Melbourne - VIC

Information

Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria, with a population of 3,200, 000 (3.2 million) it is the second largest city in Australia. Situated on the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay. Melbourne is renowned for it's cosmopolitan lifestyle and cultural offerings. It is a large city that maintains an old world ambiance, with its narrow lanes and a running network of trams. However, it is also a modern vibrant city with a large number of commercial buildings and a reputation of being the financial hub of Australia.
In 1835 John Batman "purchased" around 240,000 hectares of land from the indigenous land owners. By 1837 the town of Melbourne was surveyed and named. In 1851 the colony of Victoria was officially announced and by this time the population was more than 80 000.
In 1851 Alluvial Gold had been discovered in several places in the surrounding area of Melbourne. By 1854 the population had increased dramatically to 300,000. The infamous Gold Rush in Melbourne, Victoria laid the foundations for making it Australia's major financial centre.
A famous icon of Melbourne is Flinders Street Railway Station. It is located right in the middle of the city, the building was completed in 1899. The Queen Victoria Market is another famous and historic venue. The markets have been running since 1866, traditionally it was a wholesale market for fresh produce. Melbourne is full of different museums to please every visitor, from the Melbourne Museum to the Olympic Museum. Melbourne is infamous for its culinerary delights and claims to have some of the best restaurants in the country. Life does not stop when the sun sets in Melbourne, with it's fashionable cafes, music bars and diverse range of theatre productions, there is always something to do.
The telephone code for Melbourne and the state of Victoria is 03. Melbourne observes AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) which is GMT + 10 hours. In summer is observes AEDT (Australian Eastern Daylight saving Time) which is GMT + 11 hours.