Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 03:09, 27 December 2002

Melbourne is the state capital of and the largest city in Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia, with a population of 3,366,542 (census 2001).

Melbourne is located in the south-eastern corner of mainland Australia, approximately 800 kilometres southwest of Sydney. It sits looking on to Port Phillip Bay, its suburbs sprawling to the east, following the Yarra River out to the Yarra and Dandenong mountain ranges, south-east to the mouth of the bay, and west and north to flat farming country. The central business district (the original city) is laid out in a grid, its southern side backing on to the Yarra.

Melbourne is a large commercial and industrial center, with many of Australia's largest companies, and many multinational corporations (approximately one-third of the 100 largest multinationals operating in Australia as of 2002) headquartered there. It is home to Australia's largest port, several prominent universities (most notably the University of Melbourne), and much of Australia's automotive industry (including the engine manufacturing facility of Holden, and the Ford and Toyota manufacturing facilities) amongst many other manufacturing industries.

Melbourne, while having a large and vibrant arts and cultural life (notably including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival each autumn), is perhaps best known as the most sports-obsessed city in the world. Melbourne has ten of the sixteen teams in the Australian Football League, whose five games per week attract, on average, about 35,000 people per game. Melbourne hosts the Australian tennis open, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Melbourne Cup (the most prestigious handicap horse race in the world), a hugely-attended cricket Test Match starting each year on Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (a massive arena that holds 100,000 spectators), a round of the Formula One World Championship, amongst many other events attracted to the city by the readiness of spectators to attend, as well as aggressive attempts by the state government to attract them.

Melbourne was founded in 1834 by a group of free settlers, unlike many of Australia's capital cities which were founded as penal colonies. With the discovery of gold in central Victoria in the 1850s, Melbourne quickly grew as a port to service the necessary trade and by the time of Federation shared pre-eminence with Sydney as Australia's most important cities. Until 1927 and the construction of Canberra, Melbourne served as Australia's centre of government.

Melbourne continued to grow steadily throughout the first half of the 20th century, particularly with the post-WWII influx of migrants and the influence of hosting the Olympic Games in 1956. While continuing to grow, however, Sydney's influence on Australian affairs grew stronger at the expense of Melbourne's. Capitalising on this mood, the Liberal government of Jeff Kennett revitalised the city through the 1990s with aggressive development of new public buildings and publicising Melbourne's merits both to outsiders and Melbournians. Despite a recent change of government, the re-energised city continues to grow rapidly.

One notable feature of the Melbourne landscape is a mobile one - the tram. Melbourne is the only Australian city to retain a significant light rail system throughout its inner suburbs. They are of great interest to tourists (particularly those from the US in which light rail systems disappeared a lifetime ago). The traditional W-class trams have been relegated to an infrequent "City Circle" tourist loop around the city. In 2001, the first new Citadis 300 TGA 202 trams were bought from France. These low-floor trams are complemented by a massive development upgrade of some city tram stops in 2002. The new "super stops" marginally improve shelter, information and safety for travellers.

Tourist Information

Whilst perhaps lacking the showy icons of Sydney and the beaches of the Gold Coast, Melbourne attracts large numbers of tourists, particularly young backpackers. It also hosts a disproportionate amount of spectator sports.

Popular sites and events include:

• The MCG. From April to September, there is typically one or two Australian rules football matches there per week; the game can be spectacular, it is unique to Australia, relatively inexpensive to attend, and is safe and enjoyable for all, including children. During the summer, cricket matches are played there - the most important being the Boxing day test match between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and several one-day international games in January and February which are perhaps more enjoyable for the casual spectator. There is also a museum at the ground.
• Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open tennis tournament, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Held in January each year.
• The Melbourne Museum', recently moved to a new building on the northern fringe of the city, next to the Exhibition Buildings, which were built in the 1880's for a World's Fair (one of the few such buildings still standing). To many Melburnians, the most significant exchibit is probably the preserved body of Phar Lap, a famous racehorse of the Depression era, but technically-inclined visitors may be more interested in CSIRAC, the fifth electronic computer built and the only one of its generation to survive intact.
• The curiously-named National Gallery of Victoria (not to be confused with the National Gallery in Canberra), is an art museum hosting a reasonable collection of art, including both western art and a decent collection of Aboriginal art. Currently under renovation, the permanent exhibition is reopened in 2006(?)
• The Rialto Tower, Melbourne's tallest building, gives an excellent view of the city.
• The Victorian Arts Centre at Southbank (the southern fringe of the city, just south of the historic Flinders Street Station) hosts Opera Australia's Melbourne season, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Australian Ballet Company, Chunky Move (Australia's best-known contemporary dance company) and other touring productions. A Melbourne landmark, the acoustics of the building are far better than the Sydney Opera House and the tickets are considerably cheaper, so, given a choice, tourists are advised to see operas here rather than in Sydney. Unfortunately, the opera season is rather limited. There are also typically several musicals playing in theatres around the CBD, mostly several years after their production on Broadway or the West End, but usually of good quality and at quite reasonable cost.
• Crown Casino, a short walk along the Yarra River from the Arts Centre, is a truly gargantuan gambling palace, also containing restaurants, upmarket boutiques, several nightclubs, a hotel tower, a cinema complex, and regular floorshows. Very much Las Vegas in miniature, it is either loved or hated by both residents and tourists.

Melbourne's restaurants are numerous, and are generally of reasonable quality and good value (particularly for foreign tourists who can take advantage of the low value of the Australian dollar). Below are some of the major restaurant strips, however there are many other restaurants not in these locations which offer similar or better-quality food and usually at lower cost. The Age newspaper produces two "Good restaurant" guides - one for low-cost eating and another for more elaborate restaurants.

• Chinatown, on Little Bourke St. and now spreading out onto Russell St. in the CBD, ofers numerous restaurants, mainly but not exclusively offering Cantonese cuisine, at the lower end offering Hong-Kong style noodle restaurants up to Flower Drum, renowned for its peking duck and generally regarded as Melbourne's best restaurant. There are many other restaurants throughout the CBD.
• Lygon St, in the inner-northern suburb of Carlton, offers a selection of mainly Italian-influenced food. To some extent a tourist strip, the quality is variable with some restaurants with decent reputations and others avoided by locals. The nearby Melbourne University means that students throng to the better-value places; tourists may consider following their lead.
• Brunswick St in inner-suburban Fitzroy used to be a grungy hotbed of students, musicians, actors, and the like, and still retains some remnant of that edginess with the presence of several live music venues, all manner of eclectic stores, accompanied by restaurants and cafes, many of which serve varied and contemporary menus (though prices have crept up with the growing gentrification of the area). Brunswick St went through a growth phase and rapidly became a casual place to eat. The rise in number and income level of people living within walking and hearing distance are changing the feel. Several chain companies targeting the upwardly mobile post-university crowd saw the trends (late!) and opened branches on Brunswick street, putting further rent pressure on the interesting, but low turn-over stores. Almost all buildings in the once light industrial surrounding area have been converted into apartments. This puts parking pressure on the area and noise restrictions over the previously vibrant musical scene. People have started dressing in the over-trendy, have-I-made-it-yet style, previously reserved for the "Chapel St" area of Melbourne. Luckily there are still plenty of people wearing alternative or comfortable sloppy clothes. However because there are fewer unexpected things to do on the street, you almost need a reason to visit. Lunch and a couple of second hand book stores are two choices. Brunswick St is more vibrant at night than during the day.
• Chapel St, south of the city is a popular destination for fashionable clothes shopping, eating and entertainment. The long street contains commercial areas providing goods and services for local residents. This variety makes the street arguably more interesting than Lygon and Brunswick streets which have a higher proportion of eating establishments. Chapel St intersects with Toorak Rd, itself offering entertainment, food and shops. Both streets are full of people dressed in Melbourne's current fashion.

As one would expect from a city its size, Melbourne contains all manner of pubs, bars, and nightclubs. The CBD contains a wide variety of venues, from the ubquititous faux-Irish pubs proliferating around the world, to some very upmarket establishments (such as the Supper Club, which offers all manner of exclusive wines at exclusive prices), serious jazz venues (Bennetts Lane), trendoid dance venues, and massive pickup joints (of which The Metro on Bourke St is perhaps the biggest). The restaurant strips, particularly Brunswick St. have their own bars, some of which are the best rock venues in Melbourne. King St, on the southern side of the CBD, was traditionally a nightclub strip and still hosts several, but many are now exotic dancing venues (a final note in this topic, small brothels are legal in Victoria and are found discreetly dotted throughout the suburbs). Chapel St. Prahran, is perhaps the trendiest, most upmarket (and most expensive) nightlife strip. The final area of note is St. Kilda, background for the TV show The Secret Life of Us, which is the home of several huge music venues including the famous Esplanade Hotel, the Prince of Wales, and The Palace Complex. On its beachside setting, it also combines the upmarket with the grungy.

The recent influx of city-dwellers have given rise to the numerous underground bars and sidewalk cafes in the alleys between Flinders St - Flinders Lane and Bourke St - Lonsdale St. As such, the nightlife in these areas are none too shabby. Notable alleys include Block Arcade/Block Place (off Little Collins), Degraves St (off Flinders Lane), and Hardware Lane (between Bourke & Lonsdale).

Melbourne is a reasonably cheap and easy place to shop. There are large numbers of souvenier shops on Swanston Street in the central business district selling the usual array of t-shirts, didgeridoos, boomerangs, and the like. There are innumerable clothing shops for every budget, though bargain hunters may wish to try the outlet stores in Bridge Road, Richmond.

Urban walkers will find Melbourne a safe and convenient place to walk. Suggested off the beaten-track walks include:

Walk 1. City centre to South Melbourne beach. Tram back to the city. Suggested return time including lunch, coffee, relaxing on the beach: 4-5 hours. Maps: see the excellent Melway street directory pages 2F and 2J/K. "Public" Toilets: Casino and South Melbourne Market. Best days: when South Melbourne Market is open.

This walk covers some pleasant, quiet areas of Melbourne including the established residental areas immediately south west of the city centre.

• Start at Bourke St Mall and head south via Melbourne's narrow shopping lanes and arcades. Start with Royal Arcade.

• Cross Little Collins St and take Block arcade.

• Cross Collins St and take Centre Way arcade to Centre Place. (These arcades are a good place to have breakfast or morning tea).

• Cross Flinders Lane, view the Majorca building facade and keeping heading south down Degraves St. Half way down this, take a detour down stairs to the Degraves St railway station entrance. There is typically some understated art work on display. Off peak there is a quietness to the place. Melbourne must have been all like this some 40-50 years ago. Head up stairs to street level near the shops.

• Cross Flinders St at the Elizabeth St intersection. Just to the right of the street-level station entrance is an underpass to the river bank.

• Cross the footbridge and turn right (west) along the Yarra River. Follow the river with the other tourists, bike riders and thrill seekers. Cross Queensbridge road. Pass along the casino facade.

• At Clarendon St, when the casino ends and the Melbourne Convention centre begins, turn left (south). (Possible detour: visit the clearly visible tall-ship "Polly Woodside" at the maritime museum a few metres further along the river). This few hundred metres along Clarendon St shows interesting evidence of the area's change from light industrial to commercial to apartment-style living. The roads here are definitely not as grid-like as the city centre.

• At Coventry St turn right (west). The South Melbourne Market is a block away.

• Pick up some comestibles at the South Melbourne Market for your own picnic, or eat at one of the nearby cafes (outside the market on Coventry St). Recommended at South Melbourne Market are the dimsims at the Dragon Wok (Stall 25 in the deli section). These are unique, tasty and extra-large. Deep fried dimsims are a traditional Australian food. Also available steamed.

• Explore South Melbourne and its architecture. Walk along Ward St across from the market, See the architecture of houses in the block near the town hall, see the portable iron houses (see local maps).

• From the Market head south-east along Cecil or Ferrars or Clarendon streets until you reach Park St.

• Turn right (west) and wend your way to St Vincents Gardens. Following the tram line is a convenient and good route.

• The gardens are a good place for a picnic. Or just around the corner in Bridport St is the Albert Park shopping area where you can get a cafe meal.

• Follow the tram line along Bridport (which effectively becomes Victoria St) to the beach. There are some good places along here for dinner if you plan to stay a little longer.

• Catch a tram back to the city.

Walk 2. Cross town inner urban swathe. This walk is not as salubrious or visually as pleasant as Walk 1. It covers several inner urban areas including the ever changing Smith St, the slowly changing Brunswick St cafe area, and the ever-steady Lygon St Italian restaurant area. It shows the disparity between low-cost, government-subsidized accommodation (mostly high rise buildings) and the recent oversupply of not-so-high rise city apartments catering for the upwardly mobile. It takes in areas with good cafes and restaurants. Check the local food guides and make your choice before starting the walk.

This walk is recommended during weekdays or Saturday mornings. The interesting (for social observation purposes) commercial part of Smith St is pretty much shut on Sundays.

Maps: Melways 43,44

Distance: a bit.

Time: depends. This area is well serviced by trams heading to the city for walkers that run out of time.

Toilets: cafes you patronize.

• Start at Flinders St Station. Cross Swanston St to the new Federation Square complex and head to the Yarra River bank. Walk upstream (east) through the new Birrarung Marr park.

• At the Tennis Centre just before the Swan St bridge, skirt around the far side of the tennis centre and find the footbridge up over the railway lines to the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) with the tall, white light towers.

• Head north past the MCG and walk up Jolimont Terrace, cross the railway line and cross Wellington Parade. The large Fitzroy Gardens is visible at the north west corner of the intersection.

• Stroll through Fitzroy Gardens to its north boundary, Albert Rd. Find a road north to Victoria Parade (Lansdowne, Eades and Clarendon streets are the north/south roads at the western, middle and eastern boundaries of the park respectively.) Cross Victoria Parade and find the southern end of Smith St, which is between Eades and Clarendon streets. (It has the McDonalds on the corner.)

• Walk north up Smith St. The southern end up to Gertrude St is relatively empty.

• Possibly detour west along Gertrude St, checking out the galleries and more intimate bar/cafes. Backtrack to Smith St.

• On Smith St north of Gertrude there is a section with useful commercial stores, second hand clothing stores (aka "Opp shops", short for "opportunity"), a pawn shop or two, bars (with signs "toilets for patrons use only"). Further north a few trendy household gizmo stores appear, with some small galleries. This section between Gertrude and Johnston streets is generally quiet on Sunday, but otherwise shows the daily life of the locals. The modern automated toilet a block or so south of Johnston St is not recommended. Note the general lack of prosperity of the area and the litter. Note the "Tidy Street" award sign (just north of Johnston St).

• One short detour is to turn right at Johnston St for a couple of blocks, returning to Smith St the same way. Abandoned shoe stores with one shoe left in the window, old weathered doorways, artist displays in shopfronts converted into cheap accommodation.

• North of Johnston St the modern inner urban area begins with a surge of supposed "Factory" outlets, including the sporting goods stores and some outdoor gear i.e. bushwalking stores. These are all open and crowded throughout the weekend.

• Turn left at Westgarth St, before hitting Alexandria Parade (aka Eastern Highway on the map) and walk through to Brunswick St. This is a pleasant residential area.

• Turn left at Brunswick St, and head south, sauntering past the excellent cafes. Choose one for "morning tea" (aka coffee) or lunch. The densest concentration of cafes is north of Johnston St, but there are good ones south of the intersection too, including a specialist coffee store.

• After eating keep walking south down Brunswick St, crossing Johnston St if you haven't already done so.

• At Moor St turn left, and one very short block in you will see the Fitzroy Town Hall, dominating the tiny houses surrounding it. If the reference reading room is open, visit the high ceilinged, Victorian reading room. Loop around the town hall and head back west to Brunswick St.

• Cross Brunswick St and keep heading west (along Moor or King William streets) through the residential area until you hit Nicholson St and the Carlton Gardens on the other side.

• Explore the gardens around the Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition buildings adjacent to its the south. If you brought a picnic, enjoy it here.

• From the west side of the gardens cross Rathdowne St and keep heading west two small blocks until you hit Lygon St. There are numerous restaurants and cafes here, south of Elgin St. Enjoy lunch or "afternoon tea" (aka coffee), or gelato.

• There is a second hand book store on the north side of Elgin St very near Lygon St. Near the south end of Lygon St west of the small park, is Vanbar, one of the largest photographic consumables stores in Melbourne.

• Head south down Lygon St which runs into Russell St in the CBD (central business district). Follow this south until reaching the gallery on the Yarra river bank.

• Turn right (west) and return to Flinders St station.

Outside Melbourne proper, there are a variety of interesting things to see within a day trip of Melbourne:

• The Yarra valley region, producer of high-quality wine and with beautiful rainforest scenery nearby.
• The "Surf coast" near Geelong, with excellent surf beaches and the spectacular views Great Ocean Road.
• Ballarat.
• Phillip Island, home of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, also has one of the few easily-accessible colonies of little penguins.

To do: finish dining and nightlife areas, mention some of the day trips (Surf Coast, Phillip Island, Yarra Ranges, Winery Tours)

This article is about Melbourne, Australia; see also other places called Melbourne