Australian Travel and Business Directory
About the Regions 
Capital: MELBOURNE
Population: 5,000,000 (Dec 2004)
Area Size: 227,600 km2
Longitude / Latitude: 145.0°E / 37.50°S
Time Zone: UTC+10 (+11 DST)
Climate: warm, dry summers - cool, mild wet,winters
Roadside Assistance: RACV
Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia, it is also regarded among many Australians as the sports and beer capital also. Melbourne attracts most of the best festivals, exhibitions and stage shows to come to Australia. For many years Melbourne was the film and television industry headquarters. Part of the cultural experience is the many ethnic influences, which are stronger than in any other Australian city.
From elegant Victorian-era buildings and Murray River paddle steamers to maritime museums and steam trains, or preserved goldmining towns to bushrangers lairs, evidence of Victoria's colourful place in Australia's history is evident. Ancient burial sites also testify to the long history of Aboriginal occupation in Victoria. If you're into exploring, you will find littered around Victoria many markers that have been preserved to plot important historic sites. The gold rush caused the rapid expansion of Melbourne and nearby Geelong, and the injection of wealth led to the construction of many fine public and private buildings, including imposing churches, hotels and homes.
You will probably be surprised to hear that the Snowy Mountains on the
Victoria and New South Wales border receives more snow than
Switzerland! Access to the snowfields also doesn't require exhaustive
travel, you can drive, fly or catch a bus to Victoria's snowfields,
most within a 3 hour drive of the city. Victoria's alpine resorts lie
predominantly to the north-east of Melbourne.
Victoria is roughly the size of the British Isles, with its capital Melbourne located around the shores of Port Phillip Bay, with the city itself nested on the Yarra River, aproximately five kilometres from the bay, and is Australia's 2nd largest city. Located in the south-east, bordered by South Australia and New South Wales, the landscape consists of mountains, rainforests, deserts, snowfields, vineyards and market gardens. The land of 4 seasons in one day, Victoria's unique and varied landscapes are easily accessible as day trips from Melbourne. A network of first-class roads, connecting the state's cities and towns as well as interstate destinations, means it is easy to reach your destination by car, motorbike or bicycle.
As most know, Australians are crazy about their sport! As spectators or competitors, Australians can't seem to get enough of it. One in particular is Australian rules, invented in Melbourne, and is the predominant winter sport in most parts of Australia. The Victoria Football League was once the dominating force in Australian Rules Football, now shared with other states as the Australian Football league.
top
