Melbourne, Australia has many visitor attractions in the fields of arts, culture, sport and entertainment. This short article examines some aspects of the city’s history, and some modern day cultural and sporting events held in the city. The Hilton hotel, near the international airport, is a convenient Melbourne Airport accommodation for visitors arriving by air.

Melbourne is located around the northern and eastern shores of Port Philip Bay in the Australian state of Victoria. “The Bay” has an area of about 1900 square kilometres, and a coastline of about 260 kilometres. The major river flowing into the bay is the Yarra River, and the city centre of Melbourne is found at the mouth of the Yarra.

There are a number of sheltered beaches on Port Philip Bay. Most can be found in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs, such as Port Melbourne, Albert Park and St. Kilda. Visitors seeking surfing beaches will have to travel a bit further from the city centre. The nearest surfing beaches are about 80 kilometres from the CBD (Central Business District).

Port Philip Bay was first explored by John Murray on the Lady Nelson in 1802, closely followed by Matthew Flinders on the Investigator. The first settlement by Europeans was at Sorrento, but it was soon abandoned (1804), and it was thirty more years before permanent settlements were founded. The settlement at Bearbrass, at the mouth of the Yarra river, was founded in 1835 by settlers from Tasmania, which was then known as Van Diemen’s Land. In 1837 Bearbrass was renamed Melbourne in honour of the British politician Lord Melbourne.

Melbourne became a city in 1845, and capital of Victoria in 1851. It owes most of its early growth and importance to the Victoria Gold Rush in the 1850s. Following the discovery of major gold reserves in Beechworth, Ballarat and Bendigo the population of Australia tripled in just ten years. At the time Ballarat was the largest gold producer in the world, and two tons of gold per week was passed through the Treasury Building in Melbourne.

Nowadays the city of Melbourne is recognized as being major centre for sports and for culture. Every year Melbourne hosts cultural events such as international film and comedy festivals, and a fringe festival. The city is also the birthplace of Australia’s film and television industries. In 1906 the film “The Story Of the Kelly Gang” was filmed in Melbourne, at a cost of 1125 pounds. This was the world’s first ever feature length film.

Melbourne is also a notable location for international sport, and has hosted both Olympic and Commonwealth Games. Major sports of local interest are cricket and Australian Rules Football. There are also three major annual international events held in Melbourne. The Australian Open in tennis is the first of the four Grand Slams held every year. It is held at Melbourne Park in January. The Melbourne Cup (horse racing) is held in November (Flemington Racecourse), and the Australian Grand Prix (Formula One motor racing) is now held in Melbourne (was previously in Adelaide).

Tullamarine (Melbourne International Airport) is the main airport for the area. It is an international hub airport for the Australian carriers Qantas and Virgin Blue, and there are many domestic flights connecting Melbourne to the other state capitals in Australia. The Hilton Melbourne Airport Hotel is a convenient option for Melbourne airport accommodation. This hotel connects directly to the airport via a covered pedestrian walkway, and is just twenty minutes distant from the city centre of Melbourne.

Jasmine Zahara is a popular writer with a business office in Melbourne Accommodation and is passionate regarding this area of Australia. Jasmine is currently writing on all regional Victorian things and sees Beechworth Victoria as one of the most fascinating country Australia vacation spots.

Loading...