Melbourne: The Place To Be

When girls in Australia think of Melbourne, usually their thoughts first jump to shopping, fashion and night life. As for the boys... Sport. Perhaps it is a little over looked in overseas travelers to Australia as they tend to head North to the warmer climates of the Gold Coast and large internationally known cities like Sydney.

I can not write this article on Melbourne without mentioning sport. Melbournians are crazy about sport, any sport at all but particularly Australian Rules Football which originated there. Melbourne also hosted the 1956 Olympic Games and is pushing to host it again. Another prime event on it's list is the 2020 FIFA World Cup. During the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Melbourne hosted the soccer events.

The Melbourne Other events are the Cricket, Formula One Grand Prix (held down at Phillip Island) and the Australian Open.

Melbourne is the only city in the world to have 5 international sports grounds (did I mention we love sports):

• MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) - Football, Cricket
  
• Rod Laver Arena - Tennis
  
• Olympic Park - Soccer, Athletics
  
• Etihad Stadium - Football, Concerts
• Flemingtion Race Course - Horse Racing

All of these places are worth going to even if there is no event on.

Coming into the Melbourne CBD at night is like stepping into a different city. Just take a walk up Swanston St and experience some of the free street entertainment. Catch a show at one of the many impressive theatres or head to the clubs.

Crown Casino

Crown is Melbourne's premier casino, with live shows, restaurants and all the gaming you can handle (or your wallet can handle). Situated along Southbank, Crown is always a buzz of activity.

Bars and Clubs

There is no shortage of clubs and bars open around the city. Some require a door fee and others don't, check out barfinder to pick one you like.

You can also take a quick train to Chapel St or a tram to St. Kilda or Docklands for even more options in places to go.

CBD

Be sure to head in to the heart of Melbourne for fashion city central. The giant Melbourne Central shopping centre located between Lonsdale, Swanston, La Trobe and Elizabeth Streets covers a massive two city blocks. With three levels and connected via over head walkthroughs it is easy to spend an entire day here. Oh and did I mention that it has it's own train station located underground note to mention countless trams and buses that allow access via the bordering streets.

Be sure to also take a trip down a few alleyways and arcades to explore some of the unique shops and find some fantastic 1 off clothing items and accessories. It really would take days and days to explore them all.

Docklands - Harbour Town

Opening in 2008, Harbour was a project designed to draw traffic down to Docklands. Featuring a gigantic Southern Star Observation Wheel and over 100 retail outlets (some are direct factory outlets offering up to 70% off retail price!) it really is a beautiful place to shop. The majority of it is also outdoors making it fantastic for those sunny Melbourne days.

Movies

Apart from it's sporting fame Melbourne has been featured in few international films.

• Jackie Chan's 1997 Mr. Nice Guy was filmed in the streets of Melbourne and features a classic Jackie Chan scene in Melbourne Central.
• 1991 Point Break with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze talked of the world famous Bell's Beach. One of the best surfing beaches in the world.
• 2003 Ned Kelly featuring the late and great Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom is based on the infamous bushranger Ned Kelly from Melbourne.
• Also Ghost Rider, Chopper, The Castle, Mad Max and many others.
  

Famous People

A lot of talent has come out of Melbourne:

• Eric Bana. You may remember him from huge smash hits such as Black Hawk Down as the crack Delta Hoot, Hulk as Bruce Banner, Troy as Hector and most recently in Funny People as the footy mad Clarke. He also did the voice for Anchor in Finding Nemo and Australians will know him best for his role as Mark 'Chopper' Read in Chopper.
• Kylie Minogue. Hugely successful singing career with top hits in Australia and Europe, however the USA never really caught onto here style. She started out her career on Neighbours and moved on to a singing career with the chart topper 'Locomotion'.
• Geoffery Rush. Talk about a superstar! Although not born in Melbourne, Geoffery moved their when he was nine. From winning an Oscar for his performance in Shine, to Javert in Les Miserables to the wacky Captain Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Not to mention many others.

Most places in Melbourne can be access by public transport, with trams on nearly every street in the CBD and rail system that has 5 stations in the CBD alone. Melbourne also has a unified ticket system so you can use the same ticket on a bus, tram or train.

Queen Victoria Market

Dive into the fun experience of the bustling market. With over 600 traders spread over 7 hectres with a huge range of products it is a great place to visit. Sunday is the best day to go, with entertainers arriving to give the market a carnival like atmosphere. Getting there is just a short 10 minute walk north of the CBD.

Southbank

Set along the south banks of the Yarra River, southgate provides a huge variety of shops, resteraunts and cafe's. Jump on a cruise boat and head on a tour up the river, stand and watch the entertainers along the bank or head to the Eureka building and take a 40 second ride up the 88th floor. Here you will find a skydeck with 360 degree veiws (and even glass floors in some parts) overlooking Melbourne.

Parks and Gardens

One of the amazing things about Melbourne are the parks that surround the CBD. It's easy to take a short walk from the city and sit down to relax in large green parks filled with native plants.

This is just a taste of Melbourne, make sure you check out the links below for further information.