Collins St launches Australia-first precinct valet service

Visitors to Collins St will soon be able to hand over their car keys and spend the day in the city under what is being billed as Australia’s first precinct-wide valet parking service.

Launching on August 3, the trial will allow anyone visiting the Collins Street precinct to leave their vehicle in designated bays outside Novotel Melbourne on Collins at 270 Collins St.

For a flat daily rate of $80, cars will be parked securely off-site and returned to the same location when visitors are ready to leave. The service will operate seven days a week.

Unlike conventional valet parking attached to a single hotel, restaurant or shopping centre, the service is intended to support the broader Collins Street area, including its retailers, hospitality venues, offices and cultural destinations.

The Collins Street Precinct Group said the initiative was designed to remove some of the friction associated with driving into the CBD, including searching for parking, returning to move a vehicle or walking back to a distant car park late at night.

By encouraging visitors to park once and stay longer, the group hopes the service will support businesses across Collins St and the wider central city.

Collins Street Precinct Group president Luke Harris said improving access had emerged as a priority under the organisation’s five-year strategy.

“Collins Street has so much to offer, and we are continuing to look at ways to make the precinct safer, more accessible and easier to experience,” Mr Harris said.

The trial also aligns with the City of Melbourne’s Voluntary Co-investment Pilot, under which the council is working with the Collins Street Precinct and Docklands Chamber of Commerce to test projects that could inform a future Business Improvement District model.

The broader pilot is exploring how businesses and property owners might collectively fund additional initiatives such as marketing, public realm improvements, safety measures and precinct activations.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the valet service added a further layer of luxury to one of Melbourne’s best-known retail streets.

“This is the first time this service has been offered on a retail street in Australia, and it’s only fitting that it’s kicking off from the Paris End of Collins Street,” Cr Reece said.

If successful, the service could be expanded to multiple drop-off and collection points stretching from Spring St through to Docklands.

Comparable precinct-wide valet services already operate in international destinations including Austin’s Old Sixth Street, Downtown Riverside in California, the Miami Design District and Dubai International Financial Centre.