Overview

Melbourne is the capital city of the state of Victoria, located in the southeastern corner of mainland Australia, and is the second most populous city in Australia. There are 31 Local Government areas which make up metropolitan Melbourne.

As of late 2009, it had an approximate population of 4 million. Melbourne has been ranked as one of the top three World's Most Livable Cities by the Economist Group's Intelligence Unit. Melbourne exceeds the national average in terms of proportion of residents born overseas: 34.8% compared to a national average of 23.1%. Over two-thirds of people in Melbourne speak only English at home (68.8 %).  According to the Bureau of Statistics, around one third of Melbourne’s residents were born overseas. People from the UK are Melbourne’s biggest migrant group, making up 5 percent of the population. The next biggest groups are Italians, Vietnamese, Greeks, and New Zealanders.

Melbourne is a center for the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, sport and tourism. In recent years, it has also become a hub of the Australian music industry and is known as the cultural capital of Australia Melbourne. Melbourne is often referred to as Australia's garden city, and the state of Victoria was once known as the garden state. There is an abundance of parks and gardens in Melbourne, many close to the CBD with a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways and tree-lined avenues. There are also many parks in the surrounding suburbs of Melbourne.

Since 1997, Melbourne has maintained significant population and employment growth. There has been substantial international investment in the city's industries and property market. Melbourne is home to Australia's busiest seaport and much of Australia's automotive industry, which include Ford and Toyota manufacturing facilities, and the engine manufacturing facility of Holden. It is home to many other manufacturing industries, along with being a major business and financial centre. The city's port, Australia's largest, handles more than $75 billion in trade every year and 39% of the nation's container trade. Melbourne retains a significant presence of being a financial centre for Asia-Pacific. Two of the big four banks, NAB and ANZ, are headquartered in Melbourne. The city is headquarters for many of Australia's largest corporations, including five of the ten largest in the country (based on revenue, and five of the largest six in the country based on market capitalization). Melbourne rated 34th within the top 50 financial cities as surveyed by the Mastercard Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index (2007). Tourism also plays an important role in Melbourne's economy. In 2008, Melbourne overtook Sydney with the amount of money that domestic tourists spent in the city. Melbourne has also been attracting an increasing share of domestic and international conference markets.

Getting Around

Melbourne is serviced by four airports. Melbourne International Airport at Tullamarine (International / Domestic), located 22 km north-west of the city centre, provides regular access from all major Australian cities, as well as many international destinations across Europe, America, Asia and the South Pacific region. The 3 other airports located in Avalon, Moorabbin and Essendon.

Melbourne has a user-friendly train system that can take you to a range of destinations. There are some 200 stations that make up 16 lines as well as the central City Loop. The City Loop is Melbourne's underground system, with five stations servicing the CBD. 

Melbourne’s trams give the city character and provide a scenic way to explore the city and inner suburbs like Richmond, St Kilda and South Yarra. Distinctive burgundy and gold City Circle trams provide free and convenient travel to city sights and attractions.

Melbourne's bus network is made up of over 300 routes. Buses run frequently to major hubs, including shopping centres, schools, hospitals, leisure and sporting activities, and Melbourne’s biggest attractions.

For information about travelling on Melbourne's trains, trams and buses, please visit www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au.

The Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle is a brand new free bus service, stopping at key tourist attractions and destinations in and around the City of Melbourne. You can hop on and hop off at any of the 13 stops. For more information, please visit www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au.

Melbourne is an easy city to drive in due to its wide thoroughfares and simple grid city plan that is well sign-posted. As well, Melbourne’s three major freeways: the West Gate, the Monash and the Tullamarine, are conveniently linked by CityLink. CityLink is a toll road expressway that links Melbourne’s three major freeways: the West Gate, the Monash and the Tullamarine. For more information, please visit www.citylink.com.au.

Melbourne taxis are numerous and easy to spot – they are all uniformly yellow. Cabs often wait in designated ranks that are clearly signposted at central locations like major hotels in the CBD, or busy spots such as Flinders Street Station. You can also hail a taxi in the street if the taxi is available for hire or book a taxi by telephone.

Greyhound and McCafferty's operate long distance buses to Melbourne from Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney. Premier, Firefly, and V-Line also have bus services to Melbourne city from Apollo Bay, Bateman's Bay, Beechworth, Bright, Canberra, Griffith, Lakes Entrance, Mansfield, Mildura, Mt. Gambier, and Phillip Island.

There are 3 train services connecting Melbourne to other Australian cities. Trains run by V-line Services (www.vline.com.au) connect Melbourne to Albury, Ballarat, Bendigo, Echuca, Geelong, Sale, Shepparton, Swan Hill and Warnambool. Trains to Melbourne from Adelaide and Sydney are operated by Great Southern Railway (www.gsr.com.au). It takes about 9 to 12 hours to travel from Adelaide, while about 10 or 11 hours from Sydney. Alice Springs and Perth are also connected to Melbourne by this railway.  Countrylink (www.countrylink.info) has a train service connecting Sydney to Melbourne.

Climate

Melbourne has a moderate oceanic climate and is well known for its changeable weather conditions, due to Melbourne's location situated on the boundary of the very hot inland areas and the cold southern ocean. Melbourne has a reputation for 'four seasons in one day”. As a general rule, Melbourne enjoys a temperate climate with warm to hot summers, mild and sometimes balmy springs and autumns, and cool winters. While Melbourne has a reputation for rain, the city actually receives less rainfall than either Brisbane or Sydney. The average annual rainfall is 650mm. During the summer months (December to February, the average minimum is 14C (57F) whereas the average maximum is 25C (77F), and during the winter months (June to August), the average minimum is 7C (45F) whereas the average maximum is 14C (57F).

Health Service

Health care services in Melbourne are provided by both public and private hospitals. Among the public hospitals in or near the city include The Alfred Hospital, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Royal Women’s Hospital. Among the private service providers of health care in Melbourne and nearby Epworth Hospital and Melbourne Clinic in Richmond, Freemasons Hospital and Mercy Private Hospital in East Melbourne, and St. Vincent’s Private Hospital in Fitzroy.

Attractions

Melbourne offers endless options to keep its residents entertained day and night. Melbourne is a diverse city with a mix of modern and contemporary European architecture and a strong café culture.  Melbourne has a distinctive style and character that sets the city apart from any other. This vibrant, cosmopolitan city is bursting with exciting things to do and places to discover. Melbourne is known as Australia’s sporting and cultural capital and is home to people from around the world, many events happening throughout the year include the Australian Open and Formula One Grand Prix. The Victorian Arts Centre and other venues host a range of ballet, opera, theatre and world class orchestras. There are several museums all over the city such as the Art Gallery of Victoria. Popular night spots in Melbourne include Melbourne Central, Fitzroy, St Kilda, Richmond, Carlton and Prahran.

Despite so much excitement and vibrancy, it is also easy to relax and find peace and quiet in Australia's second largest city. Expansive tree-filled parks and gardens provide quiet spots to stop and recharge and the famous Yarra River has walking paths perfect for a leisurely stroll.  Pay a visit to the Southgate precinct on the south side of the Yarra River, where you can wander the length from the charming Alexandria Bridge behind Flinders Street Station, through Southgate's myriad of bars, shops and restaurants, down to South bank's Crown Casino. Or scale the heights of Eureka Tower, the second tallest all-residential building in the world, for awe-inspiring views of the city from the building's Skydeck.

For a list of things to do in Melbourne, please visit Australia’s official tourism website:
www.australia.com/destinations/cities/melbourne.aspx
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