Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is the located in the southeastern part of Australia.  It is 465 km (289 miles) from Canberra and 713 km (443 miles) from Sydney.

Melbourne is the capital of Victoria and the great metro area is home to 5 million people making it the second largest city in both Australia and Oceania.

Melbourne was founded in 1835 and in 1847 Queen Victoria declared it a city.  It became one of the world's wealthiest cities due to the 1850s gold rush in Victoria.  In 1901 it became the interim capital of Australia until Canberra became the permanent capital in 1927.

Melbourne Town Hall was completed in 1887.

St. Paul's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral.  It was completed in 1891.

The Old Melbourne Gaol opened in 1845 and closed in 1924.  The former prison is now a museum.

The Eight Hour Day Monument was erected in 1903.  It champions workers' rights by supporting 8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, and 8 hours of recreation and education.

The Victoria State Library opened in 1854.  It is the country's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the world.



The Scots' Church was founded in 1838.  It was the first Presbyterian church built in Victoria.


The Melbourne City Synagogue was consecrated in 1877 making it the oldest in the city.

The Royal Society of Victoria was formed in 1854.

The Queen Victoria Market is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere.  

The City Baths were built in 1903.  The purpose was to get people to stop bathing in the Yarra River.

St. James Old Cathedral is an Anglican church and it is the city's oldest church.  It was dedicated in 1847 and it is one of only three buildings in the city that predates the 1851 gold rush.

The Royal Exhibition Building was completed in 1880.  In 2004 it became a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Regent Theatre opened in 1929.  It closed in 1970 but finally reopened in 1996.

Melbourne Museum opened in 2000 and it is the largest museum in the Southern Hemisphere.  It is home to the world's largest IMAX theatre screen.

Chinatown is in the CBD.  It came about during the gold rush and it is the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the Western World.

The Museum of Chinese Australian History was established in 1985.  It was refurbished in 2010 and since then it also acts as the local visitor centre.

Parliament House opened in 1856 but wasn't completed until 1929.  It serves as parliament for Victoria but it was the country's parliament from 1901 to 1927.




Princess Bridge opened in 1888 and crosses the Yarra River.

The Block Arcade opened in 1892.  It is one of the most popular shopping arcades in the city.

Great Petition was unveiled in 2008 to commemorate 100 years of women's suffrage in Victoria.



The Lutheran Trinity Church was built in 1874.  Surprisingly most of the church services here are in German.



Marvel Stadium opened in 2000.  It is home to The Australian Football League.






St. Patrick's Cathedral is the Catholic cathedral and it was consecrated in 1897. In 1986 it was made a Minor Basilica.  It is the largest church building in Australia.



Melbourne is a great city.  It has a very European feel to it which I guess makes sense as it has a large Italian community as well as the largest Greek-speaking population outside of Greece.

Melbourne has the world's largest urban tram network and it is often ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world.  For me it's the architecture that stands out.  Every modern building is unique and intersects with more historic buildings.

And no visit to Melbourne is complete without doing the Great Ocean Road.