Melbourne is the second most largest city in Australia, after Sydney. Its metropolitan area has a population of almost 4 million people, from a large number of cultures and with a rare diversity. Until Federal Parliament moved to the capital of Australia at Canberra, Melbourne served for a while as the federal seat of government.

Melbourne is a melting pot with endless options. The city sweeps you up into laneways and libraries, art galleries, parks, shops, theatres and a vibrant waterfront atmosphere.

The city was founded by free settlers in 1835. It grew rapidly and transformed into a major metropolis, by the gold rush in the 1850s. Such rapid growth from nothing was unprecedented at the time. After 1900, the city growth slowed and it was overtaken by Sydney as the largest city in Australia.

Melbourne is located in south-east Australia, on the northern and eastern shorelines of Port Phillip and at the mouth of the Yarra River. It has a very diverse and multicultural population. The city hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

With its mix of Victorian and contemporary architecture, its Victorian parks and gardens and its extensive tram network, the city of Melbourne is today a major centre of commerce, industry and cultural activity, a sporting and cultural capital, a “a gamma world city”, home to many significant cultural and sporting events and institutions.

All City Rankings in Worldwide Surveys

	Ranked 1st	Most Livable Cities (2002)
	Ranked 2nd	Most Livable Cities (2008)
	Ranked 2nd	Most Livable Cities (2005)
	Ranked 11th	Most Liveable Cities (2007)
	Ranked 11th	Best Cities to Live in (2004)
	Ranked 17th	Cities with Best Quality of Life (2008)
	Ranked 17th	Cities with Best Quality of Life (2007)
	Ranked 29th	Safest Cities (2008)
	Ranked 43rd	Healthiest Cities (2007)

 

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Tags: Australia, Best Cities of Australia, Cities, Melbourne

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