| Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria
and the second-largest city in Australia.
It has a population of 3 million. The downtown is a mix of Victorian
architecture and modern skyscrapers. Boulevards are lined with leafy
trees.
ABORIGINAL MELBOURNE
When Europeans first settled the Port Philip region it was occupied
by five Aboriginal language groups, which formed the Kulin Nation.
These people include the Boonwurrung, Woiwurrung, Taungurung and
Djadjawurrung.
For a good introduction, take the Aboriginal Heritage walk at the
Royal Botanical Gardens
which is located at a traditional camping and meeting place for
the local custodians of the area - the Boonwurrung and Woiworung
people. See the land through the eyes of your Aboriginal guide.
Another recommended place to visit is the Bunjilaka
Aboriginal Centre at the Melbourne Museum.
NATURAL WORLD
The city is built on the banks of the Yarra
River. The Royal Botanic
Gardens and the King's Domain Gardens are impressive city parks.
BIRDING
The 11,000-hectare Western
Treatment Plant processes more than half of Melbourne's waste
and is considered a twitcher's paradise. More than 200 species of
birds have been spotted in the area. Among the birds: pelicans,
shelducks, terns, avocets, stints and sandpipers. Details about
are online Melbourne
Water Education.
WATER
A leader for sustainability education in Melbourne's nothern suburbs,
CERES Community Environment Park
has developed an Urban Water Conservation Demonstration and Research
Facility. Follow the Water
Trail!
CULTURE
Melbourne has some of the best architecture, gardens and museums
in the country. Check out the National
Gallery of Victoria.
THINGS TO DO
Head to the top of the Melbourne Observation Deck, located on level
55 of the Rialto Towers, the Southern Hemisphere's tallest office
building (232 meters).
PARKS
The city's network of parks and gardens range from classical gardens
and grand avenues of trees, to the 188-hectare Royal Park which
is being recreated as a representation of an Australian landscape.
The Carlton Gardens and the Royal Exhibition Building have received
international acclaim and were added to UNESCO's World Heritage
List in 2004.
Melbourne's newest park is Birrarung Marr, alongside the Yarra River.
This park hosts a number of festivals.
The Royal Botanic Gardens
is recognised as one of the world’s finest botanic gardens.
There are over 10,000 species and 50,000 individual plants in the
38 hectare gardens, including trees and plants of great cultural
value. Many of these plants are irreplaceable, endangered or even
extinct in the wild.
FOOD
Melbourne hosts A
Taste of Slow.
Tjanabi has
built an international reputation for the quality of its Australian
game foods and native produce, featuring Kangaroo, emu, crocodile,
wild boar and seafood. The menu reflects the traditional six seasons.
The Aboriginal owners of the Melbourne area, the Boon wurrung and
Woi wurrung divided the year into six seasons. Each season brought
with it a new bounty of seasonal produce.
MARKETS
Queen Victoria
Market
SPORTS
Melbourne is where Aussie
Rules Football originated and continues to be the most popular
sport in Victoria.
The Australian Football League is to Australia what bullfighting
used to be to Spain.
Melbourne Cricket
Club hosts major sporting events, including the grand final
of Australian Rules Football in
September.
Telestra Dome hosts rugby matches.
HISTORY
This year marks 173 years since European settlers landed on the
north banks of the Yarra River aboard the schooner Enterprize
The city grid was commissioned in 1837, the same year the city
was named after then British prime minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount
Melbourne.
Goldrushes fueled population explosions in the 1850s. The bubble
burst during the 1893 recession. The second wave of growth occured
in 1956 when the city hosted the Olympic games.
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