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Melbourne Tourist Information and Melbourne Tourism
(Melbourne, Victoria - VIC, Australia AU)



Centred around the Yarra River, Melbourne's oldest and probably most important landmark, Melbourne has recently been rediscovered and reinvented, making Melbourne one of the most trendy cities in Australia.

Melbourne, in Australia's state of Victoria (VIC), is truly diverse and is now home to an interesting mixture of historic Victorian architecture and breathtaking modern buildings. With a vibrant, street café culture and shops to rival any other city in the world, Melbourne is also widely considered to be the dining capital of Australia, with an enormous selection of cuisine. It is only by actually visiting Melbourne that you will be able to soak up the lively, exciting and friendly atmosphere of this vibrant and multicultural city.




There are a large number of superb Melbourne tourist information outlets, located in and around the Melbourne and Victoria area, and also at Melbourne Airport (MEL), Australia's second largest airport. These Melbourne tourist information outlets provide invaluable tourism details, such as information about Melbourne's countless tourist attractions, historic landmarks, restaurants in Melbourne, transport, shopping malls, district Melbourne maps and general Melbourne tourism and tourist information.

Central Melbourne is one of the most convenient areas of Melbourne to stay, with hotels being close to many of Melbourne's theatres, museums, art galleries, sporting venues and Melbourne's train and bus terminals. Alternatives include hotels and accommodation in Melbourne's numerous inner suburbs, such as North and South Melbourne, Albert Park, Carlton, Caulfield, Fitzroy, Middle Park, Parkville, Queens Road, Richmond, South Yarra, Southgate, St. Kilda and Williamstown districts of Melbourne. Many of Melbourne's hotels have spectacular views of Melbourne's waterfront and hotels are particularly concentrated in Melbourne city centre and St. Kilda areas. Melbourne's hotels are often filled to capacity and reservations may be necessary several weeks in advance during peak seasons, and festivals and events in Melbourne, such as the Formula One Grand Prix.

Home to many superb tourist attractions, some of the most popular attractions in the Melbourne area include the Parliament House of Victoria - standing in the centre of Melbourne and dating back almost 150 years; St. Patrick's Cathedral - with construction taking around 80 years, this breaktaking building was finally completed in 1939; the Rialto Towers - the tallest building in Melbourne with an Observation Deck, which provides stunning panoramic views; Melbourne Town Hall - without doubt one of the most splendid landmarks in Melbourne; Williamstown Docks - a trendy area of Melbourne, home to a number of street cafés, restaurants and wine bars and St. Kilda Pier - one of the best spots in Melbourne for offshore fishing.

Other world-class Melbourne attractions include Arthur's Seat Chairlift - providing spectacular views over the surrounding countryside, Port Phillip Bay and the beaches; Melbourne's City Circle Tram - a historic transport system dating back to the 1920s; the Crown Entertainment Complex - a vast complex housing restaurants, bars, a 24-screen cinema complex and one of the world's large casinos; Melbourne Concert Hall - a major venue for concerts and opera in Melbourne; the Royal Botanic Gardens - superb landscaped gardens founded in the mid-19th century; Melbourne Planetarium - recreating the night sky on a huge domed ceiling; the Royal Melbourne Zoo - established almost 150 years ago and particularly popular with children and families; Melbourne Aquarium - with an enormous oceanarium containing more than two million litres of water; Melbourne's Koala Conservation Centre - in the Phillip Island area, full of friendly koalas and a large colony of penguins and Luna Park - a historic amusement park. More information on Melbourne Tourist Attractions and Melbourne Landmarks.

Melbourne also has a large number of excellent museums and art galleries in Melbourne city centre, providing interesting information on the history of Melbourne and many other exhibitions. Some of the major art galleries and museums in the Melbourne and Victoria area include Melbourne Museum - built between 1998 to 2000, at a cost of most than 500 Australian dollars, this building is a striking attraction in its own right; Williamstown Railway Museum - boasting a fine collection of old steam locomotives, engines and carriages; Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum - celebrating the exciting history of many of Melbourne's most outstanding sporting events, including the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games; Gold Treasury Museum - dating back to the historic days of Melbourne's 'Gold Rush'; HMAS Castlemaine Maritime Museum - an impressive warship built in the mid-20th century; Scienceworks Museum - incorporating an enormous array of fascinating scientific instruments and interactive displays; the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art - full of contemporary works of art, and Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria - housing a number of masterpieces by world-famous artists, including Picasso and Rembrandt.

Attractions nearby Melbourne include the districts of Ballarat, the Bellarine Peninsula, Daylesford and Hepbur, Geelong, Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley and Phillip Island - with is world-famous colony of friendly penguins, which march every evening from Summerland Beach to their nests, some of which are located in the back gardens of locals.

Australia's city of Melbourne is home to some of the world's most stunning, sandy beaches, many of which are close to Melbourne city centre. Popular with locals, visitors and tourists in Melbourne, the spacious beaches are the perfect place to relax, sunbathe, swim or surf. The beaches of Melbourne, combined with sheltered, clear bathing waters, have always been one of the major tourist attractions in Melbourne and include 13th Beach, Albert Park Beach, Bells Beach, Brighton Beach, Woolamai Beach, Cat Bay, Elwood Beach, Flinders Beach, Green Point Beach, Gunnamatta Surf Beach, Half Moon Bay Beach, Jan Juc Beach, Middle Park Beach, Point Impossible Surf Beach, Port Melbourne Beach, Portsea Back Beach, Rye Back Beach, Sandridge Beach, Smiths Beach and St. Kilda Beach, attracting people from all over the world.

Melbourne Airports Guide - useful Melbourne Airport (MEL) information.

More Melbourne Information / Fast Facts and Orientation

• Country: Australia
• Location: Victoria (VIC)
• Area: 2,020 square kilometres / 780 square miles
• Population: 3.5 million
• Language: English
• Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)
• Time zone: GMT +10 hours (Western Standard Time)
• Country dialling code: +61
• Telephone area code: 03
• Religion: various religions
• Average daily January temperature: 26ºC / 79ºF
• Average daily July temperature: 13ºC / 55ºF

 
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