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While many people are more familiar with the cultural offerings of Sydney, they are often surprised to learn that Australians view Melbourne as the cultural centre of the country. It is filled with theatres, art galleries, museums, performance groups, and many other artistic and cultural features. There are also many lovely gardens, parks, and open green spaces scattered throughout the city, offering visitors many pleasant locations for taking a break from their tourist activities.
A great place to start is in the City Centre district of Melbourne. There you will find a huge array of boutiques and department stores to satisfy your shopping urges, as well as plenty of cafes and bistros to satisfy your hunger and urge to relax over a meal or a beverage. The Queen Victoria Market is particularly colourful, filled with a huge variety of vendors selling everything from fresh foods to dried flowers to arts and crafts to souvenirs and more. It is quite easy, in fact, to spend the better part of a day exploring the market area and still not see everything there is of interest.
Also in the City Centre district you will find the Parliament House of Victoria offering free tours as well as the State Library with its rich collection of historic architecture, books, and general history information about Melbourne. Move over to the Parkville district and you will find the internationally recognised Melbourne Zoo, home to a terrific mix of native Australian animals as well as exotic animals from other parts of the world. The setting of the zoo is quite lush and designed to be as natural as possible, including a number of outdoor areas for enjoying a picnic or just a rest in the shade. The University of Melbourne is also located in the Parkville district, and is well worth visiting to enjoy its beautiful Victorian-era architecture and lush gardens that meander throughout the campus itself.
The people of Melbourne are also well known for their avid love of sports, particularly the unique and active sport of Australian Rules football. During the football season it sometimes seems as if the entire population of Melbourne has gone a bit bonkers, filling up the Telstra Dome to the rafters with enthusiastic fans. If you have never experienced Australian Rules football before, it's a good idea to visit AFL World where you can find out everything you could want to know about this very popular sport.
Melbourne is home to an extremely diverse population, including large immigrant communities of Greek, Vietnamese, Italian, and Jewish origin. The multicultural feel of Melbourne translates in part to a wealth of wonderful restaurants and cafes serving a huge array of foods from around the world. Whether you decide to sample native Australian foods or dine in one of the fine Greek, Italian, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai, or Middle Eastern restaurants located throughout the city, it's nearly impossible to go hungry during a Melbourne holiday.
There are two international airports serving the city (Melbourne Tullamarine Airport and Melbourne Avalon Airport) where a wide selection of flights is available from many major international carriers. Taxis, buses, and shuttle services are readily available to and from both of these airports, plus many larger hotels offer complimentary transportation services for their guests.
Wiki:- Melbourne
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