Melbourne, at the head of Port Phillip Bay, is Australia's second largest city and the capital of the south-eastern state of Victoria.
Serving as Australia’s undisputed cultural capital, Melbourne is bursting with Victorian-era architecture, famed cafés, great bars and restaurants, extensive shopping, museums, galleries, theatres, and large parks and gardens. Its nearly 5-million residents are both multicultural and sports-mad, and the city has year-round festivals, sporting events and the best of Australian culture on display.
Melbourne is famous as the host city for a range of major international sporting events such as the Australian Open, Melbourne Cup Carnival and Formula 1 Grand Prix. It also features some of the world's most popular art galleries and museums (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum) and internationally acclaimed festivals (Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Melbourne Fringe Festival). The city is also represented by its world-famous street art, coffee culture, pubs and live music... most of which can be found tucked away in a large number of iconic laneways. Frequently named as the World's Most Liveable City, Melbourne is close to and features many gardens, national parks and areas that are home to some of Australia's iconic wildlife (The Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park, Phillip Island, Royal Botanic Gardens). Indigenous sites, museums and experiences (Koorie Heritage Trust, Birrarung Marr, Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre) maintain a vital link to the people and culture of the First Nations.