Melbourne is the second-largest city in Australia and the capital of the south-eastern state of Victoria, located at the head of Port Phillip Bay.
Melbourne is generally regarded as Australia’s cultural capital. The city’s features include Victorian-era architecture, extensive shopping, many cultural institutions such as museums, galleries and theaters, and large parks and gardens.
Melbourne's 3.8 million population is both multicultural (with large Greek, Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese and other immigrant communities) and sports-mad.
Reasons for tourists to visit Melbourne are to attend major sporting events, to use it as a base for exploring surrounding regions such as Grampians National Park, The Great Ocean Road, and to visit Phillip Island to view the penguin parade. Many UK visitors come to Melbourne for tours of filming locations of soap opera Neighbours
Districts
Australia's second largest city, Melbourne is a vast sprawl of suburbs, spreading southwards along the shoreline of Port Phillip Bay, east towards the Dandenong Ranges, westwards towards the city of Geelong and northwards towards the plains of central Victoria.
Like any large city, Melbourne is divided up into many suburbs - not all will be of interest to travellers.
Inner city
City Centre— Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD) and historical core north of the Yarra River, including the Southbank district immediately south of the Yarra and the new Docklands precinct to the west.
Albert Park— Home of Melbourne's F1 Grand Prix circuit
Brunswick— Inner northern suburb. The "new" Fitzroy.
Carlton— Traditional home of Melbourne's Italian community and the University of Melbourne.
Collingwood— Working class suburb with funky shopping on Smith Street.
Fitzroy— The Bohemian quarter filled with interesting restaurants and trendy boutiques.
Prahran— Favourite shopping district with Chapel Street as its main attraction.
Richmond— North Richmond is Melbourne's Little Vietnam while the southern part of the district, Bridge Road, is famous for low price fashion outlets.
South Melbourne— Home of the shopping strip known as Clarendon Street, South Melbourne also has the popular South Melbourne Market, which first opened in 1867 and features food, clothing, footwear and much more.
South Yarra— South of the river, with high-end shopping and dining, it covers South Yarra and Toorak.
St Kilda— Suburb on Port Philip Bay with its famous Sunday art market, and home to many backpacker hostels and cafes.
Williamstown— Old, maritime-styled suburb with many cafes situated along the foreshore.
Yarraville— Quiet, inner-western suburb with well-preserved Victorian architecture and a funky, artsy vibe.
Outer suburbs
Eastern suburbs— Stretching from almost inner suburbs of Kew, Hawthorn and Camberwell to the outer areas like Belgrave, Lilydale, Ringwood, Glen Waverley and the Dandenong Ranges.
Northern suburbs— Covering suburbs like Tullamarine, Broadmeadows, Epping, Bundoora and Eltham.
Southern suburbs— Spread along the coast of Port Philip Bay and covers areas like Brighton, Elwood, Sandringham and Frankston. Its main attraction is the beach along the bay.
Western suburbs— Includes areas like St Albans, Keilor, Altona, Laverton and Werribee, Williamstown.
See
Melbourne attractions are here listed according to their respective districts. See the respective district pages for full details.
City Centre
The City Centre probably has the most to attract the traveller, including cafes, boutiques, department stores, and Victorian architecture, which can all be sampled on foot.
Docklands— An entire new precinct filled with shops, bars, restaurants and a stadium with a waterside setting.
Eureka Tower— Tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere, panoramic views of the whole of Melbourne.
Parliament House of Victoria— The first seat of the Australian federal government, free tours are available on week days.
Queen Victoria Market— Huge and colorful, with an assortment of fresh and dry produce and tonnes of souvenirs and other interesting things.
State Library— Worthwhile if you're into books, city architecture and free internet.
AFL World— A great introduction to Australian Football.
Southgate— Pretty promenade on the south bank of the Yarra, with lively restaurants, bars and a Sunday art & craft market.
Federation Square— Modernistic and popular meeting space to see Melbournians enjoy life whilst sitting down at cafes and bars.
