Melbourne Notes
By MELB_NOTE
The short answer
The Nike Melbourne Marathon starts at 6:15am on Sunday 11 October 2026 on Batman Avenue, and the half marathon follows at 9:45am. Roads start closing at 3:30am. Most reopen between 10am and 2pm, and the last one, Barassi Way beside the MCG, reopens at 3:30pm. If you are not running, avoid St Kilda Road, the St Kilda foreshore and the MCG precinct on Sunday morning, and do not park in a tow-away zone after 10pm on Saturday.
This guide pulls the Sunday times out of the official resident notices and puts them in one place, sorted by road. Saturday has its own, shorter closures for the 10km, 5km and 3km races, which are covered in the FAQ. Everything below was checked against the organiser’s pages on 10 October 2026.
30-second summary
- Marathon 6:15am, half marathon 9:45am, both from Batman Avenue, both finishing at the MCG.
- St Kilda Road is closed from 4am to 1pm. Flinders Street and Wellington Parade South are closed from 4am to 2pm.
- Tow-away zones run from 10pm on Saturday until 2pm on Sunday along the course.
- Route 96 trams stop at St Kilda Station from 4:30am to 12:30pm, and no trams run on Fitzroy Street, The Esplanade or Acland Street in that window.
- Traffic questions go to the event line on 03 7058 1505, staffed from 5am to 3pm on Sunday.
The marathon starts at 6:15am on Sunday and the last road reopens at 3:30pm
The Nike Melbourne Marathon (42.195 km) starts at 6:15am on Batman Avenue and finishes inside the MCG. The organiser describes the course as passing Flinders Street Station, circling Albert Park Lake and running along the St Kilda beach foreshore. For 2026 it runs in the reverse direction towards Beach Road, and the climb from Birdwood Avenue to Domain Road at about 36 km has been removed.
The Nike Half Marathon (21.1 km) starts at 9:45am from the same place, in waves. Both races have to reach the MCG course entry by 2:00pm. The marathon cut-off is 7 hours 45 minutes and the half marathon cut-off is 4 hours 15 minutes, both on gun time, with intermediate cut-off points along the way so that roads can reopen on schedule.
For anyone driving, the useful numbers are the first and last closures. Batman Avenue and Barassi Way close at 3:30am. Barassi Way, next to the MCG, is the last to reopen, at 3:30pm.
St Kilda Road, the bayside roads and the MCG precinct close from 4am
These are the Sunday closure windows from the City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip resident notices. Side streets next to the course may also be barricaded and marshalled, and the organiser says roads will reopen progressively once it is safe.
City of Melbourne: Batman Avenue 3:30am to 2pm. Barassi Way 3:30am to 3:30pm. St Kilda Road, Linlithgow Avenue and Birdwood Avenue 4am to 1pm. Flinders Street and Wellington Parade South 4am to 2pm. Jolimont Road 4am to 3pm. Domain Road 8:30am to 11:30am.
City of Port Phillip: St Kilda Road 4am to 1pm. Marine Parade, Jacka Boulevard and Ormond Esplanade 4:30am to 11am, with managed access on Jacka Boulevard from 11am to 12pm. Beaconsfield Parade 4:30am to 12pm. Fitzroy Street 4:30am to 12:30pm. Lakeside Drive, Aughtie Drive and Ross Gregory Drive 5am to 12:30pm.
Bayside: St Kilda Street and the Esplanade 5am to 10am.
Tow-away zones apply from 10pm on Saturday 10 October until 2pm on Sunday 11 October. In the City of Melbourne they cover Flinders Street, Wellington Parade South, Jolimont Road, St Kilda Road, Birdwood Avenue, Linlithgow Avenue and Domain Road. In Port Phillip they cover St Kilda Road, Fitzroy Street, Marine Parade, Jacka Boulevard, Ormond Esplanade, Beaconsfield Parade and Beach Street. Cars towed in the City of Melbourne go to the Nationwide Yard in Collingwood. Cars towed from the Port Phillip foreshore streets go to the Shakespeare Grove car park or the Triangle car park. The towed vehicle enquiry line is 134 869.
Expect noise as well. The notices say entertainment zones along the course will play low-level music from 7am to 2pm, and Batman Avenue will have PA announcements from 6am.
Trams change on the St Kilda side, so take the train if you can
The tram notice above, posted along the route 96 line, gives the clearest single change: on Sunday from 4:30am to 12:30pm, route 96 trams run only between Stop 132 St Kilda Station and East Brunswick, and no trams run along Fitzroy Street, The Esplanade or Acland Street. Other tram and bus routes that cross the course will also be affected, so check the journey planner before you leave.
The official road closures page says extra early-morning public transport services will run across the weekend, and it links to Transport Victoria’s marathon travel information. For runners, the organiser names Richmond and Flinders Street as the most convenient stations for the start and the MCG.
If you have to drive to the MCG, the race week page lists limited parking in Yarra Park, entered only through Gate 5 off Punt Road. It opens at 3:30am on Sunday, costs $20 and takes cards only, and it is expected to fill quickly. There are two drop-off points: Wellington Parade at the corner of Wellington Parade South, and Olympic Boulevard in front of Rod Laver Arena.
Six spectator zones open from 6:15am
The Sunday notices mark six spectator zones, open from 6:15am: the MCG finish line (entry through Gates 3 and 4), Federation Square, St Kilda Road at Victoria Barracks (where the Run Club HQ is), Albert Park Lake, Fitzroy Street and Lakeside Drive, and Beach Road.
The MCG is the easiest place to see the finish, and the organiser notes that half marathon runners can watch the marathon finish before their own start. Federation Square and the MCG are a short walk from Flinders Street Station. For the bayside zones, plan around the route 96 change above. The organiser also publishes a course entertainment map showing where bands, DJs and cheer squads will be.
If you are in the city for the weekend anyway, our spring 2026 what’s on guide lists other events and coffee stops, and Federation Square is a short walk from the CBD laneways.
Questions people ask
When is the Melbourne Marathon 2026?
The marathon and half marathon are on Sunday 11 October 2026, at 6:15am and 9:45am. The 10km, 5km, 3km and Mini Marathon were scheduled for Saturday 10 October.
Which roads are closed on Saturday?
On Saturday 10 October, the City of Melbourne notice lists Batman Avenue, Flinders Street, St Kilda Road, Linlithgow Avenue, Birdwood Avenue and Domain Road closed from 4am to 11am, and Wellington Parade South, Jolimont Road and Barassi Way closed from 4am to 11:30am. In Port Phillip, St Kilda Road between Park Street and Dorcas Street is closed from 4am to 11am.
When does St Kilda Road reopen on Sunday?
Both councils list St Kilda Road as closed from 4am to 1pm on Sunday.
Who do I call about a road closure or a towed car?
The event traffic line is 03 7058 1505, staffed from 5am to 3pm on Sunday. For a towed car, call 134 869.
Is the Melbourne Marathon sold out?
The organiser lists general allocation for both the marathon and the half marathon as exhausted, with other avenues to entry listed on its site.
Sources and scope
- Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival, Road Closures
- City of Melbourne resident notice, Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival 2026 (PDF)
- City of Port Phillip resident notice, Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival 2026 (PDF)
- Nike Melbourne Marathon event page
- Nike Half Marathon event page
- Race Week page (start times, parking, drop-off)
Photo credits:
- Cover: Chris Phutully, Melbourne Marathon 2013 on Princes Bridge, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).
- Tram notice: Totallynotarandomalt69, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).
- Diagrams: drawn by MELB NOTE from the notices above.
Scope: Times are Melbourne time (AEDT) and come from the organiser’s pages and the resident notices published in September 2026. Closures can change on the day, and roads may reopen earlier once it is safe. The tram details come from a single route 96 notice; check Transport Victoria for other routes. Sources checked 10 October 2026.
