Moving a full senior cohort between campuses in one day is straightforward when the schedule is built around real travel times. A typical Quinces Coaches multi-campus run from a south-east Melbourne school looks like this:
- 8:30 am Coach departs school
- 9:00 am Arrive at Campus A (most Melbourne universities start their open day program at 9:00 or 9:30 am)
- 12:30 pm Coach departs Campus A
- 1:00 pm Arrive at Campus B for the afternoon session
- 3:30 pm Coach departs Campus B
- 4:00 pm Return to school
From south-east Melbourne schools, Monash Clayton and Deakin Burwood are around 20 to 30 minutes away in normal traffic. Reaching RMIT or the University of Melbourne from the same starting point adds roughly 25 to 40 minutes depending on the route and the time of day.
The driver stays with the group all day. There is no drop-and-return arrangement: the coach stays on site or nearby, which means the group can leave a little earlier or later depending on how sessions run. For larger cohorts, Quinces Coaches can run two vehicles on the same route so the whole group travels together rather than splitting across separate trips.
Our university open day school charter fleet covers everything from minibuses to full-size coaches, all with air conditioning, PA systems, and seatbelts. Tell Quinces Coaches your group size and the team will match the right vehicle. The fleet page has more detail on each vehicle type.
The VCE and Careers Expo: Melbourne’s biggest single-day group transport event
The VCE and Careers Expo runs each year at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, typically across four days in late July. More than 200 providers attend: universities, TAFEs, private colleges, and apprenticeship and traineeship bodies. For Year 11 and 12 students, it is one of the most useful events of the senior year. Every post-school pathway is in one building, which removes the need to book several separate campus visits across the year.
Unlike a campus-based open day, the Expo is a single CBD venue. Groups from Melbourne’s south-east reach the Convention Centre in 20 to 30 minutes from the Oakleigh area. One pickup point, one drop-off, and a fixed session window.
Best for: Schools wanting to give the whole VCE cohort a look at the full range of post-school options, including apprenticeships and trade pathways, in a single excursion rather than a run of campus visits spread across Term 3.
South-east Melbourne schools are well-represented at the Expo each year. Coach availability for those dates fills quickly once Term 3 starts taking shape, so book transport at the same time you register the school’s Expo attendance.
What to tell your transport provider when booking open day coach hire
If this is your first time organising group transport for a university open day, here is the information Quinces Coaches needs to confirm availability and send a firm quote:
- Student headcount: total students plus supervising teachers
- Pickup address: school address and any additional pickup points
- Destinations: single campus or multi-campus itinerary, with the campus suburb and university name
- Session times: open day program start and finish times at each campus
- Return location: whether students go back to school or to another drop-off point
- Date: the confirmed open day date from the university’s official page
- Bus to stay or return later?
- Supervision contact: the teacher-in-charge name and mobile number for the day
For the VCE and Careers Expo, include the specific session date and whether you need a morning or afternoon slot. Expo entries are timed and transport must align with the session window exactly.
Schools that run annual excursion programs can include university open days alongside sport and curriculum trips within a single school charter arrangement. One provider relationship, consistent driver credentials, and a single invoicing contact across every school trip in the year. New to Quinces Coaches? The online booking form is the quickest way to get started.
Student safety on Melbourne open day excursions: Quinces Coaches’ credentials
Every Quinces Coaches driver holds a current Working with Children Check, is police cleared, fully licensed for passenger transport, and First Aid trained. The entire fleet is accredited by Safe Transport Victoria under the Bus Safety Act 2009. Every vehicle has seatbelts and air conditioning as standard.
On open day runs, the driver checks in with the supervising teacher at departure and at each campus arrival. All vehicles carry first aid kits and are serviced on a regular maintenance schedule.
The question most excursion coordinators ask when approving a transport provider is a direct one: are the driver credentials and fleet accreditation in order, or do I need to chase those myself? With Quinces Coaches, those checks are part of the standard service. Quinces Coaches has operated in Victoria for more than 80 years and has been part of the Australian Transit Group (ATG) network since 2015.
Other guides useful for planning your senior school transport year:
- Understanding school bus service options in Melbourne covers the differences between charter, regular service, and hired school buses
- Planning the perfect Melbourne school excursion walks through timelines, parent communication, and what to budget for
- Best school excursion venues in Melbourne lists destinations across science, arts, history, and outdoor education within a comfortable coach distance of the south-east
How far in advance should schools book a coach for Melbourne university open day transport?
Book at least 4 to 8 weeks before the open day. July and August are the busiest period for university open day transport in Melbourne, and coaches for south-east school groups fill once Term 3 calendars are locked in during late May and June. Quinces Coaches takes enquiries year-round: the most reliable approach is to book transport at the same time excursion approval comes through, not as an afterthought.
Can one coach cover multiple university campuses in a single Melbourne open day?
Yes. Quinces Coaches runs multi-campus itineraries for south-east Melbourne schools regularly, visiting two or three universities in a day. Travel time between Monash Clayton, Deakin Burwood, and the inner-city campuses is typically 20 to 40 minutes per leg. The driver stays with the group all day, so if a campus session overruns the group is not left without transport.
How much does school coach hire for a Melbourne university open day cost?
Pricing depends on coach size, the number of campuses, and total distance. A full-day charter for a school group from Melbourne’s south-east is quoted on those variables. Submit your itinerary details through the Quinces Coaches quote portal for a firm figure based on your actual dates, stops, and headcount.
What safety credentials do Quinces Coaches drivers hold for school groups?
Every driver holds a current Working with Children Check, is police cleared, fully licensed for passenger transport, and First Aid trained. These credentials apply to all school charter services, including university open day and careers expo transport. The fleet is accredited by Safe Transport Victoria under the Bus Safety Act 2009, and all vehicles carry seatbelts throughout.
Where Quinces Coaches fits
Quinces Coaches is a south-east Melbourne coach and bus charter operator with more than 80 years in Victoria. The Oakleigh depot puts every major Melbourne university campus within 30 kilometres, which keeps travel times practical and costs manageable for south-east schools.
For university open day transport, we cover the full range: single-campus half-day runs, multi-campus all-day itineraries, and VCE and Careers Expo sessions at the Melbourne Convention Centre. All drivers hold Working with Children Checks, are police cleared, and are First Aid trained. Every vehicle is seatbelted, air-conditioned, and accredited under Safe Transport Victoria.
To get a quote for your school’s next open day excursion, use the Quinces Coaches quote portal or call us directly.
Quinces Coaches 76 Atkinson Street, Oakleigh VIC 3166 (03) 8506 2700 info@quinces.com.au
Quinces Coaches is a bus charter Melbourne specialist for school excursions, university open days, and student group transport across Melbourne’s south-east corridor.