Melbourne, Australia has many visitor attractions in the fields of arts, culture, sport and entertainment. This short article examines some aspects of the city's history, and some modern day cultural and sporting events held in the city. The Hilton hotel, near the international airport, is a convenient Melbourne Airport accommodation for visitors arriving by air.
Melbourne is located around the northern and eastern shores of Port Philip Bay in the Australian state of Victoria. "The Bay" has an area of about 1900 square kilometres, and a coastline of about 260 kilometres. The major river flowing into the bay is the Yarra River, and the city centre of Melbourne is found at the mouth of the Yarra.
Port Philip Bay is quite shallow and sheltered. Beaches on the bay are mostly found in Melbourne's south eastern districts, including the St. Kilda, Port Melbourne and Albert Bay suburbs. The closest surfing beaches are outside the bay area, and are about eighty kilometres away from the centre of Melbourne.
Port Philip Bay was first explored by Europeans in 1802 by John Murray, captain of the Lady Nelson, and then by Matthew Flinders, in the Investigator. An initial settlement at Sorrento was founded but was abandoned in 1804. It was not until the 1830s that Europeans returned to the area in numbers, when settlers from Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) founded Bearbrass at the mouth of the Yarra (1835), and Geelong on the western side of the bay (1838). Bearbrass was renamed Melbourne in 1837, the name is in honour of British politician, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne.
Melbourne grew in importance, being recognized as a city in 1845, and becoming the capital of Victoria in 1851. The major growth followed the discovery of gold in the state in the 1850s. The overall population of Australia tripled, and growth in Victoria was even more rapid. Gold passed into Melbourne from the mines at a rate of two tons per week, and Australia was for a time the world's largest producer.
Nowadays Melbourne is centre for arts, commerce, tourism, sport and entertainment. In the cultural field Melbourne plays host to a variety of events and festivals, including international film and comedy festivals, and the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Melbourne is also the birthplace of the Australian TV and film industries, and in fact the world's first feature length film (The Story of The Kelly Gang, 1906) was made in Melbourne, at a cost of 1,125 pounds.
In the sporting field Melbourne is also notable, in 1956 it hosted the first Olympics to be held in Australia, and in 2006 the Commonwealth Games were held here. Three major international sporting events are held in Melbourne every year, in tennis, horse racing and motor racing. These are the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the Melbourne Cup and the Australian Open (tennis). The Australian Open is held on hard courts at Melbourne Park every January, and is one of the four Grand Slam events in the tennis calendar. The Melbourne Cup (3 year olds and up, over two miles) is held on the first Tuesday in November at Flemington Racecourse, and the Australian Grand Prix is usually the first race of the Grand Prix calendar.
Visitors to Melbourne will probably fly into Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine. The airport is an international hub for Qantas and Virgin Blue, and there are domestic flights to all other Australian state capitals. There are many options for Melbourne airport accommodation. One possibility is the Hilton Melbourne International Airport Hotel. This is connected to the airport by a covered walkway, while still being just twenty minutes away from Melbourne's city centre.
Melbourne is located around the northern and eastern shores of Port Philip Bay in the Australian state of Victoria. "The Bay" has an area of about 1900 square kilometres, and a coastline of about 260 kilometres. The major river flowing into the bay is the Yarra River, and the city centre of Melbourne is found at the mouth of the Yarra.
Port Philip Bay is quite shallow and sheltered. Beaches on the bay are mostly found in Melbourne's south eastern districts, including the St. Kilda, Port Melbourne and Albert Bay suburbs. The closest surfing beaches are outside the bay area, and are about eighty kilometres away from the centre of Melbourne.
Port Philip Bay was first explored by Europeans in 1802 by John Murray, captain of the Lady Nelson, and then by Matthew Flinders, in the Investigator. An initial settlement at Sorrento was founded but was abandoned in 1804. It was not until the 1830s that Europeans returned to the area in numbers, when settlers from Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) founded Bearbrass at the mouth of the Yarra (1835), and Geelong on the western side of the bay (1838). Bearbrass was renamed Melbourne in 1837, the name is in honour of British politician, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne.
Melbourne grew in importance, being recognized as a city in 1845, and becoming the capital of Victoria in 1851. The major growth followed the discovery of gold in the state in the 1850s. The overall population of Australia tripled, and growth in Victoria was even more rapid. Gold passed into Melbourne from the mines at a rate of two tons per week, and Australia was for a time the world's largest producer.
Nowadays Melbourne is centre for arts, commerce, tourism, sport and entertainment. In the cultural field Melbourne plays host to a variety of events and festivals, including international film and comedy festivals, and the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Melbourne is also the birthplace of the Australian TV and film industries, and in fact the world's first feature length film (The Story of The Kelly Gang, 1906) was made in Melbourne, at a cost of 1,125 pounds.
In the sporting field Melbourne is also notable, in 1956 it hosted the first Olympics to be held in Australia, and in 2006 the Commonwealth Games were held here. Three major international sporting events are held in Melbourne every year, in tennis, horse racing and motor racing. These are the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the Melbourne Cup and the Australian Open (tennis). The Australian Open is held on hard courts at Melbourne Park every January, and is one of the four Grand Slam events in the tennis calendar. The Melbourne Cup (3 year olds and up, over two miles) is held on the first Tuesday in November at Flemington Racecourse, and the Australian Grand Prix is usually the first race of the Grand Prix calendar.
Visitors to Melbourne will probably fly into Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine. The airport is an international hub for Qantas and Virgin Blue, and there are domestic flights to all other Australian state capitals. There are many options for Melbourne airport accommodation. One possibility is the Hilton Melbourne International Airport Hotel. This is connected to the airport by a covered walkway, while still being just twenty minutes away from Melbourne's city centre.
About the Author:
Jasmine Zahara is seen as a reputed blogger with a casual office in Melbourne Accommodation and is enthusiastic with regards to this region of Australia. Jasmine publishes articles on many regional Victorian themes and sees Beechworth as an example of the most engaging country Australia hot spots.
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