Visit Victoria
With such a spectacular combination of old and new architecture, Melbourne’s self-congratulation on its own greatness is hardly surprising. Here lavish parks and elegant streetscapes showcasing Georgian masterpieces disappear into buzzing arcades. Add Australia’s best eating, an excellent if quirky tram system and a packed events calendar, and you have one of Australia’s most enlightened cities. Lively banter surrounds Victoria’s climate, yet locals embrace the outdoor lifestyle and the city possesses a charm that quietly bewitches many.
Melbourne was evidently planned, with a tidy, balanced grid of neatly angled streets. But beneath this orderliness and restraint, a creative energy simmers. The city centre is made up of precincts, each with their own flavour and character: some are just a lane or two, while others cover the banks of the Yarra River, a new Docklands area or an entire street. Distinct inner suburbs extend around Port Phillip Bay: St Kilda with its diverse café and music scene, Asian-influenced Richmond and Lygon Street with its pizza, gelato and Italian style. Each area, in its way, showcases yet another side of Australia.