Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia. It has a population of over 3 million people and is the capital city of the state of Victoria.

Beautiful riverside walks, beaches, parks and gardens are features of the city and its suburbs. Melbourne also has modern museums, galleries, cinemas and theatres and is home to many international sporting events and festivals. Many of Australia's top businesses and universities are also located in Melbourne.

The people of Melbourne ('Melburnians') are well known for their love of fun, sports and their friendliness towards people from other cultures. People from all over the world have made Melbourne their home and helped to create the city's multicultural atmosphere. Their influence on the city's culture can be seen in the many examples of fine food on offer in Melbourne's restaurants and cafes. Melbourne is the capital city of the state of Victoria. Victoria is situated in the Southeast corner of Australia. Although it has one of the largest populations in Australia, Victoria is the second smallest state in size.

Victoria's compact size means that it is easy to visit the many attractions that it has to offer. Nothing is too far away for a weekend trip. The major country towns are serviced by rail or bus links from Melbourne.

Victoria is a little state that has a lot to offer. Apart from the great attractions of the city of Melbourne Victoria has friendly people, historic country towns, mountain ranges, ski resorts, wineries and beautiful ocean beaches to name a few.

While you study at Hawthorn-Melbourne you will get the chance to visit some of these places through class excursions or optional weekend trips.

The official website of Tourism Victoria (www.visitvictoria.com) contains up-to-date information on what's on in the state of Victoria and how to get there. It includes Victoria's Top 10 things to do in the state. It also contains detailed information on what's on in the city of Melbourne. It is easy to explore Melbourne using the city's public transport system. The city and its suburbs are serviced by an efficient system of buses, trains and trams. You can purchase a ticket that allows you to travel on all public transport.


Detailed information on how to get around Melbourne including timetables for bus, train and tram services can be found at: www.victrip.com.au

A useful website for finding detailed directions on exactly where an address is, including businesses and places of interest, can be found at: www.whereis.com.au Since July 2000 Australia has a Goods and Services Tax of 10 per cent on most goods and services that you buy. The tax does not apply to fresh food (but it does apply to fast food and restaurant meals) or educational items. It is usual practice for stores to display the cost of items with all taxes included. That means that the amount on the item's price tag is what you should pay. If you are unsure you should ask the shop assistant whether tax is included in the price. There are a number of Duty Free stores in downtown Melbourne and at the airport where you can purchase goods that are tax free. You will be expected to take the goods out of Australia without opening them first and there are restrictions on how much you can buy of some items such as alcohol or tobacco products. In Melbourne shops are usually open from 10am to 6pm in the city and 9am to 5pm in suburban shopping centres and malls. Most shops are also open on Saturday and Sunday but some shops may have shorter opening hours on the weekend.

There are shopping malls close to most suburbs in Melbourne. The biggest malls have hundreds of shops with clothes, books, gifts and anything else you could want.

There are also a number of open-air markets around Melbourne including the Queen Victoria Market in the city. At these markets you can buy fresh produce, souvenirs and clothes at cheaper prices than the stores.

There are a number of areas in Melbourne's suburbs that have factory outlets or discount stores where you can buy clothing and household items at discount rates. One of the best areas to shop for discount clothing is Bridge Road in Richmond. This is only a few minutes by tram from Hawthorn-Melbourne. Expensive clothing items can be bought at big savings. If you start to miss the food from back home chances are there is a restaurant in Melbourne that will serve your favourite dishes. There are many fine restaurants in Melbourne that specialise in food from many countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America. There is something to suit all tastes and budgets. Melbourne has something to offer every sports fan. Throughout the year there are a number of major international sporting events held in the city. These include the Australian Formula One Grand Prix (held in March), Australian Open Tennis (the first grand slam event of the year – held in January) and the Spring Racing Carnival (September to November) featuring the world-famous Melbourne Cup, one of the world's most prestigious horse races.
The Australian Rules Football season runs from March to September each year and there are several games on each weekend in Melbourne. During the summer (December to February) international cricket competitions are held in Australia with several games held in Melbourne. There are also international golf tournaments in Melbourne in summer. Tickets to these events are readily available although it is often difficult, and expensive, to obtain tickets to finals. For facts and figures about Australia and useful information about visiting Australia, visit the Australian Tourism Net website:
www.atn.com.au

The official website of Tourism Victoria (www.visitvictoria.com) contains up-to-date information on what's on in the state of Victoria and how to get there. It includes Victoria's Top 10 things to do in the state. It also contains detailed information on what's on in the city of Melbourne.

The official city of Melbourne site can be found at: www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

For other information about Melbourne:
www.citysearch.com.au
www.melbournetoday.com.au
www.melbourne.citysearch.com.au