MELBOURNE - City of Cultural Precincts !!

Melbourne City Hugging the tip of the Australian east coast, Victoria is Australia's second-smallest state, covering 227,600 square kilometres – roughly the size of the British Isles. Packed into such a compact area is a wealth of diverse regional areas and attractions, from sweeping coastline and pristine beaches to national parks and forests teeming with wildlife to wineries, lakes and mountains offering skiing, climbing and hiking.

DOCKLANDS

In the early 1850s, Melbourne was in the midst of the gold rush. Victoria Dock (now Victoria Harbour) in Docklands was created to meet the demands of the accompanying mass migration. Docklands is a compelling addition to Melbourne, offering a world-class waterfront city. The Docklands precinct is still under development. When it's complete in 2020, Docklands will be as large as the Melbourne central business district, with 20,000 residents, along with many thousands of workers and visitors.

The City of Melbourne respectfully acknowledges that it is located on the traditional land of the Kulin Nation. This special place is now known by its European name of Melbourne. Today, Melbourne is one of the great multicultural cities of the world, and is a significant meeting place. For the Wurundjeri, Boonerwrung, Taungurong, Djajawurrung and the Wathaurung which make up the Kulin Nation, Melbourne has always been an important meeting place and location for events of social, educational, sporting and cultural significance.

Melbourne’s famous Queen Victoria Market, a carryover from the Victorian times. Queen Victoria Market has a rich history and was officially opened in March 1878. Many of the buildings date back to around that time, this is a working market with meat, fish, bakery and delicatessen sections as well as scores of fruit and vegetable vendor’s stalls and general merchandise.

PLACES OF INTEREST

THE COLONIAL TRAMCAR RESTAURANT

Take a two or three-hour tram tour of inner Melbourne while you enjoy a three, four or five-course meal. The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant is the world's first travelling tramcar restaurant. Historic trams have been converted into first-class restaurants, with stablisers fitted to ensure a smooth ride through the scenic streets of Melbourne. The restaurant trams travel the same tracks as Melbourne's regular trams but you certainly get a different perspective of the city from a padded dining seat. The restaurants-on-tracks have been operating since 1983 and are very popular with visitors. This is a great way to see the city and some of its main landmarks.

Flinders Street Station

Apart from being the hub of Melbourne's transport system, is one of the city's great landmarks and icons. Opened in 1884, the station dominates the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets. The steps under the station's famous domed clock tower has long been the most popular meeting place for Melbourneans coming into the city.

La Trobe Cottage

It is situated in the King’s Domain, an area of parklands and gardens near the southern entrance to the Royal Botanic Gardens. The prefabricated cottage was brought to Australia from England in 1839 to house the city’s first governor, Charles Joseph La Trobe. Restored by the National Trust and it contains some original furnishings.

The Melbourne Aquarium
It was officially opened in January 2000 and is now host to over 30 exhibits and providing a home for 3,000 animals. It is located on the corner of Flinders & King Streets and overlooks the Yarra River. It has a striking view directly across to Crown Casino and to the east, up-river, to Southgate. The tour begins with the Antarctica exhibition, a display of a variety of penguins frolicking, swimming, socialising and watching you watching them. You then follow a meandering path which passes further Experiences, of what the Aquarium has classified as, the Weird & Wonderful, River to Reef and ending with Sharks Alive.

Old Melbourne Gaol

It is a bleak setting but an interesting attraction nonetheless. It was the scene of 135 hangings, including that of Australia's most famous outlaw, Ned Kelly (Kelly's armour and death mask are on display.) The gaol has such a strong association with hanging that it's not surprising that there is an exhibition on the "Art of Hanging", featuring the "Hangman's Box" and its contents. The gaol is a relatively small and narrow building with cells either side on three levels. When the prisoner was hung and his body dropped through the trapdoor, he would have been hanging in the main ground-floor corridor of the gaol. This must have been an horrific experience for the other prisoners.
Night performances by staff are a feature of the gaol. You can follow a warder by candlelight as he makes his way through the Gaol, giving an account of its history and telling stories about those who were hanged there.

Queen Victoria Market

At the northern, top end of the city (bounded by Victoria, Elizabeth, Peel and Franklin streets), is Melbourne's famous Queen Victoria Market, a carry-over from the Victorian times. Queen Victoria Market has a rich history and was officially opened in March 1878. Many of the buildings date back to around that time, This is a working market with meat, fish, bakery and delicatessen sections as well as scores of fruit and vegetable vendor's stalls and general merchandise. There are more than 1000 stalls, most of them set up outdoors under tin roofs with iron gables.

St Paul's Cathedral

This is the grand structure opposite Flinders Street Station. It is a great example of late 19th century Gothic-Revival architecture. The interior is renowned for its wonderful carved cedar woodwork, tessellated tiled floors, stonework and stained glass.

The Arts Centre

At the start of the St Kilda Road Boulevard, is Melbourne's main arts, music and theatre complex. There are two main buildings on the left as you leave Flinders Street Station and walk across Swanston Street Bridge. The buidings are situated alongside the Yarra River and Southbank.

The Windsor Hotel

This is something of a landmark in Melbourne and is Australia's only remaining grand hotel. As such, it is classified by the National Trust. A multi-million dollar refurbishment program, while updating the hotel's facilities, has ensured that the Victorian grandeur and opulence of the great hotel has been retained.

W.R. Johnston Collection

A living part of Melbourne's modern Chinatown, the Chinese Museum is a national museum, brought into being in 1985 to document, preserve and display the history of Australians of Chinese descent who have helped shape and develop what it means to be Australian today. An exciting range of changing exhibitions, heritage tours and public seminars are some of the ways by which the Chinese Museum shares the past, culture, and values of Australia's Chinese community with the wider public .The Museum is also home to Dai Loong and the Millennium Dragon, the largest dragon in the world, which weaves through the streets of Melbourne following a 100 year old Melbourne tradition.

Victoria’s capital, Melbourne, sits on the Yarra River and around the shores of Port Phillip Bay. Lauded for its sense of style and elegance, Melbourne boasts glamorous festivals and events, Australia’s best shopping, a lively passion for eating and drinking, and a flourishing interest in the arts. Restored and preserved nineteenth century architecture, built following the discovery of gold, provides a heady reminder of a prosperous age, while beautifully tended parks and gardens present a therapeutic respite from the pace of city life.

CHINESE MUSUEM

Feast for the Senses

Melbourne and surrounding Victoria offer a feast for the senses, with delectable cuisine, awe inspiring landscapes, rejuvenating experiences and more.

Five top taste sensations in Melbourne

1. Melbourne Food and Wine Festival – held annually in March
2. Day of wine tasting in the Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula
3. A fine dining experience at the exquisite Botanical in trendy South Yarra, new style Japanese at the renowned Nobu on Southbank, or fusion cuisine at Federation Square’s Taxi Dining Room
4. Queen Victoria Market – taste the local and international cheeses, meats and antipasto at Melbourne’s most famous market, operating since 1878
5. Chocolate tasting from some of Melbourne's finest chocolate specialists hidden away in the city's ornate arcades.

Five vibrant visuals in and around Melbourne

1. Great Ocean Road – miles of sensational scenery, thundering surf and breathtaking views
2. 360° views of Melbourne from Eureka Tower's 88th floor, the Southern Hemisphere’s highest observation tower
3. Victorian Arts Centre and stunning Federation Square - both architectural icons
4. Australia's largest labyrinth of cobblestone laneways and art deco arcades
5. Stroll along the palm-tree-studded St Kilda Boulevard and watch the sun go down over Port Phillip Bay.

Five super sounds in Melbourne

1. Roar of the crowd from the Melbourne Cricket Ground or Etihad Stadium during an Australian Rules football match day in the heart of the city
2. Revs of the F1 motor racing cars in Albert Park during the Australian Grand Prix in March
3. Sultry tunes from Melbourne's river precinct during the Melbourne Jazz Festival each May
4. Known as one of the best music cities in the world, enjoy original live music any night of the week
5. The ‘ding ding’ sound of the bell of an iconic Melbourne tram as it transports the city's residents and visitors around the compact grid system.

Five arousing aromas in Melbourne

1. Smell the hops and experience the pride, spirit and tradition of one of the world's great brewers by taking the Carlton Brewhouse and Brewery Tour
2. The perfume of the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, held annually in March/April
3. The stimulating smell of coffee – one of Melbourne's obsessions
4. The mouth-watering Italian aromas on Lygon Street, Melbourne's Little Italy; the sweet spices of China Town on Little Bourke Street; or Victoria Street's Little Vietnam with exotic Asian herbs
5. Breathe in the salty ocean air on one of Melbourne's beautiful sandy beaches.

Five touching moments in Melbourne

1. Be pampered at one of Melbourne's inner-city spa retreats or take off to Daylesford Spa country for a weekend of romantic indulgence
2. Visit a wildlife sanctuary and get up close and personal with Australia's native animals
3. Choose your textile and make your own spring carnival hat with a Melbourne milliner
4. Go strawberry picking in rural Victoria then experience the area's colonial past with afternoon tea at a country farm house
5. Feel the textures of the latest fashion as you explore Melbourne's unique shopping scene.

So visit and Stimulate your Senses in Melbourne !!!