   #copyright

Melbourne

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Oceania
(Australasia)

   Melbourne
   Victoria
   Population:
   • Density:        3,689,700 ( 2nd)
                     479.6/km²
   Established:      1835
   Area:             8,694 km²
   Time zone:

    • Summer ( DST)
                     AEST ( UTC+10)

                     AEDT ( UTC+11)
   Melbourne's Yarra River is a popular area for walking, jogging,
   cycling, rowing and for relaxing on the banks with a picnic
   Enlarge
   Melbourne's Yarra River is a popular area for walking, jogging,
   cycling, rowing and for relaxing on the banks with a picnic

   Melbourne ( pronounced either /ˈmel.bən/ or /ˈmæl.bən/) is the second
   most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of
   approximately 3.7 million (2006 estimate). Located in the country's
   south-east, Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria and is home to
   over 70% of all Victorians.

   Founded by free-settlers in 1835, 47 years after the first European
   settlement of Australia, Melbourne was transformed from a small
   pastoral settlement into a growing metropolis by the Victorian gold
   rush in the 1850s. By 1865, "Marvellous Melbourne" was Australia's most
   populous and important city. It served as the temporary national
   capital from the Federation of Australia until the construction of
   Canberra in 1927.

   Today, Melbourne is a major centre of commerce, industry and cultural
   activity. Often referred to as both the " cultural capital of
   Australia" and the "sporting capital of Australia", the city has a rich
   history and is home to many of Australia's major annual sporting and
   cultural events.

History

   Melbourne Landing, 1840; watercolour by W. Liardet (1840).
   Enlarge
   Melbourne Landing, 1840; watercolour by W. Liardet (1840).
   The Windsor Hotel, one of the few surviving grand buildings from the
   1880s boom.
   Enlarge
   The Windsor Hotel, one of the few surviving grand buildings from the
   1880s boom.
   Flinders Street Station, intersection of Swanston and Flinders Streets,
   1927.
   Enlarge
   Flinders Street Station, intersection of Swanston and Flinders Streets,
   1927.
   ICI House, commenced in 1955, was a powerful symbol of the Olympic
   city's modern aspirations.
   Enlarge
   ICI House, commenced in 1955, was a powerful symbol of the Olympic
   city's modern aspirations.

   The area of the Yarra Parks and Port Phillip that is now Melbourne was
   first settled by the British in 1835. These settlers came from Tasmania
   (then known as Van Diemen's Land). The area was already inhabited by
   the indigenous Kulin people. A transaction was negotiated for 600,000
   acres of land from eight Wurundjeri chiefs; this was later annulled by
   the New South Wales government (then governing all of eastern mainland
   Australia), who compensated the settlers.

   In 1836, Governor Bourke declared the city the administrative capital
   of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, and commissioned the
   first plan for the Hoddle Grid in 1837. The settlement was named
   Melbourne in the same year after the British Prime Minister William
   Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who resided in the village of Melbourne
   in Derbyshire. Melbourne was declared a city by Queen Victoria on 25
   June 1847.

   Victoria was established as a separate colony in 1851 with Melbourne as
   its capital. With the discovery of gold in Victoria in the 1850s,
   leading to the Victorian gold rush, Melbourne grew rapidly providing
   the majority of service industries and serving as the major port for
   the region. The city became a major finance centre, home to several
   banks and to Australia's first stock exchange (founded in 1861). During
   the 1880s, Melbourne was one of the largest cities in the British
   Empire. This period saw the construction of many high-rise Victorian
   buildings, Coffee Palaces, terrace housing, grand boulevardes and
   gardens throughout the city. Examples of this Victorian architecture
   still abound in Melbourne. So impressed by the "Paris of the Antipodes"
   was journalist George Augustus Henry Sala during his visit in 1885 that
   he coined the phrase "Marvellous Melbourne" to describe the booming
   city, a phrase which stuck and is used by its locals and the media to
   this day.

   The brash boosterism which typified Melbourne during this time came to
   a halt in 1891 when a world economic depression hit the city's economy,
   sending the finance and property industries into chaos. The effects of
   the depression on the city were profound, although it did continue to
   grow slowly during the early 20th Century.

   At the time of Australia's Federation on 1 January 1901, Melbourne was
   specified as the temporary seat of government and remained the national
   capital until 1927, when the Federal parliament was moved to the
   planned city of Canberra. The first Federal parliament was convened on
   9 May 1901 in the Royal Exhibition Building.

   Melbourne was the Allied Pacific Headquarters from 1942 to 1944 as
   General Douglas MacArthur established Australia as a launch base for
   Pacific operations. During World War II, Melbourne industries thrived
   on wartime production and the city became Australia's leading
   manufacturing centre. After the war, Melbourne expanded rapidly, with
   its growth boosted by an influx of immigrants and the prestige of
   hosting the Olympic Games. Australia's mining boom between 1969–1970
   proved beneficial to Melbourne, with the headquarters of many of the
   major companies (such as BHP) based in the city. Melbourne remained
   Australia's business and finance capital until the late 1970s, when it
   began to lose this primacy to Sydney.

   Melbourne experienced the worst of Victoria's economic slump between
   1989 to 1992. In 1992, a newly elected Victorian government began a
   campaign to restore the economy with aggressive development campaign of
   public works and major events centred on Melbourne and promotion of the
   city as a tourist destination. Major projects included the Melbourne
   Museum, Federation Square, the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention
   Centre, Crown Casino and CityLink tollway. Other strategies included
   the privatisation of some of Melbourne's services including power,
   education and public transport.

   Since 1997, Melbourne has maintained significant population and
   employment growth. There has been substantial international investment
   in the city's industries and property market, and 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 capital city.

Geography

   Map of greater Melbourne
   Enlarge
   Map of greater Melbourne
   Aerial view of Melbourne city and surrounds looking south towards Port
   Phillip Bay
   Enlarge
   Aerial view of Melbourne city and surrounds looking south towards Port
   Phillip Bay

   Melbourne is located in the south-eastern corner of mainland Australia.
   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. The city's suburbs extend along
   the Yarra Valley toward the Yarra and Dandenong Ranges to the east,
   down the Mornington Peninsula to the mouth of the bay to the
   south-east, along the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries north to
   the foothills of the Macedon Ranges, and along the flat volcanic plain
   country of Werribee towards Geelong to the south-west.

   The original city (known today as the central business district or CBD)
   is laid out in the mile-by-half-a-mile Hoddle Grid, its southern edge
   fronting on to the Yarra.

   Melbourne is typical of Australian capital cities in that it was built
   with the underlying notion of a "quarter acre home and garden" for
   every family, often referred to locally as the Australian Dream. As
   such, much of Metropolitan Melbourne is characterised by low density
   sprawl. The provision of an extensive railway and tram service in the
   earlier years of development encouraged this low density development,
   mostly in radial lines along the transport corridors. Since the 1970s,
   Victorian Government planning blueprints such as Postcode 3000 and
   Melbourne 2030 have aimed to slow the urban sprawl.

   Melbourne is often referred to as Australia's garden city, and the
   state of Victoria is known as "the garden state". There is an abundance
   of manmade parks and gardens in Melbourne, many close to the CBD with a
   variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas,
   pedestrian pathways and tree lined avenues. There are also many parks
   in the surrounding suburbs of Melbourne, such as in the cities of
   Stonnington, Boroondara and Port Phillip, south east of the CBD.

Climate

   Melbourne has a temperate climate under the Köppen climate
   classification system.

   Melbourne's climate is notable for its changeable weather conditions.
   This is due in part to the city's flat topography, its situation on
   Port Phillip Bay, and the presence of the Dandenongs to the east, a
   combination that creates weather systems that often circle the bay. The
   phrase "four seasons in a day" is part of popular culture and observed
   by many visitors to the city.

   Melbourne is colder than most Australian capital cities in winter. The
   coldest day on record was a maximum of 4.4 degrees Celsius—set on July
   4, 1901. Snowfalls are extremely rare in the city: The most recent
   occurrence of sleet in the CBD was July 25, 1986 and the recent
   snowfalls in the Dandenong Ranges just east of Melbourne were on 10
   August 2005 and November 15, 2006. There has not been a major snowfall
   in Melbourne since 1951, when moderate cover was recorded in both the
   CBD and suburbs. More commonly, Melbourne experiences frosts and fog in
   winter. On nearby Mount Dandenong, snow is recorded every few winters,
   with falls recorded in all years since 2001 with the exception of 2003.

   During the spring, Melbourne commonly enjoys extended periods of mild
   weather and clear skies. Melbourne is also known to have hot, dry
   summers, with maximum temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. The
   hottest temperature on record was 45.6 degrees Celsius on 13 January
   1939 during a 4 day nationwide heat wave.

   In 2006, Melbourne, like most of Australia, has experienced one of the
   worst droughts on record. 2006 was among the driest years on record
   with virtually no rainfall in September/October, usually two of the
   wettest months of the year. Higher than average temperatures have been
   recorded.

   CAPTION: Climate Table

     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Yearly
   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
   Mean number of clear days 6.3 6.3 5.7 4.4 3.0 2.5 2.7 2.9 3.4 3.6 3.5
   4.4 48.5
   Mean number of cloudy days 11.2 9.7 13.4 14.9 18.0 16.8 17.2 16.8 15.7
   16.4 15.1 14.2 179.5
   Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Government

   The Melbourne City Council governs 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.
   A view of the Yarra River at twilight, with the northern area of
   Melbourne's central business district (left) and Southbank (right)
   pictured
   Enlarge
   A view of the Yarra River at twilight, with the northern area of
   Melbourne's central business district (left) and Southbank (right)
   pictured

   The rest of the metropolitan area is divided into 30 municipalities.
   All these are designated as cities, except for five on the city's outer
   fringes which have the title of Shire. The municipalities have elected
   councils and are responsible for a range of functions (delegated to
   them from the State Government of Victoria under the Local Government
   Act of 1989 ). These include planning, waste management, public space,
   child-care and preschool facilities, local festivals and cultural
   activities, services to the elderly, supervision of public health and
   other similar matters. Councils levy rates from their residents to pay
   for these services. The councils are collectively represented by the
   Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV).

   Melbourne's 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 could 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 Towers.
   Enlarge
   The central business district of Melbourne, viewed from the Observation
   Deck at Rialto Towers.

   Melbourne is a large commercial and industrial centre. It is home to
   three of Australia's largest corporations: Telstra, BHP Billiton and
   the National Australia Bank, and also to the Business Council of
   Australia, the Australian Council of Trade Unions and many of the
   companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Many multinational
   corporations (approximately one-third of the 100 largest multinationals
   operating in Australia as of 2002) also have their main Australian
   office in Melbourne. The demand for office space means that there are
   many skyscrapers in Melbourne (although the tallest, the Eureka Tower
   (at 300m above street level) is mostly residential). The tallest office
   tower, the Rialto Towers (251m above street level) is also the tallest
   office building in the southern hemisphere and houses an observation
   deck.

   Melbourne is home to Australia's largest seaport and much of
   Australia's automotive industry, which include Ford and Toyota
   manufacturing facilities, and the engine manufacturing facility of
   Holden. It is also home to many other manufacturing industries. In
   mid-November 2006, Melbourne played host to the summit of G20 finance
   ministers, amid violent protests.

   Melbourne is also a major technology hub, with a strong ICT industry
   that employs over 60,000 people (one third of Australia's ICT
   workforce), has a turnover of AUD$19.8 billion, and has export revenues
   of AUD$615 million.

   Most recent major infrastructure projects, such as the redevelopment of
   Southern Cross Station (formerly Spencer Street Station), have been
   centred around the 2006 Commonwealth Games, which were held in the city
   from 15 March - 26 March 2006. The centrepiece of the Commonwealth
   Games projects was the redevelopment project for the Melbourne Cricket
   Ground, the stadium set for the opening and closing ceremonies of the
   Games. The project involved rebuilding the northern half of the stadium
   and laying a temporary athletics track at a cost of AUD$434 million.

   Construction began in February 2006 of a AUD$1 billion 5000-seat
   international convention centre, Hilton Hotel and commercial precinct
   adjacent to the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre to link
   development along the Yarra River with the Southbank precinct and
   multi-billion dollar Docklands redevelopment.

   Tourism plays an important role in Melbourne's economy, with
   approximately 7.6 million domestic visitors and 1.88 million
   international visitors in 2004.

Demographics

   Melbourne's Chinatown, established in 1854, is not only the oldest in
   Australia but one of the oldest in the world
   Enlarge
   Melbourne's Chinatown, established in 1854, is not only the oldest in
   Australia but one of the oldest in the world
   Victorian terrace housing, typical of many of Melbourne's inner
   suburbs, which have been subject to gentrification and urban renewal
   since the 1970s
   Enlarge
   Victorian terrace housing, typical of many of Melbourne's inner
   suburbs, which have been subject to gentrification and urban renewal
   since the 1970s

   Today Melbourne is a diverse and multicultural city. Almost a quarter
   of Victoria's population was born overseas, and the city is home to
   residents from 233 countries, who speak over 180 languages and dialects
   and follow 116 religious faiths. In 2004, 43.5 per cent were either
   born overseas, or have a parent who was born overseas.

   A person from Melbourne is referred to as a Melburnian.

Population history

   Melbourne's population exploded during the 1850s' gold rush. From
   20,000 inhabitants in 1851, an additional 15,000 arrived within months
   of the discovery of gold in August 1852. In 1865, Melbourne overtook
   Sydney as Australia's most populous city. By 1900, Sydney and Melbourne
   were of the same size and in 1902 Sydney had once again assumed the
   title of Australia's most populous city.
               Melbourne
   Population by year
   1836 177
   1851 29,000
   1854 123,000   (gold rush)
   1860 140,000
   1880 280,000
   1890 490,000
   1895 900,000   (economic collapse)
   1956 1,500,000
   1981 2,806,000
   1991 3,156,700 (economic slump)
   2001 3,366,542
   2004 3,592,975
   2006 3,720,300 (2006 estimate)
   2030 4,500,000 (projected)

   The aftermath of World War II saw many immigrants arrive from across
   Britain and Europe. As a result of this, Melbourne has one of the
   world's largest populations of people with Greek ancestry outside of
   Greece and Cyprus. The 2001 Census recorded 161,000 people of Greek
   origin in Melbourne, of whom 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 is also home to the largest Jewish community in Oceania: more
   than 50% of Australia's Jews live in Melbourne, with the largest Jewish
   area being the suburbs of Caulfield and St Kilda East. Melbourne also
   has the largest number of Holocaust survivors of any Australian city.

   The newest wave of immigrants has come from North Africa, particularly
   Sudan.
     Melbourne
   Urban density
   (people/ ha)
   1951 23.4
   1961 21.4
   1971 18.1
   1976 16.75
   1981 15.9
   1986 16.05
   1991 16.8
   1996 17.9

   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'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 been reversed
   since the recession of the early 1990s, and the city has seen increased
   density in the inner and western suburbs. The Victorian government's
   Melbourne 2030 policy has introduced a controversial urban growth
   boundary to further curtail the urban sprawl.
   A view of Melbourne Docklands and sprawling north western suburbs from
   the Observation Deck at Rialto Tower.
   Enlarge
   A view of Melbourne Docklands and sprawling north western suburbs from
   the Observation Deck at Rialto Tower.

Education

   The University of Melbourne, established in 1853, is the second oldest
   in Australia
   Enlarge
   The University of Melbourne, established in 1853, is the second oldest
   in Australia

   Melbourne is home to some of the nation's oldest educational
   institutions, including the oldest Law (1857), Engineering (1860),
   Medical (1862), Dental (1897) and Music (1891) schools, all at the
   University of Melbourne. The University of Melbourne is also the oldest
   university in Victoria and the second oldest university in Australia.
   St. Mary's Primary School, Williamstown is the oldest school in
   Victoria and Scotch College (1851) is the oldest secondary school.

   Melbourne's two largest and most prestigious tertiary institutions are
   the University of Melbourne and Monash University. Both are members of
   the Group of Eight. Melbourne University ranked second among Australian
   universities in the 2006 THES international rankings, after the
   Australian National University, it was however placed first in 2005.
   The Times Higher Education Supplement also includes three other
   Melbourne-based institutions in its top 100, Monash University, La
   Trobe University and RMIT University. Geelong based Deakin University
   maintains two campuses in Melbourne and is the third largest university
   in Victoria. Other universities located in Melbourne include Swinburne
   University of Technology, Victoria University and the St Patrick's
   campus of the Australian Catholic University. In recent years, the
   number of international students at Melbourne's universities has risen
   rapidly, a result of an increasing number of places being made
   available to full fee paying students.

   Although non-tertiary public education is free, 35% of students attend
   a private primary or secondary school. The most numerous private
   schools are Catholic, and the rest are Independent (see Public and
   Private Education in Australia). The most prestigious independent
   schools are members of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS)
   or the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria (AGSV). The main purpose
   of these two groups is sporting competition. Private schools achieve
   better results on average in the VCE (the final year certificate) than
   public schools - the exceptions to this rule are two academically
   selective public high schools, Melbourne High School and MacRobertson
   Girls High School. Because of this, private school students dominate
   admissions into tertiary institutions.

   Most High schools in Melbourne are called 'Secondary Colleges', a
   remnant of the Kirner Labor government. There are two completely
   selective public schools in Melbourne (mentioned above), but all public
   schools may restrict entry to students living in their regional 'zone'.
   As a result, some families move suburb in order that their children are
   eligible to attend a public school in the 'zone'. One effect of this
   has been to push up property prices in suburbs with public schools
   perceived to be of good quality.

Society and culture

   The Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne's largest war memorial built from
   money raised by public contributions.
   Enlarge
   The Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne's largest war memorial built from
   money raised by public contributions.
   The National Gallery of Victoria
   Enlarge
   The National Gallery of Victoria
   The Princess Theatre
   Enlarge
   The Princess Theatre

   Melbourne has thrice 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, again in 2004, and once more
   in 2005.

   The city celebrates a wide variety of annual cultural events, including
   Moomba (a celebration of the Yarra River's recreational use), the
   Melbourne Fringe Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival and the Gay and
   Lesbian Midsumma festival.

   Federation Square, with its distinctive architecture, large digital
   screen and public space, has become one of the city's main hubs,
   attracting congregations, rallies or public viewing of sports events.
   It is also home to the city's tourist centre. A traditional meeting
   spot for Melburnians is "under the clocks" at Flinders Street Station.
   Many of the city's parades, marches and rallies are conducted in the
   main thoroughfares of Swanston Street and Bourke Street.

Arts and entertainment

   Melbourne has a vibrant arts and cultural scene, hosting the annual
   Melbourne International Arts Festival as a celebration of its artistic
   tradition.

Performing Arts

   Melbourne is strong in the performing arts. It is the home of the
   Australian Ballet. The National Theatre in in St Kilda is the oldest
   ballet school in Australia. Ballet regularly features at the Victorian
   Arts Centre and the National Theatre. Melbourne is the second home of
   Opera Australia after it merged with 'Victoria State Opera' in 1996.
   The Victorian Opera had its inaugural season in 2006 and operates out
   of various venues in Melbourne. The Victoria Orchestra, based in
   Melbourne was Australia's first and performed during 1888–91. The
   Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was first assembled in 1906 and tours
   internationally.

   Melbourne has more theatres than any other city in Australia. Live
   venues include David Marriner's Princess Theatre, Regent Theatre and
   Her Majesty's Theatre; the Athenaeum, Forum Theatre, Palais Theatre and
   the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Several professional
   theatre companies operate in Melbourne, of which the Melbourne Theatre
   Company, the oldest professional theatre company in Australia, has the
   most institutional support of any in Australia. There is also a wide
   range of smaller professional theatre companies in Melbourne, including
   the Malthouse, La Mama in Carlton, the Red Stitch Actors Theatre and
   Theatreworks in St Kilda and a healthy array of amateur companies that
   produce a professional standard of musical/straight theatre, such as
   CLOC, Catchment Players of Darebin, Altona City Theatre and Dandenong
   Theatre Company.

   Melbourne is home to a large number of buskers (also known as street
   performers) that perform in the CBD and surrounds. A variety of musical
   styles and entertainment acts give the CBD a colourful atmosphere.
   Melbourne’s musical buskers cater to a wide variety of tastes, from
   rock to world music (such as the Andean act InkaMarka) and indigenous
   Australian traditions. However, not all buskers are musicians. There
   are also living statues, street artists and jugglers.

   Melbourne is known throughout Australia and the world as a centre of
   comedy. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is a celebration of
   stand up comedy. The city is home to many of Australia's top rating
   comedy television shows and several of the country's leading comedians
   either come from the city or call it home.

Music Industry

   Melbourne's lively rock and pop music scene has fostered many
   internationally renowned artists and musicians. The 1960s gave rise to
   many performers including Olivia Newton-John, John Farnham, Graeme
   Bell, and folk group The Seekers. The 1970s saw 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 1980s. Successful Melbourne artists include Hunters &
   Collectors, Nick Cave, Jet, Weddings Parties Anything, TISM and
   Something for Kate. Melbourne is also the home of rock "guru" Ian
   "Molly" Meldrum.

   More recently, more notable Melbourne acts include Jet, Taxiride, The
   Cat Empire, Vanessa Amorosi, Missy Higgins, Madison Avenue and The
   Living End. Melbourne television shows Young Talent Time and Neighbours
   gave many female singers a launchpad to international success. Local
   talents to come from these shows include Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue,
   Tina Arena and Kate Ceberano, whilst artists from other states who
   gained prominence through these shows include Natalie Imbruglia, Delta
   Goodrem and Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

   Melbourne also has a successful independent music industry. A variety
   of factors—including a relative abundance of venues and independent
   labels, a thriving street press and strong support from community
   radio—have made the city an attractive base for both homegrown artists
   and those from around the country. Notable Melbourne-based independent
   artists include The Lucksmiths and Architecture in Helsinki.

Visual Arts

   Melbourne is strongly associated with the establishment of Australia's
   visual arts. The city was the birthplace of the Heidelberg School, an
   Australian art movement of the late 19th century. The school, being
   largely the work of Melbourne-based artists, was arguably the first
   distinctly Australian school of Western art. Many of its most
   significant works are held in the National Gallery of Victoria, one of
   Australia's premier collections of visual art. The strong art community
   culminated in significant artist colonies such as Heidelberg and
   Montsalvat. Melbourne is home to a large array of public artworks,
   statues and sculptures. Sculptors like Deborah Halpern and Bruce
   Armstrong have played a large part in the enhancing many of the city's
   public spaces with their many, iconic and larger than life, works. In
   more modern times, the city has become well known as the world centre
   for stencil graffiti, public art that thrives in the cities numerous
   laneways.

   The city is home to the unique Australian Centre for the Moving Image
   an organisation dedicated to the moving image in all its forms, from
   film to animation to video games and television. The city has major
   film festivals in the Melbourne International Film Festival, Melbourne
   Underground Film Festival and Melbourne International Animation
   Festival featuring several of the city's major cinemas. The Central
   City Studios in Melbourne Docklands, constructed in 2005 has seen
   several big budget films produced in the city.

   Melbourne is also known as a centre for fashion. The city, once a
   leader in the textile industry, retains a small manufacturing base, but
   has diversified into the more creative areas of the fashion industry.
   Melbourne is a major participator in Australian Fashion Week, whilst
   the Melbourne Fashion Festival is an annual event held in the city. The
   Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and Brownlow Medal dinner are seen as
   being two of the biggest annual red carpet events in the country.

   Melbourne has a wide variety of architectural design. Australia's
   oldest architectural firm, and one of the world's oldest, Bates Smart
   is from Melbourne. The city is home to Australia's only building on the
   World Heritage Register, the Royal Exhibition Building. Melbourne has
   also been home to some of Australia's most prolific architects
   including Joseph Reed, William Wardell, John James Clark, Charles
   D'Ebro, Charles Webb, William Pitt, Nahum Barnet, Harry Tompkins Harry
   Norris, Sir Roy Grounds, Robin Boyd and Frederick Romberg. In recent
   years, Melbourne has produced some of Australia's best current
   architectural firms, including international firms Denton Corker
   Marshall, Fender Katsalidis, Daryl Jackson and Peddle Thorp as well as
   local award winning trendsetters Edmund & Corrigan, Ashton Raggatt
   McDougall and Wood Marsh.

Sport

   A view of the MCG's Great Southern Stand during the 1998 Boxing Day
   cricket Test match
   Enlarge
   A view of the MCG's Great Southern Stand during the 1998 Boxing Day
   cricket Test match
   The "Big Men Fly". Australian Rules Football at the Melbourne Cricket
   Ground.
   Enlarge
   The "Big Men Fly". Australian Rules Football at the Melbourne Cricket
   Ground.

   In a country that is often labelled 'sports-mad', Melbourne has a
   reputation amongst Australians for being the national sporting capital.

   The city hosts many major sporting events including the Melbourne
   Spring Racing Carnival (featuring the 'race that stops the nation', the
   Melbourne Cup), the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the Australian
   round of the MotoGP, the Australian Open Tennis Championship and the
   AFL Grand Final. Melbourne hosted the first Olympic Games in the
   southern hemisphere in 1956, as well as the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

   Melbourne is where Australian rules football originated – the most
   popular sport in Victoria. The city is home to nine of the sixteen
   teams that constitute 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 Saturday of September at the world famous Melbourne
   Cricket Ground (MCG), a stadium that has held over 121,000 spectators.
   The city also is home to nine out of the thirteen teams of the
   professional statewide Victorian Football League.

   The city also features one professional rugby league team, Melbourne
   Storm, who play in the national rugby competition, and a professional
   football (soccer) team, the Melbourne Victory, who play in the national
   soccer competition.

   Including the MCG, Melbourne is home to over 29 stadiums with a
   capacity of over 10,000 people. Some venues, such as the Albert Park
   Formula One track and Calder Raceway, have large capacities but only
   temporary structures, whilst there are numerous suburban horse racing
   tracks and Australian rules ovals. In 2000 construction was completed
   on Docklands Stadium, capable of seating up to 56,000 people. The
   stadium was the first in the world to host cricket and football matches
   under a roof. Telstra has since bought the naming rights to the
   stadium, now called Telstra Dome.

   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. Construction of a new
   AUD$190 million, 20,000-seat multi-purpose rectangular stadium in
   Melbourne Park is due to start early in 2007.

   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 December– 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 biennial host of the
   International Rules series involving the Australian national team and
   Irish national team. The city hosted the 2002 and 2005 Australian
   Football International Cup.

   Since the 1956 Summer Olympics were held in Melbourne, the city has
   hosted numerous sporting events which rotate host cities. Melbourne
   co-hosted the 2003 Rugby 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 Presidents Cup golf tournament in 1999; and was the first
   city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the World Polo Championship in
   2001. The city has hosted FIFA World Cup qualifiers in both 1997 and
   2001. Most recently, the 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in
   Melbourne. Seventy-one Commonwealth nations competed in the Games.

   In 2007, Melbourne will be the host of the FINA World Aquatics
   Championships. Melbourne hosted the Australia vs Greece football
   (soccer) match on 25 May 2006 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground which
   will be followed by two significant World Cup qualifiers in 2008 and
   2009.

   In July 2006, the Rugby League State of Origin, often considered the
   flagship event of Australian rugby league, was played at the Telstra
   Dome. The Rugby League State of Origin has been held several times
   before in Melbourne (most recently in 1997), and has attracted over
   87,000 spectators at the MCG, even though Victoria is not actually one
   of the states involved ( New South Wales and Queensland.) In 2006, the
   Kangaroos, Australia's national rugby league team played a Tri-nations
   test at the Telstra Dome, the first rugby league test in the city for
   14 years. 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.

   The Victorian government recently won the right to host the Bledisloe
   Cup rugby union Test in 2007 at the MCG while setting aside a large
   amount of money for Melbourne’s contribution to an Australian bid for
   the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Australian Football International Cup
   returns in 2008 to celebrate 150 years of Australian rules football.

   In 2006, a report made by ArkSports Limited. named Melbourne as the
   "Sporting Capital of the World" with close rival Sydney coming equal
   second with Paris.

Recreation and leisure

   Port Phillip's many beaches are home to a wide range of recreational
   activities
   Enlarge
   Port Phillip's many beaches are home to a wide range of recreational
   activities

   Apart from the culture of attending sports events, Melburnians
   participate in a wide range of recreational and leisure activities.

   Australian rules football, cricket and soccer are the most popular
   participation team sports in Melbourne.

   Cycling in Melbourne is a very popular pastime, as well as a spectator
   sport. Melbourne's flat terrain and extensive off-road paths in green
   wedges is conducive to riding. Beach Road combines with the Nepean
   Highway, forming a 90-kilometre stretch to Port Melbourne to Sorrento
   and incorporates the Bayside Trail, is the city’s most popular training
   route and attracts cyclists from around the world. Thousands of
   commuters cycle the roads, bike lanes and bike paths daily. Bicycle
   Victoria's annual events, Around the Bay in a Day and Ride to Work Day
   attract tens of thousands of Melburnians. Other events such as the
   Herald Sun Tour begin and end in the Melbourne area, often with a
   criterium event, and there are many local cycling events of varying
   grades all year round.

   Triathlon dominates the Beach Road area during summer, when hundreds of
   amateurs and professionals dive into Port Philip Bay on any given
   Sunday.

   Watersports are a big recreational activity in Melbourne. Rowing on the
   Yarra River is also popular with universities and schools, and there
   are many boat sheds along the river and it is home to the Head of the
   River, first raced in 1868 and Australia's oldest. The Oarsome Foursome
   are also from Melbourne. On Port Phillip Bay, boating is popular, as is
   jetskiing, kitesurfing and windsurfing on St Kilda Beach.
   Looking north over Port Phillip Bay toward Albert Park and the
   Melbourne skyline from St Kilda Pier
   Enlarge
   Looking north over Port Phillip Bay toward Albert Park and the
   Melbourne skyline from St Kilda Pier

Entertainment

   The Royal Arcade, just one of the arcades, lanes and malls that make
   Melbourne a shopping magnet for both locals and tourists.
   Enlarge
   The Royal Arcade, just one of the arcades, lanes and malls that make
   Melbourne a shopping magnet for both locals and tourists.

   Gambling is a large part of Melbourne's culture. The elaborate rooms of
   the Crown Casino entertainment complex house a large range of poker
   machines and nightclubs. Gambling is also tied to many of Melbourne's
   sports, where betting on horses and footy tipping are part of the way
   of life.

   Melbourne's restaurants are numerous, and represent a diverse range of
   cuisines. The city has a reputation as being a culinary capital,
   something celebrated by the annual Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
   Beyond the famous "Little Italy" of Lygon Street in Carlton, other
   favourite inner city dining locations for Melburnians include Fitzroy
   Street St Kilda, Brunswick Street Fitzroy, Victoria St Collingwood, the
   CBD, Docklands and Southbank precincts. Flower Drum located in Market
   Lane next to Chinatown is often regarded as Melbourne's finest
   restaurant by The Age Good Food Guide, as well as been ranked in the
   top 50 best restaurants in the world by Restaurant Magazine. In 2006,
   Jamie Oliver selected Melbourne as the location for "Fifteen
   Melbourne", the Australian restaurant for his reality television show
   Jamie’s Kitchen Australia.

   Shopping or " retail therapy" has been a big part of Melbourne's way of
   life since the late 19th Century, when doing "The Block" was a sign of
   prestige. Today, the city is home to some of Australia's best shopping
   strips, such as the famous Chapel Street which stretches many blocks
   through South Yarra and Prahran, while heritage arcades such as the
   Block and Royal Arcade and the CBD's myriad of lanes offer a more
   intimate shopping experience. The large Chadstone Shopping Centre
   markets itself as the "Fashion Capital", whilst strip shopping
   localities such as Toorak Village is known for its exclusiveness and
   Bridge Road in Richmond for its extensive factory outlets.

   Dance music is a thriving Melbourne scene; the city is considered the
   nation’s dance music capital. Dance parties take place most of the
   year, the city frequently attracting some of the world's best DJs. Some
   of the biggest nightclubs in the world are found in Melbourne,
   including the Melbourne Metro Nightclub (2500 capacity) and QBH (2100
   capacity). Melbourne is the birthplace of the Melbourne Shuffle, a
   style of dance that has been exported to South East Asia and continues
   to evolve to date.

Melbourne in culture

   Old Victorian architecture meets new architecture in Melbourne
   Enlarge
   Old Victorian architecture meets new architecture in Melbourne

   Melbourne has been the setting for many novels, television dramas, and
   films. Fergus Hume's international best-seller Mystery of a Hansom Cab
   was set in Gold Rush era Melbourne. 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, then
   a working-class suburb of Melbourne. 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 Ava Gardner never made, describing Melbourne as 'the
   perfect place to make a film about the end of the world". 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 racist skinhead; Salaam
   Namaste, Jackie Chan's Mr. Nice Guy and The Castle. Melbourne has also
   produced many talented film and television actors including Cate
   Blanchett, Guy Pearce, Eric Bana and is home to Geoffrey Rush.

   Australian audiences saw Melbourne portrayed in the 1960s–70s Crawford
   Productions police television drama series Homicide and Division 4.
   Perhaps better known to a contemporary audience is the soap opera
   Neighbours, set in the fictional eastern suburb of Erinsborough, which
   presents a 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 (known as Prisoner: Cell
   Block H for US and UK broadcasts), 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. Native
   band The Living End purportedly wrote the song "West End Riot" about
   differences between eastern and western suburbs in the city. 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
   that originated in Melbourne, held annually at the Sidney Myer Music
   Bowl.

   The Bollywood movie Salaam Namaste starring Preity Zinta and Saif Ali
   Khan was shot in Melbourne.

Infrastructure

Health

   The Government of Victoria's Department of Health Services oversees
   approximately 30 public hospitals in the Melbourne metropolitan region,
   and 13 health services organisations. The major public hospitals are
   the Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Alfred Hospital and Austin Hospital,
   while major private hospitals include Epworth Hospital and St
   Vincent's. The city is also home to major medical and biotechnology
   research centres such as the Burnet Institute, Peter MacCallum Cancer
   Institute, Baker Heart Institute and Australian Synchrotron.

Transport

   Two Connex Melbourne-operated trains at Flinders Street Station.
   Enlarge
   Two Connex Melbourne-operated trains at Flinders Street Station.
   Melbourne is famous for its extensive tram system where modern and
   heritage trams run side by side
   Enlarge
   Melbourne is famous for its extensive tram system where modern and
   heritage trams run side by side
   The Bolte Bridge
   Enlarge
   The Bolte Bridge

   Melbourne has an integrated public transport system known as Metlink.
   While the public transport network is of considerable size, many of
   Melbourne's outlying suburbs still face transport difficulties.

   Melbourne's public transport system was largely laid out late in the
   19th century when trains and trams were the primary methods of
   travelling to the suburbs. Since this time, the extensive system has
   been maintained and modernised. The 1950s saw a trend towards private
   vehicles and freeway construction. This policy has continued with
   successive governments despite relentless traffic congestion. The
   result has been a significant drop in public transport modeshare from
   the 1940s level of around 25% to the current level of around 9%.
   Melbourne's public transport system was privatised in 1999.

   Melbourne's famous tram network is both one of the world's most
   extensive and the only one comprising more than a single line remaining
   in Australia, a distinctive feature of the city. Trams are not only a
   form of transport, but a tourist icon of Melbourne. Visitors are served
   by a free City Circle Tram, taking in many tourist sights and there is
   also a fleet of restaurant trams, the first of its kind in the world.
   There are almost 300 bus routes and a mostly- electric train system
   with more than 15 lines. 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, which depart from
   Melbourne's other major rail terminus, Southern Cross Station.

   Melbourne has a high dependency on private cars for transport, with
   only 7.1% of trips made by public transport. Melbourne has a total of
   3.6 million private vehicles using 22,320 km of road, and one of the
   higest lengths of road per capita. Although it is claimed by the
   government that no home in Melbourne is more than 400 m from a bus
   route, many of these routes have an infrequent service and do not
   operate in the evenings or on Sundays. There is a major campaign that
   hopes to bring about government change in transport planning and the
   Public Transport Users Association, the first advocacy organisation for
   public transport in Australia has been active many years. Major
   highways feeding into the city include the Eastern Freeway, Monash
   Freeway and West Gate Freeway (which spans the spectacular Westgate
   Bridge), whilst other significant road systems include CityLink and the
   Western Ring Road, Calder Freeway, Tullamarine Freeway (main airport
   link) and the Hume Freeway which links Melbourne to Sydney.

   The Port of Melbourne is Australia's largest container and general
   cargo port and also its busiest. 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 ( Qantas and Virgin Blue) 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 the airport at Tullamarine,
   handles general aviation and some cargo flights, and is the base of the
   Victoria Police air wing and air ambulance.

Utilities

   Water storage and supply for Melbourne is managed by Melbourne Water,
   which is owned by the Victorian Government. The organisation is also
   responsible for management of sewerage and the major water catchments
   in the region. Water is mainly stored in the largest dam, the Thomspon
   Reservoir which is capable of holding around 60% of Melbourne's water
   capacity, while smaller dams such as the Upper Yarra Reservoir and the
   Cardinia Reservoir carry secondary supplies. Like most cities in
   Australia, Melbourne currently faces a water crisis, with water
   storages at less than 50% for most of 2006. Water restrictions are in
   place and the state government has considered water recycling schemes
   for the city.

   The main natural gas and electricity to Melbourne are Origin Energy,
   AGL and Energy Australia. Numerous telecommunications companies operate
   in Melbourne providing terrestrial and mobile telecommunications
   services. Electricity for Melbourne is primarily sourced from the coal
   power stations of Latrobe City.

Sister cities

   Melbourne has six sister cities. They are:
     * Japan Osaka, Japan (1978)
     * People's Republic of China Tianjin, China (PRC) (1980)

     * Greece Thessaloniki, Greece (1984)
     * United States Boston, United States (1985)

     * Russia Saint Petersburg, Russia (1989)
     * Italy Milan, Italy (2004)

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
