Melbourne: General Informations

Ah, the Marvellous Melbourne Melting Pot! Twice ranked the "World's most livable city", you are sure to feel right at home here. Melbourne claims to be the cultural capital of Australia and does indeed have something for everyone. There are plenty of cultural festivals, performances, galleries and museums plus the annual comedy festival. Melbourne is known as the sporting capital of Australia (and maybe the world?) being the home of Aussie Rules (AFL) Football, the Australian Tennis Open, the Australian Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup, the premier horse racing Carnival which stops a nation.

Main Attractions

• ANZ Gothic Bank
• Chinatown
• Chloe and Young & Jackson Hotel
• Colonial Tramcar Restaurant
• Flinders Street Station
• Markets
• Museums
• Old Melbourne Gaol
• Queen Victoria Market
• Polly Woodside
• St Paul's Cathedral
• Victorian Arts Centre
• Windsor Hotel

How far from the airport ?

The Skybus runs a half-hourly shuttle between the airport and the city but it's not cheap. If there's more than two of you it's probably worth getting a taxi. Other shuttles run through St Kilda and around the bay and west to Geelong. Public transport between the airport and city exists but its sporadic and you'll have to do a couple of changes.

How to get around - Local transport

Sydney has a very good and functional mass transportation system ranging from ferries and buses to trains. Taxies are easily found everywhere and they are not very expensive, while not the most economical way of getting around.

Shopping Areas

Melbourne and shopping go together like zip-up boots and rainy days or sling-back shoes and summer. The web of narrow streets, beckoning laneways, wide boulevards and lovely old arcades make shopping nothing less than a pleasure. It’s renowned as a bargain hunter’s paradise with factory outlets offering the best brands at hugely discounted prices, try Bridge road for the best warehouses. For more eclectic tastes and smaller budgets, Melbourne’s multitude of markets offer an extensive array of new and pre-loved shoes clothes and accessories – try the Chapel Street Bazaar and the Camberwell and Queen Victoria markets.

Weather in Melbourne

Melbourne's climate has an unfortunate reputation: wet, windy, unpredictable and liable to extremes - very hot or very cold and often both on the same day! On the plus side, Melbourne's multitude of parks makes it a beautiful place to witness the changing seasons. It is rarely unbearably chilly - in winter the average temperature ranges between 6°C (43°F) and 13°C (55°F), the mercury rises above 35°C (95°F) only a few times each year and Melbourne's soggy reputation outstrips the reality - it receives only half the average rainfall of Sydney or Brisbane.