MELBOURNE

Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, has consistently been ranked as one of the world’s most liveable cities (The Economist magazine).

The entire metropolitan area, which takes in eleven suburbs, covers 8,806 sq km and has a population of 3.9 million. Melbourne hosts over a million international visitors each year. All of these residents, workers and travellers can take a break on of the nearly 140,000 cafe or restaurant seats, or walk through some of its 567.8 hectares of parkland. They can visit Melbourne's tallest building, the 300m high EurekaTower, or its oldest building, the Mitre Tavern, built in 1837.

It is a comparably young city, with 48% of people aged less than 35. More than 233 nationalities live in Melbourne, making it one of the world's most multicultural cities. It has the largest Greek and Italian communities outside of those countries.

The city is known for its restaurants, fashion boutiques, café-filled laneways, bars, galleries, and village-like inner suburbs. The CBD is also notable for its distinct blend of contemporary and Victorian architecture and is home to the world’s largest tram network.

Melbourne has world class health and education facilities.

Melbourne is the birthplace of Australian film and television (as well as the world’s first feature film), Australian rules football, Australian impressionist art movement (known as the Heidelberg School) and Australian contemporary dance (including the Melbourne Shuffle and New Vogue styles). It is also home to Australia’s first, and largest, art gallery (the National Gallery of Victoria) and largest sports stadium (the Melbourne Cricket Ground).