Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia with a population of just over three million people, is set around the shores of Port Phillip Bay and also sits on the banks of the Yarra River.
Melbourne is home to the Australian Formula One Grand Prix and Australian Open tennis, while the Rugby World Cup coincides with the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s most famous horse race, and the Melbourne Arts Festival and 2003 Motorcycle Grand Prix.
The charming city is also home to the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Queen Victoria Market, which is the largest fruit and vegetable market in the Southern hemisphere.
Other popular attractions are the Melbourne Gaol, where Ned Kelly was hanged in 1880, and Melbourne Zoo, the oldest in Australia.
The state capital of Victoria, Melbourne has a strong European influence in its culture, although the influx of immigrants from around the world means that the city is said to offer the widest choice of cuisines in all of Australia.
New Quay is one fashionable area, while the Richmond, Carlton and Fitzroy suburbs are renowned for their Vietnamese, Italian and Spanish dishes. Many of Melbourne’s restaurants are now ‘bring your own’ drink, although you may have to pay corkage.
Melbourne city centre and the surrounding suburbs provide accommodation to suit all budgets from the Ritz Backpackers and Hotel Y to the Adelphi Hotel. Other options are the Victoria Hotel, Hotel Bakpak or Central Accommodation.