AUSTRALIA CITY

MELBOURNE

Melbourne

This article is about the Australian metropolis. The name may also refer to the Melbourne City Centre (also known as the "Central Business District" or "CBD") or the City of Melbourne (the Local Government Area of which the Melbourne City Centre is situated). For all other uses, see Melbourne (disambiguation).

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and also the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre (also known as the "Central Business District" or "CBD") is the hub of the greater geographical area (or "metropolitan area") and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of late 2009, the greater geographical area had an approximate population of 4 million. A resident of Melbourne is known as a "Melburnian".

The metropolis is located on the large natural bay known as Port Phillip, with the city centre positioned at the estuary of the Yarra River (at the northern-most point of the bay). The metropolitan area then extends south from the city centre, along the eastern and western shorelines of Port Phillip, and expands into the hinterland. The city centre is situated in the municipality known as the City of Melbourne, and the metropolitan area consists of a further 30 municipalities.

It was founded in 1835 (47 years after the European settlement of Australia) by settlers from Van Diemen's Land.[8] The early settlement was originally known as "Bearbrass". It was renamed "Melbourne" in 1837, in honour of William .

Lamb—the 2nd Viscount Melbourne. Melbourne was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847. In 1851, it became the capital city of the newly created colony of Victoria. During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities. After the federation of Australia in 1901, it then served as the interim seat of government of the newly created nation of Australia until 1927.

Today, it is a centre for the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, sport and tourism. It is the birthplace of cultural institutions such as Australian film (as well as the feature film), Australian television, Australian rules football, the Australian impressionist art movement (known as the Heidelberg School) and Australian dance styles (such as New Vogue and the Melbourne Shuffle). It is also a major centre for contemporary and traditional Australian music. It is often referred to as the "cultural capital of Australia".

Melbourne is classified as a Beta World City+ by Loughborough University's GaWC Research Network, and as a City of Literature by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. It has been ranked as one of the top three World's Most Livable Cities by the Economist Group's Intelligence Unit (since 2002), top 10 Global University Cities by RMIT's Global University Cities Index (since 2006) and top 20 Global Innovation Cities by the 2thinknow® Global Innovation Agency (since 2007). The metropolis is also home to the world's largest tram network. The main airport serving Melbourne is Melbourne Airport

Melbourne - Summer days and Winter Nights

Melissa, Colin and Colin's Mum flew into a somewhat dryer part of Australia - Melbourne. Making our way through the mid afternoon sun, Colin was flooded with memories of when he first came as an immigrant from Belfast, Northern Ireland to this very city, as a keen eyed youth of eight years old.
 
Upon arrival today, we met Colin's 'Unkie Jack' and had a quick Chinese supper while reminiscing.   We were then taken to our accommodation in the suburb of Dingley which is near Noble Park, where Colin originally lived when he first came to Australia.
 
In the heat, we decided to take a walk to the nearby petrol station to get a cooling ice cream. While making our purchase, we observed curiously that there was firewood for sale, right underneath a bug zapper.  As night fell, the need for firewood during summer revealed itself, for although the temperature rose at times to over 40 degrees during the long days, the nighttime temperature could easily drop to below half that value
 Dinner at Alby and Marcus'
!  Melbourne is for this reason known as a place where you can experience all four seasons in one day.

It had been 20 years since Colin had been back to Melbourne and it was great fun catching up with Unkie Jack, Auntie Hazel and all of his cousins as well.  No less than FOUR wonderful daughters made up the mix:  Alby, Jackie, Maxine and when we later went to Adelaide, we met Sharon.   We had several chances to meet them and their delightful families over several lovely meals:  First, over at Alby and Marcus' place, then at the Chelsea Heights Hotel and eventually, before leaving for Adelaide, lunch at the Five Sons Estate winery.
 Melissa and Colin decided to spend a day exploring Melbourne.  While on the train heading into city they overheard the 'Waltzing Matilda' ring tone, coming from a nearby commuter's mobile.  This was immediately followed by someone with a Scottish accent, answering the phone. This sort of thing is not unusual though, as Melbourne more so than Brisbane, is a very multicultural city.

Melbourne - Summer

The city centre itself was great fun to explore and we got lost wandering through the miniature lanes and graffiti filled alleyways that made up its heart
 Flinders rail Station, Melbourne
.   We enjoyed exploring the Art Gallery at Federation Square, strolling through the charming cafés in Southgate along the Yarra River, seeing an ice skating rink (?) at the Docklands, navigating the mobs of people within the Queen Victoria Markets and finally retreating back to Southgate for some fine Italian dining at Scusami restaurant before heading home.
 
We have been told that as good as the centre of the city is, the suburban areas are equally as diverse and interesting.  One day we hope to be back to enjoy more of what Melbourne has to offer, and perhaps with better timing, we will schedule our trip to include an Aussie Rules football game, a tennis game at the Australian Open, horse racing at the Melbourne Cup, or even the Formula One auto race - So much to choose from!!!

Born to shop

Professional shopper Tali Shine tells Holly Byrnes where to find Australia's best fashion buys.

They say you can tell a man by his shoes, but well-travelled shopper Tali Shine has a new twist on this old theory: she says you can tell a city by its heels.

Whether in search of a holiday souvenir or the designer fashion she sources for clients in her role as a personal shopper, Shine has put in the legwork on the subject, both around Australia and the world.

Sizing up a city, for its style and culture, she says, is as simple as checking out the shoes on sale. "On the Gold Coast, they are all sparkly and shine, just like the place itself. In Melbourne, it's all about a sophisticated boot, while Sydney is summed up by a sexy stiletto, one with a skyscraper heel and flashing plenty of skin," she says. It's the same measure around Australia, ranging from the relaxed and comfortable in Darwin to the quirky and unexpected in Perth.

As the author of The Glam Girl's Guide To Sydney Shopping, Shine concedes Sydney is still her favourite city when it comes to her professional and personal retail adventures.

Set to launch her own cosmetics range, through David Jones stores nationally, the young entrepreneur has made good use of her travel experiences in developing her cosmetics for the girl on the go. It's the diversity of our landscape, she says, which she finds mirrored in the different styles each city has to offer.

"When you do as much travelling as I do, it's so amazing to realise how truly diverse our country is. And Australian fashion is the same," she says.

"Perth is really edgy and cool and home to some of the best designers and models in the business today. There's Megan Gale, Gemma Ward, Michelle Jank - they all come from Perth. It may be far away but it's right on the edge of what's cool in fashion now.

"My favourite place to shop there is Elle boutique in Nedlands, which was one of the first stores to champion Michelle Jank and offers a fantastic range of hand-picked items."

A shopping trip to Melbourne is like a European vacation, Shine says. "Melbourne has such a beautiful European feel and its cafe culture means there are some beautiful spots for a pit stop along the way."

The new GPO is a mecca for Shine, with favourite boutiques like Belinda, Mimco, Nicolangela and Zimmermann all in the one-stop shopping spot.

"For designer shopping, the Paris end of Collins Street is the closest thing to actually being in Paris and Miss Louise boutique - also on Collins - is a dangerous place for anyone with a shoe addiction to visit," Shine says.
"Whenever I'm in Adelaide I really like visiting the homewares stores as there are such great finds and accessories. My favourite is Outdoors On Parade, where I always find something cute."

Heading north, Darwin is the place to go pearl shopping, while Brisbane and Noosa are great places to source a resort wardrobe.

"If I'm on holiday and buying something for myself, I try to get something that really reminds me of the place, like a bikini from Noosa or a scarf from Melbourne. That way, every time I wear it, I'm taken back to that place and that holiday, even when I'm home."