Victoria (VIC)
Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria and is Australia’s second largest city with a population of over 3.6 million people. It is a vibrant city often regarded as Australia’s cultural centre. Melbourne is also famous for its café culture, public gardens, architecture, and cosmopolitan atmosphere. Getting to and around the city is easy with Melbourne’s many transport options — trams, trains, buses, and taxis.
Many people are attracted to this bustling city for its sporting events, such as the Australian Open international tennis tournament, the Australian Grand Prix and Australian Rules football. In addition, throughout the year there are a variety of cultural events such as the Comedy Festival, Melbourne Fashion Festival and the Melbourne Writers Festival. During summer there are outdoor street festivals where visitors can enjoy local entertainers, foods and crafts. Melbourne also has many theatres and galleries, as well as many markets to explore, both in the city and throughout rural Victoria.
Melbourne has a wide variety of entertainment options, from live music and restaurants to bars, cinemas and theatres.
Victoria is a small state which makes it easy to explore. The popular waterfront city of Geelong is only an hour away from Melbourne. Within a day trip of Melbourne are the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas, which both feature popular beaches and picturesque towns. Further afield is the spectacular scenery of the Great Ocean Road. Stretching for over 300km, the Great Ocean Road boasts beautiful snaking coastline and stunning beaches including the world-famous Bells Beach surf beach.
Still on the coast but in the opposite direction from Melbourne is Phillip Island, where visitors can see the very popular Fairy Penguins. Further along the coast is Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia’s largest marine national park popular with hikers and famous for its beautiful natural scenery.