Southern Cross Station

Good food, looks alright for an Australian train station.

I prefered it more when it was Spencer Street station...

Ideal if you are wanting to catch the sky bus.

Basically this is a railway station, but a pretty awesome one at that. There are plenty of shops and cafes here (as well as a bar) you keep you entertained while you wait for either a train or a bus, as well as being in close proximity to the suburban lines and the trams. Basically Southern Cross is where all of the regional and interstate trains terminate and is also where the regional and interstate buses stop. If you need to get to the airport there is also the Skybus (though don't take the 20 minute time frame as it can be a lot longer during peak hour, as I discovered). However it is a pretty cool place to simply sit and drink a coffee (or a tea as the case may be) during peak hour as it is a great place to people watch, and to also watch trains you you are that type of person. I wouldn't recommend shopping at the Woolworths here though – it tends to be a tad more expensive than the other places.

If you remember Southern Cross Station as Spencer Street Station you are in for a pleasant surprise. The station is a modern, sleek station with very good facilities. The airport bus is right at the far end where it is difficult to park if you are being dropped off. It is a bit confusing to find if you are in a hurry; better signage would help. There is also a visitors' aid office to assist travellers.

Friendly train station staff, convenient place to purchase a myki card and the station is modern, well lit and easily accessible as there are entrances everywhere.
Lots of food options, mad mex, red rooster and there is a woolworths.

As far as the shopping goes, how far this centre has fallen away is startling. Most of the shops on the spencer street side have packed up elsewhere. There are long rows of empty stores. My recommendation is look elsewhere. Very very poor and disappointed.