Victoria (Melbourne Region)
Melbourne Citycentre
Melbourne has long been known as a city of few sights but plenty of lifestyle, a place to sit and enjoy a coffee or stroll in a park rather than traipse round museums and tourist attractions. However, Jeff Kennett, Victoria’s premier since 1992, is determined to change all that with an ambitious redevelopment programme that will irrevocably transform the city – like it or not. 

The shift towards the Yarra river that kicked off in the mid–1990s with the chunky waterfront development of Southgate, Crown Casino and Melbourne Exhibition Centre will be complemented by the new Federation Square opposite Flinders Street Station – due to be completed in 2001 – the centenary of the Australian Federation. The National Gallery of Victoria is being refurbished and new museums constructed, as well as a huge sports stadium and Citylink, a network of city bypasses linking the freeways out of the city. This construction frenzy is to continue unabated with the docklands project. In the next ten to fifteen years an entire new waterfront city will rise from what is at present an urban wasteland.

Depending on the outcome (and one’s point of view, of course) the docklands might add an exciting new dimension to the city or create yet another manifestation of shallow, hedonistic materialism in the vein of the Casino. Looking at the artists’ impressions of the future slick waterfront city, however, the association of “Gold Coast on the Yarra” does not seem terribly far-fetched.

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North of this area of redevelopment, the Central Business District (CBD), bounded by Latrobe, Spring, Flinders and Spencer streets, offers some fine public buildings and lots of shops, with the Old Melbourne Gaol exerting a ghoulish fascination and a new museum in the Old Customs House sheds light on Victoria’s immigration history. 

On all sides, save the downtown west, the CBD is surrounded by gardens; few cities have so much green space so close to the centre. To the north a wander through lively, century-old Queen Victoria Market will repay both serious shoppers and people-watchers, while Carlton Gardens is probably the most pleasant of Melbourne’s leafy refuges. In the east the CBD rubs up against Eastern Hill, with its government buildings and landscaped Fitzroy Gardens, from where it’s a short walk to the venerable Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), a must for sports fans. 

To the south is the previously much-maligned, muddy Yarra River which is slowly being turned into an attraction. You’ll get a rewarding view of the city skyline on a stroll along the riverbanks in front of Southgate and the Casino, and a unique look at underwater life at Melbourne Aquarium on the opposite side of the river, while the best way to appreciate the changing vistas of city and parklands is on a boat cruise. 

South of the river, the Victorian Arts Centre, whose highlights are the Performing Arts Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria (currently being renovated), forms a cultural strip on one side of St Kilda Road, while on the other Government House and the impressive Shrine of Remembrance front the Royal Botanic Gardens, where along with the soothing greenery you’ll get a dose of horticultural education.

Art & Markets
  • The National Gallery
    Houses Australia's finest collection of traditional paintings and contemporary Koorie art.
  • The Arts Centre
    Acclaimed around the world for its state-of-the-art facilities and acoustics.
  • Queen Victoria Markets
    The historic Queen Victoria Markets are located just one km north of the central business district. Its origins date back to 1857 and many of its buildings are now classified by the National Trust. Traditionally a place to buy fruit and vegetables, in recent years its also become an outlet for jewellery, manchester, hardware, flowers, pets and an enormous array of clothing.

Parks & Gardens
Everywhere you look in Melbourne majestic trees sway gently in the breeze , swards of flowers smile in the sunshine , and in hidden corners fountains flow freely with frolicking birds .
  • One of Melbourne's proudest showpieces is the Royal Botanic Gardens. The land, along the southern banks of the Yarra River, was allocated in 1857. Today the gardens constitute one of this country's finest tourism attractions. In many ways the Botanic Gardens really owe their present-day glory to Government botanist Dr Ferdinand Mueller (later Baron Von Mueller). In 1857 his aim was to have a 'system' garden, of value to his botany students, so he set about planting thousands of pines and specimen trees in the serried rows, in favour with his Prussian forebears. A later curator William Guilfoyle was responsible for the magnificent vistas the gardens present today, more than 40 hectares of lawns and lakes, towering trees, and colonies of ducks and birds.
  • A Scottish landscape gardener, James Sinclair, was appointed in 1854 to develop the Fitzroy Gardens . He was a remarkable man who had designed and planted Czar Nicholas' Royal Gardens in the Crimea. In 1928 a conservatory was erected and today it attracts people from all over the world to see its magnificent hydrangeas, begonias, tropical and indoor plants, cinerarias and cyclamens. 1934 saw the erection of a second major landmark, Cook's Cottage. Cook claimed the east coast of Australia in the name of the British government. A Melbourne businessman bought the cottage Cook's parents had lived in northern England, had it dismantled, and brought it to the gardens brick-by-brick.
  • Directly opposite the Fitzroy Gardens are the Treasury Gardens, laid out in 1867 by Clement Hodgkinson, then assistant commissioner of lands and Survey. Since 1953 it has been the home of an annual art exhibition, and its most recent modification came in 1963 when the lake area was re-modelled to accommodate a rose garden and the President Kennedy Memorial.
  • In the north-west corner of the central business district are the historic Flagstaff Gardens. This area was first known as burial hill, Melbourne's first cemetery. Burials ceased in 1838. It was on Flagstaff Hill on 11 November 1850 the news was received from the British Parliament that Victoria had been granted its independence from New South Wales. By 1880 the decision was taken to turn Flagstaff Hill into gardens and a lake and children's playground were installed. Almost 100 years later the Stanley Gibbons Rose Garden was planted, a gift to the people of Melbourne by "Stanley Gibbons International Philatelists".
  • Perhaps the parks and gardens most noticeable to visitors are those bounded by the Yarra River and St Kilda Road, directly opposite the Art Centre and National Gallery. Known as King's Domain, it includes Government House, the Queen Victoria and Alexandra Gardens as well as the Shrine of Remembrance.
  • Nearby you'll find the Sidney Myer Music Bowl - the scene of many outdoor concerts (including Carols By Candlelight) - and the beautiful floral clock in Alexandra Gardens.

Melbourne Cricket Ground
Yarra Park, home of the hallowed Melbourne Cricket Ground, lies across Wellington Parade from the southeastern corner of Fitzroy Gardens – also easily reached by tram along Wellington Parade or train to Jolimont Station. Home to the Melbourne Cricket Club since 1853, the MCG is now a vast and ugly stadium, as only the historic members’ stand survived the complete reconstruction that made the ground the centrepiece for the 1956 Olympic Games. As well as hosting state and international cricket matches and some of the top Aussie Rules football games, the MCG contains the Australian Gallery of Sport, the Olympic Museum and the Cricket Hall of Fame (daily 10am–4pm; $10). One-hour tours of the ground itself (hourly between 10am–3pm; no tours on event days) are included in the admission fee; the highlight is the members’ pavilion – home of the most traditional and elitist club in Australia – packed with fascinating cricketing memorabilia. The Gallery of Sport covers all other games from cycling to tennis to footy – complete with an entertaining machine that plays the various footy-club songs. The Olympic Museum covers all the twentieth-century Olympiads but concentrates on Melbourne 1956, generally regarded as a hugely successful event that brought the city to the attention of the world.

Events
  • BritFest2000
    BritFest2000 will be held on 20 February 2000, from 10 am until 5 pm at Frankston Park (the home of the Dolphins Football Club). This event will be similar in format to BritFest'99 - only even better! People who wish to promote their British-oriented products, services, hobbies or activities can book stalls now to display their interests.
  • 2000 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (12 March to 4 April)
  • 2000 Qantas Australian Formula One Grand Prix (March 9-12 2000)
    Albert Park, Melbourne
  • MONTSALVAT JAZZ FESTIVAL (January)
    Australia's most diverse international jazz festival featuring stunning Australian and international artists.
  • CHINESE NEW YEAR FESTIVAL (February)
    Celebrate this day with the famous Lion and Dragon dances in Melbourne's renowned Chinatown.
  • ST KILDA FESTIVAL.(February)
    Large contemporary music program, writers, festival events, visual art exhibition, performances and sporting events.
  • ANTIPODES FESTIVAL (March)
    Australia's largest ethnic festival, promoting the rich culture, heritage and tradition of Greek Australians, focusing on the Greek National Day on the 25th March.
  • MOOMBA FESTIVAL (March)
    Moomba means "getting together and having fun" and Melboume swings with many events from sports, carnivals and arts Fun for everyone. 
  • IRISH FESTIVAL (March)
    Range of events: dances, St Patrick's Day Parade. Poetry, reading, music, exhibitions, talent quest, wine and cheese tasting.
  • INTERNATIONAL DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL (March)
    Teams from Victoria, interstate and overseas compete in this spectacular event, held during Moomba on the Yarra River.
  • THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL (April)
    Laugh till you burst. The festival is a month of hilarity all over Melbourne attracting the finest international and Australian comedy performers.
  • THE VICTORIAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL (April)
    A celebration of Victoria's history and heritage.
  • ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL (April)
    An annual event showcasing contemporary Australian short films. 
  • THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW (April)
    A world class event of spectacular displays and a kaleidoscope of dynamic colours and design. Royal Exhibition Building
  • MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (June)
    World acclaimed film festival showcases feature films from around Australia and the world
  • THE SHEEP & WOOL SHOW (July)
    The biggest sheep & woolcraft show in the world. Royal Showgrounds
  • THE ROYAL MELBOURNE SHOW (August)
    An annual show, when the country comes to the city. Eleven full days of fun and events. Royal Melbourne Showgrounds 
  • AUTUMN MOON FESTIVAL (September)
    Chinatown comes alive with colourful street decorations and entertainment. 
  • AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL FLOWER SHOW (September)
    Another world class flower event of spectacular displays which is a kaleidoscope of dynamic colours and design. Royal Exhibition Building
  • MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS (September)
    A world class arts event, featuring exclusive performances from around the world in opera, drama, dance, music, the visual arts, plus street entertainers.
  • MELBOURNE WRITERS FESTIVAL (October)
    Celebration of writings, readings and discussions featuring the best of Australian and International authors.
  • MELBOURNE FRINGE ARTS FESTIVAL (October)
    "The Fringe" features a street parade and party in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. The program continues with music performances, visual arts, performing art, and much more.
  • SPRING RACING CARNIVAL (November)
    Set amidst the bloom of Victoria's parks and gardens the Spring Racing Carnival transforms Melbourne into 29 fun filled days of thoroughbred racing, street festivals, sports, opera and drama.

For more general information on Melbourne, go to:

For more regional information on Melbourne, go to: