Melbourne Travel
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Melbourne is the capital of Victoria and also the second most populated city in Australia. As of late 2009, the city had an
approximate population of 4 million.
Melbourne is located on the large natural bay known as Port Phillip Bay, with the city centre positioned at the estuary of the Yarra River, at the northern-most point of the bay.
Melbourne extends along the Yarra river, towards the Yarra Valley, the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Ranges to the east. It extends northward through the undulating bushland valleys of the Yarra's tributaries – Moonee Ponds Creek (toward Tullamarine Airport), Merri Creek, Darebin Creek and Plenty River to the outer suburban growth areas of Craigieburn and Whittlesea.
The city sprawls south-east through Dandenong to the growth corridor of Pakenham towards West Gippsland, and southward through the Dandenong Creek valley, the Mornington Peninsula and the city of Frankston taking in the peaks of Olivers Hill, Mount Martha and Arthurs Seat, extending along the shores of Port Phillip Bay, to reach the exclusive suburb of Portsea.
In the west, it extends along the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries north towards Sunbury and the foothills of the Macedon Ranges, and along the flat volcanic plain country towards Melton in the west and Werribee at the foothills of the You Yangs granite ridge.
Melbourne's major bayside beaches are located in the south-eastern suburbs along the shores of Port Phillip Bay, in areas like Port Melbourne, Albert Park, St Kilda, Elwood, Brighton, Sandringham, Mentone and Frankston although there are beaches in the western suburbs of Altona and Williamstown. The nearest surf beaches are located 85 kilometres south-east of the Melbourne CBD in the back-beaches of Rye, Sorrento and Portsea.
Visit the Melbourne Destination Guide for more information on this wonderful city.
Melbourne was founded in 1835, 47 years after the European settlement of Australia, by settlers from Van Diemen's Land. The early settlement was originally known as "Bearbrass". It was renamed "Melbourne" in 1837, in honour of William Lamb — the 2nd Viscount Melbourne. Melbourne was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847. In 1851, it became the capital city of the newly created colony of Victoria.
During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities. After the federation of Australia in 1901, it then served as the interim seat of government of the newly created nation of Australia until 1927. 
The city centre is well known for its historic and attractive lanes and arcades. The most notable of which are Block Place and the Royal Arcade, which contain a variety of shops and cafes.
The Melbourne CBD, compared with other Australian cities has comparatively unrestricted height limits and as the result of post war development contains five of the six tallest buildings in Australia, the tallest of these being the Eureka Tower, which is situated in Southbank. The Rialto tower, the city's second tallest, remains the tallest building in the old CBD; its observation deck for visitors has recently closed, February 2010. Visitors can now enjoy the view from the Sky Deck at Eureka Tower. The CBD and surrounds also contain many significant historic buildings such as the Royal Exhibition Building, the Melbourne Town Hall and Parliament House.
Today, it is a centre for the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, sport and tourism. Melbourne is known as the sporting capital of Australia.
It is the birthplace of cultural institutions such as Australian film, Australian television, Australian rules football, the Australian impressionist art movement (known as the Heidelberg School) and Australian dance styles (including New Vogue and later, the Melbourne Shuffle).
The city is also the centre of contemporary and traditional Australian music. It is also home to Australia’s very first, and largest, art gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria and largest sports stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Melbourne has a large international student community – and more international students per capita than any city in the world.
Melbourne is classified as a Beta World City by Loughborough University's GaWC Research Network, and as a City of Literature by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. It has been ranked as one of the top three World's Most Livable Cities by the Economist Group's Intelligence Unit (since 2002), top 10 Global University Cities by RMIT's Global University Cities Index (since 2006) and top 20 Global Innovation Cities by the 2thinknow® Global Innovation Agency (since 2007).
Melbourne is also home to the world's largest tram network. The main airport serving Melbourne is Tullamarine Airport.
I highly recommend getting on this bus. It is a great way to see the city. There is also a free city circle tram that does the block around the city but the bus will take you to places that the tram can't go. At the Visitor Centre, there are souvenirs and internet access available, along with a tour and accommodation booking service.
Melbourne truly is a wonderful place to visit. If you are coming here for a vacation, be prepared for all kinds of weather. There is a saying that "it has four seasons in one day". You know what, sometimes that is right!! However, don't let that put you off coming for a visit, it is well worth it.
Discount Hotel Reservations
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The Melbourne Visitor Centre at Federation Square, is a one stop shop for all visitor information. You can collect free maps,
brochures and event guides or pick up some suggestions or friendly advice on what to see and do. The Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle, hop on hop off bus, stops here.
