Melbourne is the capital city in the State of Victoria in Australia with a population of about 4 Million & growing out of which about 73.1% live in Melbourne. It is a young city and has a wide range of cuisines, cultural, dialectal & religious diversity. Due to the cultural diversity, it is the best city to eat, no matter what type of food you like from roasts, pies, souvlaki, tacos, nachos, kebabs, tandoori, pizzas, seafood, etc., you’ll find it here. Melbourne also has a café culture with an extensive range of coffee types & flavors, a selection of award-winning restaurants, outdoor cafes & bars just about everywhere.
The Yarra River flows through Melbourne City. On the banks of the Yarra, you will find people going about their daily activities like jogging, cycling, walking, rowing, etc. If you happen to be eating something, playful seagulls will squawk and watch you eat & wait for you to feed them, and if you happen to make that mistake, more will arrive out of nowhere within minutes all for the fun of it.
Melbourne is the Sporting capital of Australia where games like Cricket & Australian Football (Footy) are played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) & Etihad Stadium (formerly Telstra Dome). Apart from this Melbourne has been host to many International sporting events such as the Australian Open Tennis, Rugby, and Australian Grand Prix Motor Racing. Melbourne has held the Olympic Games in 1956, the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and is bidding to host the 2018 International Soccer……Go Melbourne!!!
Melbourne is also the Arts and cultural capital of Australia & has some very fine galleries with a very wide range of exhibits. Melbourne’s History is very intriguing as this city turned into one of the wealthiest cities in the world during the Goldrush days.
Most of the corporate offices, hotels, restaurants, cafes, accommodations etc. are located in and around the Central Business District (CBD) which is the business center of Melbourne. It has an excellent public transport system. Flinders Street Station is the main railway station and connects the CBD to the outer suburbs. This is well supported by a tram & bus network throughout Melbourne. Flinders Street Station also connects to Spencer street station from where trains go to regional Victoria and interstate. The Map of Melbourne will help you to get around and enjoy Melbourne City. These can be easily obtained from the Visitors Center at the Federation Square
In the Economist’s Intelligence Units Livability poll of the World’s Most Livable Cities 2009 survey, Melbourne Australia ranked 3rd worldwide. Some of the important criteria considered in the evaluation were healthcare, education, culture, stability, environment & infrastructure. The Travel Tips section will give a more in-depth idea about our city.
Melbourne Beaches
Melbourne Beaches are located in and around Port Phillip Bay and include popular ones such as St Kilda Beach, Port Melbourne Beach, Elwood Beach, Brighton Beach & Chelsea Beach, etc. These are not really surfing beaches due to the closed nature of the Port Phillip Bay. Surf beaches can be found in the Bellarine Peninsula areas and Mornington Peninsula areas. Because Australia is an Island there are beaches all along the coastline.
Every beach in Melbourne has safety signs, so please make sure you read the relevant signs and follow them. There’s a long-running campaign by the Cancer Councils that invites people to Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek & Slide. This means Slip on a T-shirt, Slop on the Sunscreen, Slap a Hat on your head, Seeking shade under a tree, shrub or portable shade and Slide on a pair of Sunnies (Sunglasses) to stay protected from the Sun harmful UV rays during Summer. If you don’t have sunscreen you probably should use one of these and for the adventurous ones out there here’s a tanning lotion as well.
Enough of the scare now let’s enjoy some wonderful Melbourne Beaches –
- Williamstown Beach
- Sandridge Beach
- Port Melbourne Beach
- Albert Park Beach
- St Kilda Beach
- Point Ormond Beach
- Elwood Beach
- Brighton Beach
- Hampton Beach
- Sandringham Beach
- Half Moon Bay Beach
- Black Rock Beach
- Rickett’s Point Beach
- Mentone Beach
- Chelsea Beach
There are other beaches outside Melbourne such as in the Bellarine Peninsula & Mornington Peninsula regions and further on but these beaches are far and can be best accessed by Car.
Melbourne Attractions
Melbourne Attractions include places of significance, importance, and interest, such as the Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Aquarium, Melbourne Zoo, etc.
I’m sure Melbourne has to offer something for everyone, whether it be from Trendy Shopping Malls to Chic Fashion stores or from tranquil Garden settings to the dizzying heights of the skyscrapers, from modern & Aboriginal Art galleries to the laid-back wine-growing areas…. there’s something for everyone.
Most popular attractions in Melbourne
Federation Square
Located between Swanston Street, Flinders Street & Russell Street extension, opposite to the Flinders street station is this cultural hub of Melbourne. Here you can visit the Ian Potter Museum, Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), 2 State of Art Cinemas, Restaurants and get brochures from the visitors’ information center. See the architecture of these unique buildings. Hire a bike and go around the city on bike trails, along the Yarra and enjoy the scenic views of the river & the city, or you can simply go on a boat cruise on the Yarra River from the Yarra Wharf along Princess Walk off Swanston Street. This is also the biggest outdoor free Wi-Fi hotspot of Melbourne and a giant outdoor TV screen.
Queen Victoria Market
Queen Victoria Market is one of the biggest open-air markets in Melbourne. It is also known as Queen Victoria Market Melbourne, or simply Vic Markets under Melbourne Markets. This Melbourne Market is located on the corner of Victoria & Elizabeth streets in Melbourne. The market is a major & famous tourist attraction. The QV Market offers everything from the fresh farm produce like fruits, vegetables, seafood meat & poultry products to a wide range of uniquely Australian Souvenir Gift Shops, imported electronic gadgets, toys, t-shirts, clothes, computer stuff, etc. At the Market, you can try your skills at haggling and possibly get things at a reasonable price.
Crown Casino
The Casino is on the southern banks of the Yarra River & offers a blend of elegant fashion & boutique shops, luxurious riverside cafes and restaurants, be spellbound by the gaming areas, scintillating nightlife and accommodations to suit every budget. During the day see the jumping fountain where kids often muck around and get their clothes wet for a bit of fun and laughter because the water jumps up from the ground unexpectedly.
Southgate
Where is Southgate? It is situated on the eastern side of the Crown casino is one of Melbourne’s main entertainment area and is home to a multi-leveled Shopping Complex. This is a trendy area where you will find a lot of outdoor cafes & restaurants and also sidewalk entertainment and shopping.
The Arts Centre
Situated on the beautifully tree-lined leafy St Kilda Road is this Melbourne Landmark with a spire about 162 m high that becomes electric at dusk with lights changing to many colors. This is home to Opera Australia, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Theatre Company & the Australian Ballet. Paid guided tours of the building & permanent art collection can be organized at the center. An interesting place to see here is the Performing Art Museum. On Sundays, there’s usually an arts & crafts market outside the center.
National Gallery of Victoria
The main Gallery is located at 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne although it has a small branch in the Federation Square as well. This is an art gallery & museum and is the largest public art gallery in Australia. One of the features of the gallery is a colorful stained glass ceiling which is considered to be the world’s largest suspended stained glass.
Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum is located on Nicholson Street, next to the Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens. There a giant skeletons of a whale with exhibits on Science Life, Bugs Alive, Forest Gallery, and also Bunjilaka – the Aboriginal Cultural Centre. The museum has a souvenir shop & a café. Over there another interesting place to go to is the IMAX theatre (located on the lower ground level) which shows documentaries in 3D, if you’ve never seen a movie in 3D this will be an unforgettable experience for kids, teenagers & adults…….you will be amazed !!! Might make your head spin a bit but it’s all for fun.
- Scienceworks Museum.
- Immigration Museum.
- Melbourne Aquarium.
- Melbourne Zoo.
- Eureka Skydeck 88.
- Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- Docklands.
- Shrine of Remembrance.
- Captain Cook’s Cottage.
- St. Paul’s Cathedral.
- State Library of Victoria.
- Melbourne & Olympic Parks.
- Phillip Island.
- Sovereign Hill.
- Dandenong Ranges.
- Great Ocean Road.
- Yarra Valley.
- China Town.