Melbourne Backpacker Tours & Attractions

The capital city of Victoria is also Australia's second largest city. With a population nearing 3 ½ million people, Melbourne is the self-appointed cultural and sporting capital of the nation. Melbourne had humble beginnings in 1835 when John Bateman 'bought' land from the local Aboriginal tribe in exchange for tools, flour and clothing. By 1840, there were over 10,000 people living in Melbourne and the discovery of gold in the surrounding areas brought wealth and large scale public building works to the city. Melbourne flourished until the depression of the 1880's, but then recovered to become the financial and manufacturing centre of the country. Melbourne's population and cultural heritage was given a huge boost in the post World War II years, when a heavy international advertising campaign brought thousands of immigrants to the city from Europe, Asia and the America's. Melbourne was promoted as a wonderful place to live and grow and indeed did win the title of the 'world's most liveable city' in 1990.

Melbourne and its suburbs sprawl around Port Phillip Bay and are divided into northern and western suburbs, and southern and eastern suburbs by the Yarra River. The central business district sits on the north bank of the Yarra about 5km from the bay. Most places of interest are either within the central city area or beyond the urban sprawl.

Yarra River & Melbourne Skyline
Photographer: Andrew McGregor
Courtesy Tourism Victoria

In 1956 Melbourne hosted the Olympic Games. It was the first of two times that the Games were held in the Southern Hemisphere, (the other time being Sydney in 2000), and this showcased to the world, Melbourne's obsession with all things sporting. The National Tennis Centre and Tennis Australia are here. This is where the Australian Open is hosted. The Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix runs through the city's streets and one of the most famous horse races in the world, the Melbourne Cup, brings the nation to a stand still every November. Add to this the almost fanatical enthusiasm that the city has for Australian Rules football, where crowd attendance's reach over 50,000 per game on a weekly basis in season and you start to get an idea of 'sports mad Melbourne'.

Melbourne will also host the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the second largest sporting event to the Olympic Games. Click here to find out more information about these games.

Melbourne is the only Australian city to maintain widespread use of trams as a form of public transport. The green and yellow trams lumber around the city and suburban streets creating peak hour frustration for drivers and an affordable transport mode for locals and visitors alike.

Yarra River & Melbourne Skyline
Photographer: Gene Moule
Courtesy Tourism Victoria

Melbourne is world renowned for its cultural festivals and artistic culture. The annual Moomba festival and parade weaves its way through the city streets each year and the Lygon Street Festival in Carlton has a distinctively Italian feel to it. The National Gallery of Victoria is just south of the city. If cafes and restaurants are your thing, then there are too many to count housed in the suburban areas of St. Kilda, Toorak, Fitzroy, Carlton, South Yarra, Malvern and Prahran.

Shopping is also a favourite past time of Melbourne residents and Melbourne is regarded as the fashion capital of Australia. The expensive boutiques can be found along the ritzy shopping precincts on Collins Street in the city and Chapel Street in South Yarra, Commercial Road in Prahran and Toorak Road in Toorak.