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Melbourne
About Melbourne
Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria, situated on the southern eastern coast of Australia on Port Phillip Bay, near the mouth of the Yarra River. It is one of Australia’s leading waterfront cities with an impressive skyline and some of the tallest buildings in Australia. Melbourne is often referred to as Australia's garden city with an abundance of parks, gardens and tree lined avenues. It also features an outstanding legacy of Victorian-era architecture, reminding of its early gold rush days.
Local highlights
Explore the city
- Queen Victoria Market-a good start
- Walk the Golden Mile Heritage Trail and see the majestic architecture of the early gold rush days of Melbourne
- Enjoy a cruise along the Yarra River
- If you prefer a birds eye view, try the Melbourne Observation Deck (237 m) on the 55th floor of the Rialto Towers
- Ceres park with the Aboriginal area, the African & Indonesian villages and festivals
- See the Botanical Gardens
- The Docklands waterfront with its fine restaurants
- The Royal Park with the Melbourne Zoo in Carlton
- St Kilda Pier
- The Organ Pipes National Park with its “organ pipes” basalt columns and the Rosette Rock. Great walking trails.
- Woodlands Historic Park with Australian wildlife
Explore its museums and historical sights, such as
- The Parliament House of Victoria
- Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens
- Melbourne Museum
- Jewish Museum of Australia
- The National Gallery of Victoria
Highlights in the vicinity
- Visit the You Yangs Regional Park (55 km from the city)-with kangaroos, koalas, sugar gliders, possums and more than 200 species of birds. The park has good tracks and excellent views from Flinders Peak. Don’t forget to see the Aboriginal rock wells.
- Port Phillip Bay has many bays, beaches including Beaumaris Bay, Corio Bay, St Kilda Beach and Brighton Beach. The Mud Islands are known as an important breeding habitat for Gulls, Australian Pelican and Australian Fur Seal. The Saltmarsh in the northwestern part is a significant wetland.
Good to know
- No. of inhabitants: 3.8 Million
- Timezone: UTC +10
- Weather: temperate climate with daily changeable weather conditions ('four seasons in a day' so don’t forget your umbrella).
- Melbourne is a multicultural city with large Greek, Italian, Jewish and Vietnamese communities
- The emergency police tel. nr.: 000 (112 on cell phone)
Local transport
- Taxis
- Tram-City Circle trams around the central business district are free
- Buses
- Train
- Rental bike-Melbourne has an excellent network of bike paths like the Yarra River Trail and the Capital City Trail. The Bay Trail takes you to the bustling beachside precinct of St Kilda
Inbound transport
- Nearest airport: Melbourne is serviced by two airports
- Melbourne International Airport, located 22 km north-west of the city centre at Tullamarine with Skybus shuttle services to the Central Business District
- Avalon Airport (domestic only) 55 km south-west of Melbourne also with shuttle service to Melbourne
- Train: Service to Sydney (10½ hours), Adelaide (10-11 hours)
- Express bus services by Firefly Express and Greyhound
- Ferry to Tasmania
- Car:
- Hume Highway a 9-10 hours drive to Sydney. Alternative route is the coastal Princes Highway which a few hours longer.
- Adelaide-take the 9 hours trip along the very scenic coast line
- Brisbane-for those in a hurry try the Newell Highway that will take you there in around 24 hours (non-stop). If not follow the more common Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne coastal route!
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