Melbourne is Australia's second largest city. It is well-known as the cultural and fashion capital of
Australia and famous for its fine restaurants. It is a multicultural city with more than one quarter of Melbourne's inhabitants born overseas. The locals are passionate about football and ballet, fashion and restaurants and not to mention the best coffee in Australia! The natural geographic feature of the
Yarra River, meant that the area was prime settling land for Europeans in the 1830’s, therefore reflecting the Victorian era, architecture and leafy, established boulevards. Further developments such as Federation Square and the
waterfront Docklands provide a striking contrast of architectural mixture. Vibrant neighborhoods such as
Fitzroy,
Carlton and
St Kilda are full of life and produces some of the most innovative art, music, food and performance ideas in the country. Visitors come for its shopping, restaurants, nightlife and sporting calendar; most agree that it's one of the world's most liveable cities. Melbourne is well-known for its large collection of public artworks, statues and sculptures. Melbourne has more theatres than any other city in Australia! The National Gallery of Victoria is the oldest and largest public art gallery in Australia. The city hosts numerous major film festivals including the
Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The city is strong in the performing arts as it is home to the Australian Ballet and is also the second home of Opera Australia. No visit to Melbourne is complete without stopping and checking out its galleries, the
Discovery Centre or the incredible IMAX theatre which shows movies in 3-D. Melbourne is also known as the sporting capital of Australia. The city has a long history of hosting many major sporting events. The large amount of world class stadiums, tournaments and teams based in the city makes Melbourne the most popular city to visit or host sporting events.