Melbourne Hotels and City Guide : Guide Home Page

Located on the northern bank of the River Yarra and just three miles from the Central Business District, Melbourne is Australia’s second largest city and the Victoria State’s capital city. Melbourne is home to a wealth of 19th century buildings standing as monumental proof of the city’s longstanding prosperity. Today, Melbourne may not be the premier financial centre of Australia, but this magnificent city still flourishes as an important hub for multimedia ventures and other technologies.

Amazingly, Melbourne is also famous for its imposing European architecture. From the Immigration Museum’s elegant exterior and the Winfield Building’s Venetian-style façades to Gothic-style Stock Exchange and the Como House’s colonial architecture, Melbourne is home to it all!

Melbourne is not only about its big businesses and fabulous architecture; the city is an energetic place with exciting nightlife and fabulous dining options. Owing to the many cultures that call Melbourne home, the variety of cuisine in the city is overwhelming - local, Mediterranean, Chinese and Indian, the choice is immense.

Cricket is a big game in Melbourne - in fact, the Melbourne Cricket Ground or the MCG, as it is more often called, is considered to be the home of Australian cricket. Furthermore, Melbourne also hosts major sporting events such as the Australian Rules Football Grand Final, the Australian Open Tennis Tournament and the Formula One Grand Prix.

For those who love the great outdoors, the beautiful sandy shores of Melbourne’s coastal suburbs are great - none more so than Saint Kilda, with its popular beaches and fine restaurants, just a four-mile tram ride from the city.

Melbourne City Facts

Melbourne Population: 3,663,000 (Source: UN Population Estimate Revision 2003)
Australia Population: 20,092,000 (Source: UN Population Estimate Revision 2003)
Currency: Australian Dollar (A$, AUD)
Time Zone: GMT plus ten hours, Eastern Standard Time plus 15 hours and Pacific Standard Time plus 18 hours
Language: English