Melbourne (Naarm in the Woiworrung language) is Australia's cultural capital and second biggest city, with Victorian-era architecture, extensive shopping, museums, galleries, theatres, and large parks and gardens. Many of its 5.2 million residents are both multicultural and sports-mad.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
The British settlement of Melbourne commenced in 1835 when settlers from Tasmania led by John Batman "purchased" land on Port Phillip Bay and the Yarra River from the local Aboriginal people. The streets of central Melbourne were carefully laid out in 1837, with some streets 30 metres wide. Initially dubbed Batmania after its founder, the settlement was soon renamed Melbourne after William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, the British Prime Minister at that time.
Melbourne's CBD is laid out in an orderly grid system, similar to Manhattan, meaning that navigating the CBD is easy. Melbourne has a comprehensive public transport system consisting of trams, trains, and buses. Trams criss-cross the city, trains extend to the outer suburbs, and buses cover the remaining destinations. Transport Victoria coordinates all train, tram and bus services within the state. The website and app provide a journey planner, timetables, maps and disruption information. Apple Maps and Google Maps also provide a journey planner and disruption information. Services generally operate between 5AM and midnight Monday–Saturday and after 8AM Sunday.
Melbourne is a great city for arts, culture, dining, and events. Visitors frequently comment on the "good vibe" of the city, which can only be understood by experiencing it for yourself. There are a wide and varied assortment of attractions and sights, with something for every traveller. Most are in the CBD, in close reach of public transport. Melbourne is also a good base for experiencing the other attractions of Victoria, most of which can be reached on day trips. Melbourne is Australia's best city for street art – refer to street art in Melbourne for more information. Melbourne's museums are generally well-regarded and worth a visit if you have time to spare.
Visit the Queen Victoria Market – it stretches over two blocks and holds the title of the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere. Walk along Swanston Street to find a wide variety of eateries of all types, from Vietnamese to Italian. Kick back at one of Melbourne's fantastic cafes in the CBD (Degraves St, The Causeway, and other laneways are fantastic for this), South Yarra (Chapel Street) or Fitzroy (Brunswick Street, Smith Street). For upmarket restaurants, visit Flinders Lane and select from more expensive, sit-down food and drink. See interesting films at the Art Deco-styled Astor Theatre in St Kilda. There are several moonlight cinema programs in summer.
For the culinary traveller, Melbourne is one of the best destinations in the world. There is an abundance of affordable, high-quality restaurants representing almost every cuisine. Eating out is cheaper than in Western Europe but not as affordable as North America. The service in Australian restaurants may be more discreet than many North Americans may be used to.
Melbournians often draw a distinction between 'bars', meaning the small watering holes described above, and 'pubs', which are larger establishments in the usual Australian or British sense of the word. Melbourne's pubs, particularly those in the city and inner suburbs, usually serve restaurant-standard food and a wide range of local and imported beers. Pubs usually offer lunch from approximately noon to 2PM, and reopen their kitchens for dinner from approximately 6-10PM. Gay, lesbian and transgender party goers are welcome everywhere as Melbournians are on the whole very tolerant and welcoming people.
The Australia-wide emergency number is 000, with the ambulance service, fire department and police being available through this number. It is important to take care around tram lines. Trams are heavy and it can take over 100 metres for a tram to safely stop. Even if a tram has passed, look carefully both ways, as trams will often run nose-to-tail on busy corridors like Swanston Street. Many tram stops further from the CBD often require walking on to the road. There is often traffic around trams, so be careful crossing if running to catch a tram. Driving in Melbourne can be nerve-wracking due to the presence of trams.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Oct, Melbourne typically sees ~20°C daytime highs and 12 rainy days.
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