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Capital city of Victoria, Australia
Photo: Shkuru Afshar, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Melbourne (Naarm in the Woiworrung language) is Australia's cultural capital and second biggest city, with Victorian-era architecture, extensive shopping, museums, galleries, theatres, and large parks and gardens. Many of its 5.2 million residents are both multicultural and sports-mad. The capital of the south-eastern state of Victoria, and located at the head of Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne is a magnet for migrants from all over the world, and consistently ranks as one of the world's most livable cities.
Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD) and historical core north of the Yarra River, including the offices and apartments of Docklands to the west and the Southbank entertainment precinct on the Yarra River.
Sunny beaches and a great restaurant, bar and nightlife scene.
Includes the old ports of Melbourne, the historic Clarendon Street town centre and famous Grand Prix circuit.
The University district, as well as Lygon Street, famous for Italian culture and cuisine.
Working-class and Bohemian quarter, with some trendy boutiques, cafés and pubs full of character, as well as the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Expensive, bougie neighbourhood of Melbourne, with fancy shops and restaurants.
Bicycle hire and bike rentals. Also offers a range of guided bicycle tours through various Melbourne precincts.
By train
Southern Cross Station is Melbourne's regional rail hub for interstate and intrastate travel. It's on the western side of the CBD, with good public transport connections to the rest of the city.
By car
From Sydney, the quickest route to Melbourne is the Hume Highway, which takes 10 hours of driving without any stops. This road is almost all dual-carriageway (freeway).
By bus
Bus services to Melbourne from out of state are provided by Firefly Express (from Adelaide and Sydney only, fares starting at $65), Greyhound and Flixbus.
By boat
Melbourne is served by several international cruise ships throughout the year, particularly in the summer cruise season.
By public transport
Transport Victoria coordinates all train, tram and bus services within the state. The website and app provide a journey planner, timetables, maps and disruption information.
By taxi
Uber and Didi operate rideshare services in Melbourne.
By car
Driving in Melbourne's CBD is generally inadvisable. Congestion tends to be bad, street parking difficult to find, and parking in multi-storey carparks tends to be rather expensive.
By bike
The inner suburbs of Melbourne have a good network of bike paths, plus a generally flat terrain, making pedal-power a great way to take in the city.
By foot
Melbourne is an excellent city for walking and you should have no problems navigating the CBD grid. The walking time between each end of the CBD is less than 30 minutes.
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