Melbourne - Victoria

Fast Facts

Telephone Area Code: 03

Website

• For further information visit – www.visitmelbourne.com or www.visitvictoria.com

General Information

• Melbourne is famous for its range of different cultures, food and sporting history!
• It is the home to many sporting events such as Melbourne Cup, AFL, Australian Open and many more!!
• The Yarra River flows through the city! You can cycle or run along the river banks or row in the muddy Yarra River!
• The various shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and nightlife is great for both locals and tourists to experience what Melbourne has to offer
• It is both modern but with a cosmopolitan feel to the people and the lifestyle
• Bells Beach is a famous for its beautiful waters and wave but the international surfing competition which attracts people from around the world! The beach is located about 100 kilometres drive from Melbourne

Weather

Melbourne is famous for its changing weather in one day. Australians say that sometimes you can experience four seasons in just one day!

Melbourne is one of the colder states in Australia. During the winter months, you can drive about three hours from Melbourne to the country where you can enjoy skiing at the mountains and stay at one of the many accommodation places available! Some of the ski places are Mount Buller, Mount Hotham and Lake Mountain.

The average temperature in Melbourne are:

• Summer (Nov – Mar) T: 11°C - 25°C
• Autumn (Apr – Jun)  T: 8°C - 20°C
• Winter (Jun – Aug)  T: 6°C - 14°C
• Spring (Sep – Nov)  T: 9°C - 19°C

Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is famous as it winds along the west coast of Australia between Sydney and Melbourne.

Along this road, you can see the beautiful sights of the Twelve Apostles which is a natural rock formation found in the Southern Ocean.

You can also visit some of the local towns like Torquay, Apollo Bay and Queenscliff where you can meet the local friendly people and see the maritime history, restaurants and elegant heritage hotels.

Phillip Island

Phillip Island is located 90 minute drive from Melbourne. At sunset, you can see Penguin Parade where hundreds of Fairy Penguins returns back to their burrows! It is an amazing natural sight and you can get very close to the penguins!

At Seal Rocks you can see a large population of fur seals! A good way to see the seals is using binoculars from the Penguin Parade.

The Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit is also found here! Every year, the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and V8 Supercar races are held here where thousands of spectators come to view the fast cars and motorbikes!

San Remo is the first town before you enter Phillip Island. San Remo is famous for its seafood where you can stop and grab a fresh lobster, try the local seafood or even feed the pelicans!

Formula One Australian Grand Prix

Every year, the Australian Grand Prix is held in the heart of Melbourne. Hundreds and thousands of people come to cheer their favourite driver and team to the finish line!

The roar of the engines can be heard 3 kilometres away from the circuit. This is the greatest event for motor heads in Australia.

Visit www.grandprix.com.au for more information.

Australian Open Tennis Championships

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam event for the tennis circuit and is held in January at the Rod Laver Arena.

The Tennis Open brings both glamour and the world’s best tennis players to compete for one of the Grand Slam events for the year!

Visit www.australianopen.com for further information.

Melbourne Cup Carnival

This is the ‘race that stops the nation’ as Australians would say. Melbourne Cup Carnival is held on the first Tuesday of November and the whole of Australia stops to bet and cheer their horse!

Along with the Melbourne Cup, there are other racing events held during this time. Come and see the beautiful thoroughbred horses and all the fashion that surrounds the races!

Visit www.racingvictoria.net.au if you are interest in get more information.

Rip Curl Pro

This is one of Australia’s longest running surfing competition held at Bells Beach which has been rated by professional surfers as one of the hardest waves to ride.

Bells Beach is where the famous Australian brand, Rip Curl, started back in 1969.

Visit www.surfingaustralia.com for up to date information.

Sovereign Hill

During the Gold rush in the 1850’s and 1860’s, thousands of people flooded the country side to try their luck at finding gold. This has made the country towns of Ballarat and Bendigo a wonderful historic place to come and see the lasting buildings that were built during the gold rush.

In Ballarat, you can visit Sovereign Hill and experience the lifestyle during the 1850’s. Buildings remain the same, people dress in olden day clothing, you can ride in horse-drawn carriages and pan for real gold! It is a step back into time! You can even stay at an historic hotel in Sovereign Hill for really appreciate how they used to live!

St Kilda

St Kilda is well-known for the beachside cafes and the famous Acland Street and Fitzroy Street with cakes, restaurants, bars and cafes running all along the road.

Walking along St Kilda beach you can enjoy Port Phillip Bay. During the weekends, St Kilda markets are open for all to see the handmade arts and crafts made by locals. There are also second-hand clothes along Acland Streets.

Even Luna Park is nearby with its rollercoaster rides for the dare devils in all of us.