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Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of approximately 3.8 million (2006 estimate) in the Melbourne metropolitan area and 69,670 in the City of Melbourne (which covers only the central city area). Melbourne is the southernmost city in the world with a population over one million people. The city's name is pronounced as either /ˈmel.bən/ or /ˈmæl.bən/. Melbourne was the capital city of Australia from 1901 until 1927.
Melbourne is home to Australia's three largest corporations, Telstra, BHP Billiton and the National Australia Bank. It is also home to the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the majority of companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
Melbourne is also home to Australia's biggest sports events including: the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival (including the 'race that stops the nation', the Melbourne Cup), the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the Australian Open and the AFL Grand Final. Melbourne is currently hosting the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The city also hosted the first Olympic Games in the southern hemisphere in 1956.
Melbourne has twice shared top position in a survey by The Economist of The World's Most Livable Cities on the basis of its cultural attributes, climate, cost of living, and social conditions such as crime rates and health care, once in 2002 [1], and again in 2004. The US's Utne Reader puts it thus: "Add a long tradition of civic pride, communities of new immigrants from around the world, and the best food in Australia, and you have a recipe for what many claim is the hippest city in the Southern Hemisphere" (Nov/Dec 2001).
Melbourne has undergone a major urban 'revival', such that it is sometimes classed as being in a second tier of "world cities"; the GaWC study group in the UK ranks Melbourne, on the basis of relative availability of specialised "advanced services," as a minor (or Gamma) "world city" comparable with cities such as Montreal, Osaka, and Prague. It has one of the highest numbers of international students studying in its universities, after London, New York City, and Paris.
A resident of Melbourne is referred to as a Melburnian.
History
- Main article: History of Melbourne
- Main article: Timeline of Melbourne history
Melbourne Landing,1840; watercolour by W. Liardet (1840)
The city was named after the British Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, whose home was near the village of Melbourne in Derbyshire. Melbourne in Derbyshire derives its name from the Old English for Mill Stream (Mylla Burne).
The European settlement at Melbourne was founded in 1835 by settlers coming from Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land), where they had difficulty finding available land.
The area was already inhabited by the Kulin people, then indigenous to the area (although many people argue that they are still the true owners of the area, though this is not recognised by law). A transaction was negotiated for 600,000 acres of land from eight of their representatives; this was later annulled by the New South Wales government (then governing all of eastern mainland Australia), who compensated the settlers in exchange. Ultimately, settlement continued regardless [2].
It was the capital first of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales and then of the separate colony of Victoria. With the discovery of gold in Victoria in the 1850s, leading to the Victorian gold rush, Melbourne quickly grew as a port and service centre. Later it became Australia's leading manufacturing centre. During the 1880s, Melbourne was the second largest city in the British Empire, and came to be known as "Marvellous Melbourne". Victorian architecture abounds in Melbourne and today the city is home to the largest number of surviving Victorian era buildings of any city in the world other than London.
Melbourne became Australia's national capital at Federation on 1 January 1901. The first Federal parliament was opened on 9 May of that year in the Royal Exhibition Building. The seat of government and the national capital remained in Melbourne until 1927 when it moved to the new capital city of Canberra. Melbourne continued to expand steadily throughout the first half of the 20th century. It became the Allied Pacific Headquarters for a time from 1942 to 1944 as General Douglas MacArthur established Australia as a launch base for Pacific operations. During World War II Melbourne industries flourished and expanded with war time production. This set Melbourne on a course for significant post war expansion. Particularly with the post-World War II influx of immigrants and the prestige of hosting the Olympic Games in 1956. Even after the national capital moved to Canberra, Melbourne remained Australia's business and finance capital until the 1970s, when it began to lose this primacy to Sydney. Melbourne also developed as a centre of the arts.
After a boom in the 1980s Melbourne experienced a largely property market and manufacturing driven slump from 1989 to 1992, with a loss of employment and a drain of population to New South Wales and Queensland. In the 1990s, the Victorian state government of Premier Jeff Kennett (Liberal) sought to reverse this trend with the aggressive development of new public buildings, such as the Melbourne Museum, Federation Square, the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre (nicknamed "Jeff's Shed"), Crown Casino, capital works (most notably the City Link tollway), the selling of state assets (the State Electricity Commission and redundant state schools), the pruning back of state services and the publicising of Melbourne's merits both to outsiders and Melburnians. This has continued under the government of current Premier Steve Bracks (Labor). Since 1997, Melbourne has maintained significant population and employment growth. Furthermore, there has been substantial international investment in the city's industries and property market. 2006 figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that since 2000 Melbourne has sustained the highest population and economic growth rate of any Australian city.
Geography
Melbourne is located in the south-eastern corner of mainland Australia, and is the southernmost mainland capital city. Geologically it is built on the confluence of Quaternary lava flows to the west, Silurian mudstones to the east and Holocene sand accumulation to the southeast along Port Phillip, its suburbs sprawling to the east, following the Yarra River out to the Yarra and Dandenong Ranges, south-east to the mouth of the bay, and following the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries west and north to flat farming country. The central business district (the original city) is laid out in the famous mile-by-half-a-mile Hoddle Grid, its southern edge fronting on to the Yarra.
Parks and gardens
- Main article: Melbourne parks and gardens
Melbourne is often referred to as Australia's garden city, and the state of Victoria is officially known as 'the garden state'. There is an abundance of parks and gardens close to the CBD with a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways, and majestic tree lined avenues that help make Melbourne one of the world's most livable cities. There are also many parks in the surrounding suburbs of Melbourne, such as in the cities of Stonnington and Booroondara, south east of the CBD.
Climate
Melbourne has a temperate climate under the Köppen climate classification system.
Climate Table
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) |
25.8 |
25.8 |
23.8 |
20.2 |
16.6 |
14.0 |
13.4 |
14.9 |
17.2 |
19.6 |
21.8 |
24.1 |
19.8 |
| Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) |
14.2 |
14.5 |
13.1 |
10.7 |
8.6 |
6.9 |
5.9 |
6.6 |
7.9 |
9.4 |
11.1 |
12.8 |
10.1 |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) |
48.2 |
47.0 |
50.6 |
58.2 |
56.6 |
49.8 |
47.9 |
50.3 |
58.7 |
67.4 |
59.3 |
59.1 |
653.2 |
| Mean number of rain days |
8.3 |
7.4 |
9.3 |
11.5 |
14.0 |
14.2 |
15.1 |
15.6 |
14.8 |
14.3 |
11.8 |
10.5 |
146.7 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology |
Governance
The Melbourne City Council governs only the City of Melbourne, which takes in the CBD and a few adjoining inner suburbs. However the head of the Melbourne City Council, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, is frequently treated as a representative of greater Melbourne (the entire metropolitan area), particularly when interstate or overseas. The current Lord Mayor is John So.
The rest of the metropolitan area is divided into 30 municipalities, all of which are styled as cities except for five on the city's outer fringes which are styled as shires (see a list of these at Local Government Areas of Victoria). These municipalities all have elected councils and are responsible for a range of functions delegated to them by the Victorian state government. These include planning, rubbish collection, beaches, parks and gardens, child-care and preschool facilities, local festivals and cultural activities, services to the elderly, supervision of public health, sanitation and similar matters. Councils levy rates from their residents to pay for these services. The councils are collectively represented by the Local Government Association of Victoria.
Melbourne's overwhelming dominance of the state of Victoria's population and economy means the Victorian state government is also effectively the city government of greater Melbourne. Most city-wide government activities are controlled by the state government. These include public transport, main roads, traffic control, policing, education above preschool level, and planning of major infrastructure projects. Because three quarters of Victoria's population lives in Melbourne, state governments have traditionally been reluctant to allow the development of city-wide governmental bodies, which would tend to create a rival to the state government. For this reason the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, which had become a powerful semi-autonomous authority, was abolished in 1992.
Economy
The central business district of Melbourne, viewed from the Observation Deck at Rialto Tower
Melbourne is a large commercial and industrial centre. Many of Australia's largest companies have their headquarters there, and many multinational corporations (approximately one-third of the 100 largest multinationals operating in Australia as of 2002), have their main Australian office there. The peak body representing workers in Australia, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, is also headquartered in Melbourne. Melbourne is home to Australia's largest seaport and much of Australia's automotive industry (including the engine manufacturing facility of Holden and the Ford and Toyota manufacturing facilities), in addition to many other manufacturing industries.
Most current major infrastructure projects are generally centred on the upcoming 2006 Commonwealth Games, which are to be held in the city. Such projects include the $AUD700 million Southern Cross Station redevelopment, including a $350 million world-class transport interchange facility with $350 million also set aside for office accommodation, residential towers and hotel and also a retail plaza. The project is set for completion in early 2006, before the start of the Games. At the centrepiece of the Commonwealth Games projects is the redevelopment project for the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the stadium set for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games. At a cost of $434 million the project involves reconstructing the old Olympic and Ponsford stands. In 2006, Melbourne will play host to the summit of G20 finance ministers.
In February 2006 a $1 billion (AUD) project was announced to build a 5000 seat international convention centre, Hilton Hotel and commercial precinct adjacent to the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre with construction to commence in May 2006 and complete in February 2009. This will provide a final linkage of development along the Yarra River, linking the Crown Casino to the multi-billion dollar Docklands redevelopment.
A view of the Yarra River at twilight, with Melbourne's central business district (left) and Southbank (right) pictured.
Demographics
Today Melbourne is one of the world's most diverse and multicultural cities. Almost a quarter of Victoria's population was born overseas and come from 233 countries, speak over 180 languages and dialects and follow 116 religious faiths. As the capital city, Melbourne has over time become a large urban centre and the home to around 80% of the state's population.
Population History
A panorama of the Melbourne skyline.
A view of Melbourne Docklands from the Observation Deck at Rialto Tower.
Melbourne's population exploded during the 1850s' gold rush. From 20,000 inhabitants in 1851, an additional 15,000 arrived almost overnight with the discovery of gold in August 1852 [3]. In the following decades of the 1870s and 1880s, Melbourne was Australia's most populous city and led to a spectacular property boom, and exuberance still in evidence in the much loved late Victorian architecture. During the 1890s a world economic depression hit Melbourne's overleveraged economy with particular savagery. Much of Melbourne's population loss during the 1890s was the result of the unemployed moving west seeking gold, or, employment in the burgeoning industries stimulated by gold. As a consequence property prices took decades to recover.
The need for a population increase and a labour force saw many British, Yugoslav, Dutch, German, Arab and Maltese migrants arrive in 1945 after the devastation of their homelands in World War II. Large numbers from Italy and Greece arrived in the 1950s and 1960s, to become the largest groups after those from Britain and Ireland. Melbourne has one of the world's largest population of people with Greek ancestry outside of Greece and Cyprus. The 2001 Census recorded 161.000 Greeks in Melbourne of which 57.000 were born in Greece. Refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam made Melbourne their home in the 1970s and 1980s and were joined by people from India, the Philippines and Malaysia. Melbourne also boasts the largest Jewish community in Oceania (See Judaism in Australia). The newest wave of immigrants comes from North Africa, particularly Sudan.
Although Brisbane and Perth are growing faster in percentage terms, and Victoria's net interstate migration has fluctuated, the Melbourne statistical division has grown by approximately 50,000 people a year since 2003, more than any other Australian city. Attraction of a large proportion of overseas immigrants and interstate migration from Sydney due to more affordable housing are two recent key factors. In recent years, Melton, Wyndham and Casey, part of the Melbourne statistical division, have recorded the highest growth rate of all local government areas in Australia.
Melbourne Population by Year:
- 1836: 177
- 1851: 20,000
- 1854: 300,800 (gold rush)
- 1860: 500,000
- 1895: 900,000
|
- 1956: 1,500,000
- 1981: 2,806,000
- 1991: 3,156,700
- 2001: 3,366,542
- 2004: 3,592,975
|
- 2006: 3,720,300 (preliminary estimate 2006 census)
- 2030: 4,500,000 (projected)
|
|
Melbourne is a sprawling metropolis. Melbourne's population density declined following World War II, with the private motor car and the lure of house and land extending the suburbs, mainly to the east. After much discussion (both at general public and planning levels) in the 1980s the decline has actually been reversed since the early 1990s (when hit by a property market collapse that was facilitated by a recession), and the city has seen increased density in the inner and western suburbs. Since the late 1990's there has been a substantial rise in high rise apartment construction within 2 km radius of the central business district. The Victorian government's Melbourne 2030 policy has introduced an artificial urban growth boundary to further curtail the urban sprawl.
|
Overall urban density (people/ha) by year:
- 1951 23.4 Melb. Metro. Planning Scheme 1954, p. 23
- 1961 21.4 Australian Bureau of Statistics
- 1971 18.1 A.B.S.
- 1976 16.75 Melbourne Social Atlas, 1976 (A.B.S.)
- 1981 15.9 Social Atlas, 1981
- 1986 16.05 Soc. Atlas/"Supermap" Census Data, 1986
- 1991 16.8 Social Atlas/Supermap, 1991
- 1996 17.9 Department of Infrastructure, 1998
|
Education
- Further information: List of schools in Victoria
Melbourne's two most notable tertiary institutions are the University of Melbourne and Monash University. They are both members of the Group of Eight, a lobby group including the most prestigious universities in Australia. Both are also highly ranked among the best universities in the world by The Times Higher Education Supplement which also included two other Melbourne-based institutions in its top 100, La Trobe University and RMIT University. Several other universities are also located in Melbourne, including Deakin University, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria University of Technology and the St Patrick's campus of the Australian Catholic University.
Melbourne has numerous government high schools. The most prominent Public High Schools are:
The most prestigious independent schools and other secondary schools are:
A majority of the oldest schools in Melbourne belong to the Associated Public Schools of Victoria and Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria associations.
Culture
Sport
Cricket at the
MCG. The old Members Stand, in the centre background, has now been demolished.
In a country that is often labelled as 'sports-mad', Melbourne has a reputation amongst Australians as being 'sports-mad' and holds the undeniable title of the sporting capital of Australia [4].
Melbourne is where Australian rules football originated, and it still the most popular sport in Victoria. The city is home to nine of the sixteen teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), whose five Melbourne games per week attract an average 35,000 people per game. The AFL Grand Final, one of the biggest sporting events in Australia, is played on the last weekend in September at the world famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), a massive arena that has held up to 120,000 spectators. The city also is home to nine out of thirteen teams in the professional state-wide Victorian Football League which also includes a team representing the state of Tasmania.
Major Sports Venues
Melbourne is home to over 29 stadiums with a capacity of over 10,000 people. Some venues, such as the Albert Park Formula 1 track and Calder Raceway have large capacities but only temporary structures, whilst there are many large suburban horse racing tracks and Australian rules ovals. While many large suburban Australian rules venues, such as Waverley Park have been retired as blockbuster games have been moved to the bigger venues, some AFL clubs continue to use them as training and administration bases or used as multi-purpose venues.
The city also has large State Cycling, Hockey, Baseball/Softball and Netball centres and an Ice centre (Australian Olympic Winter Institute) is being constructed in Melbourne Docklands. A new AUD$100 million, 20,000-seat multi-purpose rectangular stadium is currently under construction in Melbourne Park.
The biggest and most important of Melbourne's stadiums are shown in the table below:
| Venue |
Capacity |
Main Sports |
| Flemington Racecourse |
130,000 |
Horse racing |
| Melbourne Cricket Ground |
100,000 |
Cricket, Australian rules football
|
| Telstra Dome |
56,347 |
Australian rules football, Rugby union, Cricket |
| Caulfield Racecourse |
50,000 |
Horse racing |
| Princes Park |
35,000 |
Australian rules football |
| Victoria Park |
27,000 |
Australian rules football |
| Moorabbin Oval |
27,000 |
Australian rules football |
| Western Oval |
25,000 |
Australian rules football |
| Olympic Park |
18,500 |
football (soccer), Rugby league |
| Rod Laver Arena |
14,820 |
Tennis |
| Vodafone Arena |
10,500 |
Tennis, Cycling, Gymnastics, and Basketball |
| Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre |
4,000 (9,000 for the Commonwealth Games) |
Swimming |
Current professional franchises in national competitions
International Sporting Events
The city has hosted several major international sporting events. Annually, Melbourne hosts the Australian Open tennis tournament, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments; the famous Melbourne Cup horse race; the 'Boxing Day' cricket test match held each year from 26–30 December at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; and the Australian Formula One Grand Prix. The Wallabies, Australia's national rugby union team, usually also play at least one Test annually at Melbourne's Telstra Dome. Since 1999, the city has been the bi-annual host of the International Rules series involving Gaelic football players from the Gaelic Athletic Association of Ireland.
Since the 1956 Olympic Games were held in Melbourne, the city has hosted numerous sporting events which rotate host cities. Melbourne co-hosted the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup, including many pool matches as well as a quarter final – all of which were played at the Telstra Dome; hosted the 2002 World Masters Games; broke new ground as the first city outside the United States to host the World Police and Fire Games in 1995, and the President's Cup golf tournament in 1999; and was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the World Cup Polo Championship in 2001. The city has hosted FIFA World Cup qualifiers in both 1997 and 2001.
Current and Future Events
The 2006 Commonwealth Games are currently being held in Melbourne, the first time the city has hosted this event. Seventy-one Commonwealth nations are competing in the Games. In 2007, Melbourne will be the host of the FINA World Aquatics Championships. Melbourne will host the Australia vs Greece football (soccer) match in May 2006 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground which will be followed by two significant World Cup qualifiers in 2008 and 2009.
In December 2006, the 100th Cricket test to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will form part of The Ashes series. It is anticipated that as many as 40,000 Britons will visit Australia for this much anticipated event.
Media
- Main article: Melbourne media
Melbourne has two major daily newspapers, The Age and The Herald Sun, as well as the free afternoon tabloid mX. There are three commercial television channels: the Seven, Nine and Ten networks — and three public channels: ABC, SBS, and a community television channel, Channel 31 Melbourne.
Melbourne has a wide range of radio stations and is the base for the Australia-wide Austereo network. 3AW is consistently the city's highest-rating commercial radio station. Melbourne also boasts a number of community radio stations, of which the best known are 3RRR and 3PBS.
The arts
The National Gallery of Victoria
Melbourne has a large and vibrant arts and cultural life.
Annuals arts celebrations include the Melbourne Arts Festival, the Melbourne Fringe Festival, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Melbourne Fashion Festival, the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, The Gay and Lesbian Midsumma Festival and Moomba.
Melbourne is the home of the Australian Ballet and the second home of Opera Australia. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is highly regarded both at home and internationally.
Melbourne was strongly associated with the establishment of Australia's visual arts. The Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century centred in Melbourne. It was largely the work of Melbourne-based artists, and was arguably the first distinctly Australian art movement (in the Western canon, at least). Many of its most significant works hang in the National Gallery of Victoria, which has one of Australia's top collections of visual art, particularly early Australian western-tradition art.
Several professional theatre companies operate in Melbourne, of which the Melbourne Theatre Company has the most institutional support of any in Australia, and there is a wide range of smaller companies, including Malthouse and Red Stitch Actors Theatre.
Melbourne's lively rock and pop music scene has fostered many internationally renowned artists and musicians. The 1960's gave rise to many performers including Olivia Newton John, John Farnham, Graeme Bell, and 1960's folk group The Seekers. The 1970's gave rise to many acts getting their first big breaks on Melbourne's Countdown (music show) including AC/DC, and Nick Cave; whilst INXS and Crowded House are among many who emerged during the 1980's. In recent years, Jet, Taxiride (band), as well as female singers such as Kylie Minogue, Danni Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia, Vanessa Amorosi, and Kate Ceberano have enjoyed great international success.
Melbourne is home to a large Australian hip hop scene, generally known as "Melburn" or "The Burn" throughout the unique sub-culture. Obese Records, a leading Australian Hip Hop recording label, was founded in 1995 in Melbourne and is located in Prahran, just off the famous Chapel Street. Melbourne is home to a gritty style of home grown Hip Hop and is home to artists such as Lyrical Commission, Muphin, Reason and Pegz. Live shows constantly occur in the city with open-mic contests and performances by up-and-coming artists held throughout the week at different locations.
The dance music scene in Melbourne is large and lively. There are dance parties happening almost every night of the year, frequently attracting some of the world's best DJs to the city. The Melbourne Shuffle, a style of dance, had its birth here, and has been evolving ever since.
Melbourne in culture
Melbourne as seen from south-east side along the Yarra River.
Melbourne has been the setting for many novels, television dramas, and films. Fergus Hume's international best-seller Mystery of a Hansom Cab, which outsold the Sherlock Holmes stories at the time, was set in Melbourne of the Gold Rush era. Frank Hardy's Power Without Glory tells the story of Melbourne businessman John West (based on the real-life John Wren) and is set in a thinly-disguised Collingwood, a Melbourne working-class suburb. Perhaps the best-known novel internationally is Nevil Shute's novel On the Beach. In 1959, it was made into a film directed by Stanley Kramer, and starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Anthony Perkins. The film depicted the denizens of Melbourne quietly slipping off into eternity as the last victims of a global nuclear holocaust. Filmed on location in and around Melbourne (a great novelty for Melbourne at the time), it is perhaps best remembered for a comment attributed to Ava Gardner (who denied it), describing Melbourne as 'the perfect place to make a film about the end of the world', commenting on the dreary conservatism of Melbourne in the late 1950s. The purported quote was invented by journalist Neil Jillett. Similar filming was undertaken when a 2000 television movie remake was produced.
In recent years, many more films have been made in Melbourne. Some of the more famous include Mad Max, Chopper, Romper Stomper, featuring a young Russell Crowe as a terrifying Melburnian skinhead; Jackie Chan's Mr. Nice Guy and The Castle. Melbourne has also produced many talented film and television actors including Cate Blanchett, Guy Pearce, Geoffrey Rush and Eric Bana.
Perhaps better known to a contemporary audience is the smash-hit soap opera Neighbours, set in the fictional eastern suburb of Erinsborough, which presents a 'whitebread' microcosm of suburban Australian life. Other contemporary television shows set in Melbourne include Stingers (a police drama), The Secret Life Of Us, Kath and Kim, Prisoner also known as Cell Block H, Halifax FP,and MDA.
Singer Paul Kelly has written several well-known songs about aspects of the city close to the heart of many Melburnians, notably "Leaps And Bounds" and "From St Kilda To King's Cross", while Skyhooks also wrote some more tongue in cheek songs about Melbourne. "Balwyn Calling", "Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo)" and "Toorak Cowboy" are examples. Melbourne has produced many popular international vocalists and singers including 1900's soprano Dame Nellie Melba, who took her name from her native city.
Melbourne-born satirist Barry Humphries created his main character Dame Edna Everage as a comedic version of a suburban homemaker. Through her he has performed cutting odes to Melbourne mores and the middle class suburbs of Moonee Ponds and Highett, among others.
Carols by Candlelight, first held in 1938, is a Christmas Eve tradition held annually at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Transport
- Main article: Transport in Melbourne
Melbourne is served with an extensive public transport network. Like many major cities in the world, Melbourne has an integrated public transport system, however some of its outlying suburbs still face transport difficulties. It has one of the world's most extensive tram networks, one of the only tram systems in Australia. Visitors are served by a free City Circle Tram, taking in many tourist sights. There are almost 300 bus routes and a train system with more than 15 lines. Since privatisation of the rail network, commuters often complain of cancellations and delays. Whilst excuses for poor performance may not be as outrageous as British Rail's infamous "leaves on the track", delays have been attributed to everything from burst water pipes (2005 incident stranding 30,000 commuters when 20-year old Metrol control centre was flooded, with no backup facility), to a lack of trained drivers. Flinders Street Station is a prominent Melbourne landmark and meeting place. From the 1920s to the 1940s it was the world's busiest passenger station. The city has rail connections with several regional cities in the state, as well as interstate rail services to Sydney and Adelaide. Adelaide services depart from Melbourne's other major rail terminus, Southern Cross Station.
The State Government's high investment in road infrastructure and the rapid growth of new suburbs lacking adequate public transport infrastructure has resulted in an increasing dependency on private cars for transport. Major highways feeding into the city include the Eastern Freeway, South Eastern Freeway and Westgate Freeway (which spans the spectacular Westgate Bridge).
The Port of Melbourne is Australia's largest container and general cargo port. Melbourne Airport is the nation's second busiest. Station Pier in Port Phillip Bay handles cruise ships and the Spirit of Tasmania ferries which cross Bass Strait to Tasmania.
Melbourne has four significant airports. Melbourne International Airport located at Tullamarine is the city's main international and domestic (VirginBlue and Qantas) gateway. Avalon Airport, located between Melbourne and Geelong, is the main hub of Jetstar, a low cost airline owned by QANTAS, and is also used as a freight and maintenance facility. Moorabbin Airport is a significant general aviation airport in the city's south east. Essendon Airport, which was once the city's main airport before the construction of Tullamarine, handles general aviation and some cargo flights, and is the base of the Victoria Police air wing and air ambulance.
Landmarks and tourist information
- Main article: Melbourne tourism
Melbourne attracts large numbers of tourists. The city's tourism information centre is located at Federation Square. The Fitzroy Gardens in East Melbourne has many attractions including Captain Cook's Cottage. Along St Kilda Road there are many cultural attractions, including the National Gallery of Victoria, the Shrine of Remembrance, King's Domain and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, the Arts Centre, and Victoria Barracks. Southbank on the southern bank of the Yarra River attracts locals and tourists alike for its mix of dining, shopping and recreational facilities. The Crown Casino entertainment complex can also be found in the Southbank precinct. North of the Central Business District is home the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, the University precinct, Royal Melbourne Zoo, and Melbourne General Cemetary.
There are many tall buildings in Melbourne that include Eureka Tower (300m above street level) and the Rialto Towers (251m above street level). Both buildings feature observation decks and facilities for hosting tourists.
Melbourne hosts a large number of spectator sports. Melbourne's best-known sporting events are the Australian F1 Grand Prix, numerous international Cricket matches, the Australian Football League Grand Final and the Spring Racing Carnival which culminates with the running of the Melbourne Cup horse race at Flemington. Melbourne will host the Commonwealth Games in 2006.
Melbourne's restaurants are numerous, and are generally of high quality and good value. Some of the best restaurants can be found in St Kilda along Fitzroy Street, South Yarra along Chapel Street, Fitzroy along Brunswick Street, Carlton along Lygon St, South Melbourne along Clarendon St, Richmond along Bridge Rd and Victoria St and Collingwood along Smith Street, as well as in the CBD and Southbank precincts. As one would expect from a city its size, Melbourne has a wide variety of pubs, bars and nightclubs, which can be found all over the metropolitan area.
There is a variety of interesting things to see outside Melbourne proper but still within a day trip of Melbourne. Some of the most popular include: Philip Island (for Little Penguins, time-trial bike racing and rock festivals), the Great Ocean Road (famous for the Twelve Apostles rock formations and whale-watching at Warrnambool), Sovereign Hill (an open air museum recreating life during the Victorian goldrush) and Hanging Rock (an atmospheric volcanic formation, made famous by the book and film, Picnic at Hanging Rock). Melbourne is also surrounded by wine-producing regions, including the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Bellarine Peninsula, and the Macedon area.
Sister cities
Melbourne has a number of sister cities. They are:
Osaka, Japan – 1978
Tianjin, China (PRC) – 1980
Los Angeles, United States - 1982
Thessaloniki, Greece – 1984- Boston, United States – 1985
- Chicago, Illinois, USA - 1988
Saint Petersburg, Russia – 1989
Vancouver, Canada - 1996
Milan, Italy – 2004
Galle, Sri Lanka – 2005 (after the 2004 tsunami disaster Melbourne adopted Galle in order to fund the reconstruction of its cricket ground)
Notes
- ^ Economist Intelligence Unit (2002). Melbourne and Vancouver are the world’s best cities to live in . Retrieved December 14, 2005.
- ^ Coban, Suzie: “The immigration rush”, Special Broadcasting Service, (Unknown date).
See also
External links
Coordinates: 37°48′50″S, 144°57′47″E
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne under GFDL
