Melbourne

Melbourne(Victoria)
Population:	4.0 million[1](2nd)
Density:	1566/km (4, 055.9/sq mi) (2006)[2]
Established:	30 August 1835
Coordinates:	374849S1445747E
Elevation:	31 m (102 ft)
Area:	8806 km (3, 400.0 sq mi)
Time zone: Summer (DST)	AEST(UTC+10) AEDT(UTC+11)
LGA:	31 Municipalities across Greater Melbourne
County:	Bourke
State District:	54 electoral districts and regions
Federal Division:	23 Divisions
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Annual Rainfall 19.8 C 68 F 10.2 C 50 F 646.9 mm 25.5 in

Melbourne(pronounced/mlbn/, locally also[mlbn, -bn][3]) is thecapitaland most populous city in the state ofVictoria, and also the second most populous city inAustralia.[2]

TheMelbourne City Centre(also known as the "Central Business District" or "CBD")[4]is the hub of the greater geographical area (or "metropolitan area") and theCensus statistical divisionof which "Melbourne" is the common name.

As of late 2009, the greater geographical area had an approximate population of 4 million.[1][5]

A resident of Melbourne is known as a "Melburnian".[6]

The metropolis is located on the large naturalbayknown asPort Phillip, with the city centre positioned at theestuaryof theYarra River(at the northern-most point of the bay).[4]

The metropolitan area then extends south from the city centre, along the eastern and western shorelines of Port Phillip, and expands into thehinterland.

The city centre is situated in themunicipalityknown as theCity of Melbourne, and the metropolitan area consists of afurther 30 municipalities.[7]

It was founded in 1835 (47 years after theEuropean settlement of Australia) bysettlersfromVan Diemen's Land.[8]The early settlement was originally known as "Bearbrass".[9]

It was renamed "Melbourne" in 1837, in honour of William Lambthe2nd Viscount Melbourne.[8]Melbourne was officially declared a city byQueen Victoriain 1847.[10]

In 1851, it became the capital city of the newly created colony of Victoria.[10]

During theVictorian gold rushof the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities.[11]

After thefederation of Australiain 1901, it then served as the interimseat of governmentof the newly created nation of Australia until 1927.[12]

Today, it is a centre forthe arts, commerce, education, entertainment, sportandtourism. It is the birthplace ofculturalinstitutions such asAustralian film(as well as thefeature film), [13][14]

Australian television, [15]Australian rules football, [16]theAustralian impressionist artmovement (known as theHeidelberg School)[17]andAustralian dancestyles (such asNew Vogueand theMelbourne Shuffle).[18][19]

It is also a major centre for contemporary and traditionalAustralian music.[18]

It is often referred to as the "cultural capital of Australia".[20]

Melbourne is classified as aBeta World City+byLoughborough University's GaWC Research Network, [21]and as aCity of LiteraturebyUNESCO'sCreative Cities Network.[22]

It has been ranked as one of the top threeWorld's Most Livable Citiesby theEconomist Group'sIntelligence Unit(since 2002), [23][24][25][26]top 10 Global University Cities byRMIT's Global University Cities Index (since 2006)[27][28][29]and top 20 Global Innovation Cities by the 2thinknow Global Innovation Agency (since 2007).[30][31][32]

The metropolis is also home to theworld's largest tram network.[33]The main airport serving Melbourne isMelbourne Airport.

Melbourne Landing, 1840; watercolour by W. Liardet (1840)

Early history and foundation

Before the arrival of European settlers, the area was occupied for an estimated 31, 000 to 40, 000 years[34]by under 20, 000[35]hunter-gatherersfrom threeindigenousregional tribes: theWurundjeri, BoonwurrungandWathaurong.[36]

The area was an important meeting place for clans and territories of theKulinnation alliance as well as a vital source of food and water.[37][38]

The first European settlement in Victoria was established in1803onSullivan Bay, near present-daySorrento, but this settlement was abandoned due to a perceived lack of resources. It would be 30 years before another settlement was attempted.[39]

In May and June 1835, the area that is now central and northern Melbourne was explored byJohn Batman, a leading member of the TasmanianPort Phillip Association, who negotiated a transaction for 600, 000 acres (2, 400 km2; 940 sq mi) of land from eight Wurundjeri elders.[37][38]

Batman selected a site on the northern bank of the Yarra River, declaring that "this will be the place for a village", and returned toLauncestoninTasmania(then known asVan Diemen's Land).

However, by the time a settlement party from the Association arrived to establish the new village, a separate group led byJohn Pascoe Fawknerhad already arrived aboard theEnterprizeand established a settlement at the same location, on 30 August 1835. The two groups ultimately agreed to share the settlement.

It is not known what Melbourne was called before the arrival of Europeans. Early European settlers mistranslated the words "Doutta-galla" which are believed to have been the name of a prominent tribal member, but said by some to also translate as "treeless plain".

This was nevertheless used as one of the early names for the colony.[40]

Batman's Treatywith the Aborigines was annulled by theNew South Walesgovernment (which at the time governed all of eastern mainland Australia), which compensated the Association.[37]

Although this meant the settlers were now trespassing on Crown land, the government reluctantly accepted the settlers'fait accompliand allowed the town (known at first by various names, including 'Batmania'[9][41]) to remain.

In 1836, Governor Bourkedeclared the city the administrative capital of thePort Phillip Districtof New South Wales, and commissioned the first plan for theHoddle Gridin 1837.[42]

Later that year, the settlement was named Melbourne after the British prime ministerWilliam Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who resided in the village ofMelbournein Derbyshire, and the General Post Office opened under that name on 13 April 1837.[43]Melbourne was declared a city byletters patentofQueen Victoria, issued on 25 June 1847.[10]

The Port Phillip District became a separate colony of Victoria in 1851 with Melbourne as its capital.

"Canvas Town", South Melbourne in the 1850s. Temporary accommodation for the thousands who poured into Melbourne each week during the gold rush.

Victorian gold rush

The discovery of gold in Victoria in the same year led to the Victorian gold rush, and Melbourne, which provided most service industries and served as the major port for the region, experienced rapid growth.

Migration to Melbourne, particularly from overseas including Ireland and China, caused a massive population increase. Slums developed including a temporary "tent city" established on the southern banks of the Yarra, the Little Lonsdale district and atChinatown.

The population growth and flow of gold into the city helped stimulate a program of grand civic building beginning with the design and construction of many of Melbourne's surviving institutional buildings includingParliament House, theTreasury Buildingand Treasury Reserve, theOld Melbourne Gaol, Victoria Barracks, theState Library, Supreme Court, University, General Post Office, Government House, Customs HousetheMelbourne Town Hall, St Paul's, St Patrick'scathedrals and several major markets including the survivingQueen Victoria Market.

The city's inner suburbs were planned, to be linked by boulevards and gardens. Melbourne had become a major finance centre, home to several banks, theRoyal Mintto Australia's firststock exchangein 1861.[44]

Before the arrival of white settlers, the indigenous population in the district was estimated at 15, 000, but following settlement the number had fallen to less than 800, [45]and continued to decline with an estimated 80% decrease by 1863, due primarily to introduced diseases, particularlysmallpox.[35]

The land boom and bust

The economic boom of the Victorian gold rush peaked during the 1880s and Melbourne had become the richest city in the world[11]and the largest city afterLondonin theBritish Empire.[46]Melbourne hosted five international exhibitions at the large purpose-builtExhibition Buildingbetween 1880 and 1890spurring the construction of several prestigious hotels including the Menzies, Federal and theGrand (Windsor).

During an 1885 visit, English journalistGeorge Augustus Henry Salacoined the phrase "Marvellous Melbourne", which stuck long into the twentieth century and is still used today by Melburnians.[47]

Growing building activity culminated in a "land boom" which, in 1888, reached a peak of speculative development fuelled by consumer confidence and escalating land value.[48]

As a result of the boom, large commercial buildings, coffee palaces, terrace housingand palatial mansions proliferated in the city.[48]

The establishment of a hydraulic facility in 1887 allowed for the local manufacture of elevators which, in turn resulted in the first construction of high-rise buildings.[49]This period also saw the expansion of a major radial rail-based transport network.[50]

A brashboosterismthat had typified Melbourne during this period ended in 1891 with a severe depression of the city's economy, sending the local finance and property industries into a period of chaos[48][51]during which 16 small banks and building societies collapsed and 133 limited companies went into liquidation.

The Melbourne financial crisis was a contributing factor in theAustralian economic depression of the 1890sand theAustralian banking crisis of 1893. The effects of the depression on the city were profound, although it recovered enough to grow slowly during the early twentieth century.[52][53]

Lithograph of theRoyal Exhibition Building(now aWorld Heritage site) built to host theWorld's Fairof 1880

Federation of Australia

At the time of Australia'sfederationon 1 January 1901, Melbourne became the temporary seat of government of the federation. The first federal parliament was convened on 9May 1901 in the Royal Exhibition Building, where it was located until 1927, when it was movedtoCanberra. TheGovernor-General of Australiaresided atGovernment Housein Melbourne until 1930 and many major national institutions remained in Melbourne well into the twentieth century.[54]

Flinders Street Stationwas the world's busiest passenger station in 1927 and Melbourne's tram network overtook Sydney's to become the world's largest in the 1940s. During World War II, Melbourne industries thrived on wartime production and the city became Australia's leading manufacturing centre.

Post-war period.

After World War II, Melbourne expanded rapidly, its growth boosted byPost war immigration to Australia.[55]

While the "Paris End" of Collins Street began Melbourne's boutique shopping and open air cafe cultures[56], the city centre was seen by many as stale, the dreary domain of office workers, something expressed byJohn Brackin his famous paintingCollins St., 5 pm(1955).[57]

The eyes of the world were on the city when it hosted the1956 Summer Olympics.

Suburban expansion intensified, serviced by new indoor malls beginning withChadstone Shopping Centre.[58]The post-war period also saw a major renewal of the CBD andSt Kilda Roadwhich significantly modernised the city.[59]

New fire regulations and redevelopment saw most of the taller pre-war CBD buildingsdemolished. Many of the larger suburban mansions from the boom era were also either demolished or subdivided.

To counter the trend towards low-density suburban residential growth, the government began a series of controversial public housing projects in the inner city by theHousing Commission of Victoria, which resulted in demolition of many neighbourhoods and a proliferation of high-rise towers.[60]

In later years, with the rapid rise of motor vehicle ownership, the investment in freeway and highway developments greatly accelerated the outward suburban sprawl and declining inner city population.

TheBoltegovernment sought to rapidly accelerate the modernisation of Melbourne. Major road projects including the remodelling ofSt Kilda Junction, the widening ofHoddle Streetand then the extensive1969 Melbourne Transportation Planchanged the face of the city into a car-dominated environment.

Australia's financial and mining booms between 1969 and 1970 resulted in establishment of the headquarters of many major companies (BHP BillitonandRio Tinto, among others) in the city.Nauru's then booming economy resulted in several ambitious investments in Melbourne, such asNauru House.

Melbourne remained Australia's main business and financial centre until the late 1970s, when it began to lose this primacy to Sydney.[61]

As the centre of Australia's "rust belt", Melbourne experienced an economic downturn between 1989 to 1992, following the collapse of several local financial institutions. In 1992 the newly electedKennettgovernment began a campaign to revive the economy with an aggressive development campaign of public works coupled with the promotion of the city as a tourist destination with a focus on major events and sports tourism.

During this period theAustralian Grand Prixmoved to Melbourne from Adelaide. Major projects included the construction of a new facility for theMelbourne Museum, Federation Square, theMelbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, Crown Casinoand theCityLinktollway. Other strategies included the privatisation of some of Melbourne's services, including power and public transport, and a reduction in funding to public services such as health, education and public transport infrastructure.[62]

Melbourne and the Yarra in 1928

Contemporary Melbourne

Since 1997, Melbourne has maintained significant population and employment growth. There has been substantial international investment in the city's industries andproperty market.

Major inner-city urban renewal has occurred in areas such asSouthbank, Port Melbourne, Melbourne Docklandsand more recently, South Wharf.

According to theAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Melbourne sustained the highest population increase and economic growth rate of any Australian capital city in the three years ended June 2004.[63]

These factors have led to population growth and further suburban expansion through the2000s.

In 2003, Melbourne was named as a UNESCO City of Literature.

From 2006, the growth of the city extended into "green wedges" and beyond the city'sUrban growth boundary. Predictions of the city's population reaching 5 million people pushed the state government to review the growth boundary in 2008 as part of its Melbourne @ Five Million strategy.[64].

Melbourne survived thefinancial crisis of 2007-2010better than any other Australian city.

In 2009, more new jobs were created in Melbourne than any other Australian capital -- almost as many as the next two fastest growing cities, Brisbane and Perth, combined[65]and Melbourne's property market remained strong, [66]resulting in historically high property prices and widespread rent increases.[67]

Geography

Topography

Melbourne is located in the south-eastern part of mainland Australia, within the state ofVictoria.[68][69]

Geologically, it is built on the confluence ofQuaternarylava flows to the west, Silurianmudstonesto the east, [70]andHolocenesand accumulation to the southeast alongPort Phillip. The southeastern suburbs are situated on theSelwyn fault[71]which transectsMount MarthaandCranbourne.

Melbourne extends along theYarratowards theYarra Valley[72]toward theDandenong RangesandYarra Rangesto the east.

It extends northward through the undulating bushland valleys of the Yarra's tributaries Moonee Ponds Creek(toward Tullamarine Airport), Merri Creek, Darebin CreekandPlenty Riverto the outer suburban growth corridors ofCraigieburnandWhittlesea.

The city sprawls south-east throughDandenongto the growth corridor ofPakenhamtowardsWest Gippsland, and southward through theDandenong Creekvalley, theMornington Peninsulaand the city ofFrankstontaking in the peaks ofOlivers Hill, Mount Martha andArthurs Seat, extending along the shores of Port Phillip[73][74]as a singleconurbationto reach the exclusive suburb ofPortseaandPoint Nepean.

In the west, it extends along theMaribyrnong Riverand its tributaries north towardsSunburyand the foothills of theMacedon Ranges, and along the flat volcanic plain country towardsMeltonin the west, Werribeeat the foothills of theYou Yangsgraniteridge andGeelongas part of the greater metropolitan area to the south-west.

Melbourne's major bayside beaches are located in the south-eastern suburbs along the shores of Port Phillip Bay, in areas likePort Melbourne, Albert Park, St Kilda, Elwood, Brighton, Sandringham, MentoneandFrankstonalthough there are beaches in the western suburbs ofAltonaandWilliamstown.

The nearestsurfbeaches are located 85 kilometres (53 mi) south-east of the Melbourne CBD in the back-beaches ofRye, SorrentoandPortsea.[75][76]

Map of greater Melbourne andGeelong.

Climate

Melbourne has a moderateoceanic climate(Kppen climate classificationCfb)[77][78]and is well known for its changeable weather conditions.

This is mainly due to Melbourne's location situated on the boundary of the very hot inland areas and the cold southern ocean. This temperature differential is most pronounced in the spring and summer months and can cause very strong cold fronts to form.

These cold fronts can be responsible for all sorts of severe weather from gales to severe thunderstorms and hail, large temperature drops, and heavy rain.

Port Phillip is often warmer than the surrounding oceans and/or the land mass, particularly in spring and autumn; this can set up a kind of "bay effect" similar to the "lake effect" seen in the United States where showers are intensified leeward of the bay.

Relatively narrow streams of heavy showers can often affect the same places (usually the eastern suburbs) for an extended period of time, whilst the rest of Melbourne and surrounds stays dry.

Melbourne is also prone to isolated convective showers forming when a cold pool crosses the state, especially if there is considerable daytime heating.

These showers are often heavy and can contain hail and squalls and significant drops in temperature, but they pass through very quickly at times with a rapid clearing trend to sunny and relatively calm weather and the temperature rising back to what it was before the shower.

This occurs often in the space of minutes and can be repeated many times in a day, giving Melbourne a reputation for having "four seasons in one day", [79]a phrase that is part of localpopular cultureand familiar to many visitors to the city.[80]

Melbourne is colder than other mainland Australian state capital cities in the winter. The lowest temperature on record is 2.8 C (27 F), on 4 July 1901.[81]

However, snowfalls are rare: the most recent occurrence of sleet in the CBD was on 25 July 1986 and the most recent snowfalls in the outer eastern suburbs andMount Dandenongwere on 10 August 2005, [82]15 November 2006, 25 December 2006[83]and 10 August 2008.[84]

More commonly, Melbourne experiences frosts and fog in winter.

During the spring, Melbourne commonly enjoys extended periods of mild weather and clear skies. Melbourne and Sydney's average January and February daily highs are similar.[85][86]

However, Melbourne's summers are notable for days of extreme heat, with Melbourne holding the Australian capital city extreme temperature record of 46.4C, set on 7 February 2009.[87]

The centre of the CBD is formed by theHoddle Grid(dimensions of 1 by 0.5 miles (1.6 by 0.80 km)).

The grid's southern edge fronts onto the Yarra River. Office, commercial and public developments in the adjoining districts ofSouthbankandDocklandshave made these redeveloped areas into extensions of the CBD in all but name.

The city centre is well known for its historic and attractivelanes and arcades(the most notable of which areBlock PlaceandRoyal Arcade) which contain a variety of shops and cafs[89]and are a byproduct of the city's layout[90].

The Melbourne CBD, compared with other Australian cities has comparatively unrestricted height limits and as the result of waves of post war development contains five of the sixtallest buildings in Australia, the tallest of these being theEureka Tower, which is situated in Southbank.[91]

The Rialto tower, the city's second tallest, remains the tallest building in the old CBD; its observation deck for visitors has recently closed.[92]

The CBD and surrounds also contain many significant historic buildings such as theRoyal Exhibition Building, theMelbourne Town HallandParliament House.[93][94]

Although the area is described as thecentre, it is not actually the demographic centre of Melbourne at all, due to an urban sprawl to the south east, the demographic centre being located atGlen Iris.[95]

Melbourne is typical of Australian capital cities in that after the turn of the 20th century, it expanded with the underlying notion of a 'quarter acre home and garden' for every family, often referred to locally as theAustralian Dream.

This, coupled with the popularity of the private automobile throughout much of the 20th century, led to the auto-centric urban structure now present today in the middle and outer suburbs.

Much ofmetropolitanMelbourne is accordingly characterised by low density sprawl, whilst its inner city areas feature predominantly medium-density, transit-oriented urban forms.

The city centre, Docklands, St.Kilda Road and Southbank areas feature high-density forms.

Melbourne is often referred to as Australia's garden city, and the state of Victoria was once known asthe garden state.[96][97][98]

There is an abundance ofparks and gardens in Melbourne, [99]many close to theCBDwith a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways and tree-lined avenues.

There are also many parks in the surrounding suburbs of Melbourne, such as in the municipalities ofStonnington, BoroondaraandPort Phillip, south east of the CBD.

The extensive area covered by urban Melbourne is formally divided into hundreds of suburbs (for addressing and postal purposes), and administered as local government areas[100]31 of which are located within the metropolitan area.[101]

Pin Oak Court, Vermont South(famous as the fictional "Ramsay Street" in the cultsoap operaNeighbours) is typical of the majority of suburban Melbourne.

Housing.

Housing in Melbourne is characterised by high rates of private housing ownership, minimal and lack of public housing and high demand for, and largely unaffordable, rental housing.

Public housing is usually provided by theHousing Commission of Victoriaand operates within the framework of the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement, by which funding for public housing is provided by both federal and state governments.

Public housing can be difficult to obtain with many residents forced to wait on waiting lists.

At present, Melbourne is experiencing high population growth, generating high demand for housing.

This has created a housing boom, pushing housing prices up and having an effect on rental prices as well as availability of all types of housing.

Subdivisionregularly occurs in the far outer areas of Melbourne withDisplay homesfrom numerous developers offering house and land packages.

Environment

Like many urban environments, Melbourne faces some significant environmental issues, many of them relating to the city's large urban footprint and urban sprawl and the demand for infrastructure and services.

One such issue is water usage, drought and low rainfall. Drought in Victoria, low rainfalls and high temperatures deplete Melbourne water supplies and climate change will have a long-term impact on the water supplies of Melbourne.[102]

Melbourne has been in a drought since 1997.[103]

In response to low water supplies and low rainfall due to drought, the government implementedwater restrictionsand a range of other options including: water recycling schemes for the city, incentives for household water tanks, greywater systems, water consumption awareness initiatives, and other water saving and reuse initiatives; also, in June 2007, the Bracks Government announced that a $3.1 billionWonthaggi desalination plantwould be built on Victoria's south-east coast, capable of treating 150 billion litres of water per year, [104]as well as a 70 km (43 mi) pipeline from the Goulburn area in Victoria's north to Melbourne and a new water pipeline linking Melbourne andGeelong.

Both projects are being conducted under controversial Public-Private Partnerships and a multitude of independent reports have found that neither project is required to supply water to the city and that Sustainable Water Management is the best solution and in the meantime, the drought must be weathered.[105]

Many of Melbourne's inner city councils have a higher than average supporter and voter base fortheAustralian Greens, however, the average is lower in the outer suburbs.

In response toAttribution of recent climate change, theCity of Melbourne, in 2002, set a target to reducecarbon emissionsto net zero by 2020[106]and Moreland City Council established the Zero Moreland program, however not all metropolitan municipalities have followed, with theCity of Glen Eiranotably deciding in 2009 not to become carbon neutral.[107]

A Parks Victoria litter trap on the river catches floating rubbish on the Yarra at Birrarung Marr

Melbourne has one of the largest urban footprints in the world due to its low density housing, resulting in a vast suburban sprawl, with a high level of car dependence and minimal public transport outside of inner areas.[108]

Much of the vegetation within the city are non-native species, most of European origin, and in many cases plays host toinvasive speciesand noxious weeds.[109]

Significant introduced urban pests include theCommon Myna, [110]Feral Pigeon, [111]Brown Rat[112][113], European Wasp, [114]Common StarlingandRed Fox.[115]

Many outlying suburbs, particularly towards theYarra Valleyand the hills to the north-east and east, have gone for extended periods without regenerative fires leading to a lack of saplings and undergrowth in urbanised native bushland.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment partially addresses this problem by regularly burning off.[116][117]

Severalnational parkshave been designated around the urban area of Melbourne, including theMornington Peninsula National Park, Port Phillip Heads Marine National ParkandPoint Nepean National Parkin the south east, Organ Pipes National Parkto the north andDandenong Ranges National Parkto the east.

There are also a number of significant state parks just outside Melbourne.[118][119]

Responsibility for regulating pollution falls under the jurisdiction of theEPAVictoria and several local councils. Air pollution, by world standards, is classified as being good, however summer and autumn are the worst times of year for atmospheric haze in the urban area.[96][120]

Another current environmental issue in Melbourne is the Victorian government project of channel deepening Melbourne Ports by dredging Port Phillip Bay thePort Phillip Channel Deepening Project.

It is subject to controversy and strict regulations among fears that beaches and marine wildlife could be affected by the disturbance ofheavy metalsand other industrial sediments.[76][121]

Other major pollution problems in Melbourne include levels of bacteria includingE-coliin theYarra Riverand its tributaries caused by septic systems, [122]as well aslitter.

Up to 350, 000cigarettebutts enter the storm water runoff every day.[123]Several programs are being implemented to minimise beach and river pollution.[76][124]

In February 2010, The Transition Decade, an initiative to transition human society, economics and environment towards sustainability, was launched in Melbourne.[125]

Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Large cricket crowd at theMelbourne Cricket Ground

The stained glass ceiling of the Great Hall of theNational Gallery of Victoria

Culture

The city celebrates a wide variety of annual cultural events and festivals of all types, including theMelbourne International Film Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festivaland theMelbourne Fringe Festival.

TheAustralian Balletis based in Melbourne, as is theMelbourne Symphony Orchestra. Melbourne is the second home ofOpera Australiaafter it merged with 'Victoria State Opera' in 1996. TheVictorian Operahad its inaugural season in 2006 and operates out of various venues in Melbourne.

Notable theatres and performance venues include:The Victorian Arts Centre(which includes theState Theatre, Hamer Hall, the Playhouse and the fairfax Studio), Melbourne Recital Centre, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Princess Theatre, Regent Theatre, Forum Theatre, Palace Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Athenaeum Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Capitol Theatre, Palais Theatreand theAustralian Centre for Contemporary Art.

There are more than 100 galleries in Melbourne.[131]Most notably it is home to Australias oldest and largest art gallery, theNational Gallery of Victoria.[132]

Melbourne is the birthplace ofAustralian filmandtelevision(as well as theworlds first feature film), [15][133][134]Australian rules football, [16]Australianimpressionist artmovement known as theHeidelberg School, [135]and Australiancontemporary dance(including theMelbourne ShuffleandNew Voguestyles).[136]

Street Art in Melbourneis becoming increasingly popular with theLonely Planetguides listing it as a major attraction.

The city is also admired for its exciting mix of vigorous modern architecture which intersects with an impressive range of nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings.[137]

Sport

Melbourne is a notable sporting location as the host city for the1956 Summer Olympicsgames, the first Olympic Games ever held in Australia[138]and the southern hemisphere, along with the2006 Commonwealth Games.[139][140]

Melbourne is home to three major annual international sporting events in theAustralian Open(one of the fourGrand Slamtennis tournaments), [141]Melbourne Cup(horse racing), [142]and theAustralian Grand Prix(Formula One).[143]

In recent years, the city has claimed the Sports Business title "World's Ultimate Sports City".[144]

The city is home to theNational Sports Museum, which until 2003 was located outside the members pavilion at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and reopened in 2008 in the Olympic Stand.[145]

Australian rules footballandcricketare the most popular sports in Melbourne and also the spiritual home of these two sports in Australia and both are mostly played in the same stadia in the city and its suburbs. The first ever official cricket Test match was played at theMelbourne Cricket Groundin March 1877 and theMelbourne Cricket Groundis the largest cricket ground in the world.

The first Australian rules football matches were played in Melbourne in 1859 and theAustralian Football Leagueis headquartered atDocklands Stadium. Nine of its teams are based in the Melbourne metropolitan area and the five Melbourne AFL matches per week attract an average 40, 000 people per game.[146]

Additionally, the city annually hosts theAFL Grand Final.

The city is also home to several professional franchises in national competitions including theMelbourne Storm(rugby league), [147]who play in theNRLcompetition, Melbourne Victory(football (soccer)) and alsoMelbourne Heartwho play in theA-league, netballteamMelbourne Vixenswho play in the trans-Tasman trophyANZ Championship.

TheMelbourne Tigersare Melbournes only team in theNational Basketball Leaguealthough there is talk of a second Melbourne team for the 2011/2012 season. The new rugby unionSuper 15license was given to Melbourne to start a team at the beginning of the 2011 Super 15 season, the team most likely to represent Melbourne are theMelbourne Rebels

In November 2008, it was announced to the AOC that the city was considering potential bids for either the2024or2028 Summer Olympics.[148]

Melbourne City Councilmeets inMelbourne Town Hall

Economy

Melbourne has a highly diversified economy with particular strengths in finance, manufacturing, education and research, IT, logistics and transportation, and conventions and tourism.

The city is headquarters for many of Australia's largest corporations, including five of the ten largest in the country (based on revenue), and five of the largest six in the country (based onmarket capitalization)[149](ANZ, BHP Billiton(the world's largest mining company), theNational Australia Bank, Rio TintoandTelstra); as well as such representative bodies and thinktanks as theBusiness Council of Australiaand theAustralian Council of Trade Unions.

Melbourne is home to Australia's largest and busiestseaportwhich handles more than $75 billion in trade every year and 39% of the nation's container trade.[98][150][151]

Melbourne Airportprovides an entry point for national and international visitors, and is Australia's second busiest airport.

Melbourne is an important financial centre. Two of thebig fourbanks, NABandANZ, are headquartered in Melbourne. The city has carved out a niche as Australias leading centre forsuperannuation(pension) funds, with 40% of the total, and 65% ofindustry super-fundsincluding the $40 billion-dollar Federal GovernmentFuture Fund.

The city was rated 34th within the top 50 financial cities as surveyed by the Mastercard Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index (2007), [152]between Barcelona and Geneva, and second only to Sydney (14th) in Australia.

The city is the centre of Australia'sautomotive industry, which includesFordandToyotamanufacturing facilities, and the engine manufacturing facility ofHolden, as well as the Australian headquarters of those three companies. It is home to many other manufacturing industries.[153]

Melbourne is a major technology hub, with anICTindustry that employs over 60, 000 people (one third of Australia's ICT workforce), has a turnover of $19.8 billion and export revenues of $615 million.

Tourism also plays an important role in Melbourne's economy, with approximately 7.6 million domestic visitors and 1.88 million international visitors in 2004.[154]

In 2008, Melbourne overtook Sydney with the amount of money that domestic tourists spent in the city.[155]

Melbourne has been attracting an increasing share of domestic and international conference markets. Construction began in February 2006 of a $1 billion 5000-seat international convention centre, Hilton Hotel and commercial precinct adjacent to theMelbourne Exhibition and Convention Centreto link development along theYarra Riverwith theSouthbank precinctand multi-billion dollarDocklandsredevelopment.[156]

Demographics

Melbourne is a diverse and multicultural city and melting pot.[159]

This is reflected by the fact that the city is home to restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world.

Almost a quarter of Victoria's population was born overseas, and the city is home to residents from 233 countries, who speak over 180 languages and dialects and follow 116 religious faiths.

Melbourne has the second largestAsianpopulation in Australia (16.2%), which includes the largest Indian andSri Lankancommunities in the country.[160][161]

The first European settlers in Melbourne were British and Irish. These two groups accounted for nearly all arrivals before the gold rush, and supplied the predominant number ofimmigrantsto the city until World War II.

Melbourne was transformed by the 1850sgold rush; within months of the discovery of gold in August 1852, the city's population had increased by nearly three-quarters, from 25, 000 to 40, 000 inhabitants.[162]

Thereafter, growth was exponential and by 1865, Melbourne had overtaken Sydney as Australia's most populous city.[163]

Large numbers ofChinese, GermanandUnited Statesnationals were to be found on the goldfields and subsequently in Melbourne. The various nationalities involved in theEureka Stockaderevolt nearby give some indication of the migration flows in the second half of the nineteenth century.[164]

In the aftermath of the World War II, Melbourne experienced unprecedented inflows fromSouthern Europe, primarily Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina also West Asia mostly from Lebanon and Turkey.

In 2006 149, 195 persons in the Melbourne Statistical District claimed Greek ancestry, either alone or in combination with another ancestry[165];onlyfour Greek citieshave larger populations. Melbourne and the Greek city of Thessaloniki became sister cities in 1984[166], as commemorated by a marble stele (pillar) from the Prefecture of Thessaloniki, unveiled 11 November 2008[167].

Ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese also maintain significant presences.

Melbourne exceeds the national average in terms of proportion of residents born overseas: 34.8% compared to a national average of 23.1%. In concordance with national data, Britain is the most commonly reported overseas country of birth, with 4.7 %, followed by Italy (2.4%), Greece (1.9 %) and then China (1.3 %).

Melbourne also features substantial Vietnamese, Indian and Sri Lankan-born communities, in addition to recent South African andSudaneseinfluxes.

Over two-thirds of people in Melbourne speak only English at home (68.8 %). Italian is the second most common home language (4.0 %), with Greek third andChinesefourth, each with over 100, 000 speakers.[168]

Although Victoria's net interstate migration has fluctuated, the Melbourne statistical division has grown by approximately 50, 000 people a year since 2003.

Melbourne has now attracted the largest proportion of international overseas immigrants (48, 000) finding it outpacing Sydney's international migrant intake, along with having strong interstate migration from Sydney and other capitals due to more affordable housing and cost of living, which have been two recent key factors driving Melbourne's growth.[169]

In recent years, Melton, WyndhamandCasey, part of the Melbourne statistical division, have recorded the highest growth rate of alllocal government areasin Australia.

Despite a demographic study stating that Melbourne could overtake Sydney in population by 2028, [170]theABShas projected in two scenarios that Sydney will remain larger than Melbourne beyond 2056, albeit by a margin of less than 3% compared to a margin of 12% today. However, the first scenario projects that Melbourne's population overtakes Sydney in 2039, primarily due to larger levels of internal migration losses assumed for Sydney.[171]

After a trend of declining population density since World War II, the city has seen increased density in the inner and western suburbs aided in part by Victorian Government planning blueprints, such asPostcode 3000andMelbourne 2030which have aimed to curtail the urban sprawl.[172][173]

Religion

Melbourne is home to a wide range of religious faiths, the most widely held faith of which isChristian(64%) with a largeCatholicpopulation (28.3%).[174]However Melbourne and indeed Australia are highlysecularised, with the proportion of people identifying themselves asChristiandeclining from 96% in 1901 to 64% in 2006 and those who did not state their religion or declared no religion rising from 2% to over 30% over the same period.[175]

Nevertheless, the large Christian population is signified by the city's two largecathedralsSt Patrick's(Roman Catholic), [176]andSt Paul's(Anglican).[177]Both were built in theVictorian eraand are of considerable heritage significance as major landmarks of the city.[178]

Other responses includedno religion(20.0%, 717, 717), Anglican(12.1%, 433, 546), Eastern Orthodox(5.9%, 212, 887) and theUniting Church(4.0%, 143, 552).[174]

Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, HindusandSikhscollectively account for 7.5% of the population.

Melbourne has the largest Jewish population in Australia, the community currently numbering approximately 60, 000. The city is also home to the largest number ofHolocaustsurvivors of any Australian city, [179]indeed the highest per capita concentration outsideIsraelitself.[180]

Reflecting this vibrant and growing community, Melbourne has a plethora of Jewish cultural, religious and educational institutions, including over 40 synagogues and 7 full-time parochial day schools, [181]along with alocal Jewish newspaper.[182]

Melbourne's and Australia's largestuniversityMonash Universityis named after prominent Australian Jewish general and statesman, Sir John Monash.[183]

Media

Melbourne is served by six television stations:HSV-7, which broadcasts from theMelbourne Docklandsprecinct;GTV-9, which broadcasts from theirRichmondstudios; andATV-10, which broadcasts from the Como Complex inSouth Yarra.

National stations that broadcast into Melbourne include theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation(ABC), which has two studios, one atRipponleaand another atSouthbank; andSpecial Broadcasting Service(SBS), which broadcasts from their studios atFederation Squarein central Melbourne.C31 Melbourneis the only local community television station in Melbourne, and its broadcast range also branches out to regional centreGeelong.

Melbourne also receivesPay TV, largely through cable and satellite services.FoxtelandOptusare the main Pay TV providers.

A number of radio stations service the areas of Melbourne and beyond on the AM and FM band. Popular stations on the FM band includeDMG RadiochannelsNova 100andClassic Rock 91.5as well asAustralian Radio Network'sGold 104.3andMix 101.1, both in Richmond, andAustereochannelsFox FMandTriple M, which share studios inSouth Melbourne, Triple JandPBS 106.7known for playing music seldom played on other radio stations.

Also94.3 Star FMis based in Warragul (100 kilometres South East of Melbourne) and covers the majority of Melbourne's South Eastern Suburbs.

Stations that are popular on the AM band include774 ABC Melbourne, 3AW, a prominentlytalkbackradio station, and its affiliate, Magic 1278, which plays a selection of music from the 1930s-60s. Community radio is also strong in Melbourne, with a number of community and subscription based radio stations on both the AM and FM bands. The best known of these stations are3MBS, Triple R, SYN, 3JOY, PBS&3CR.

There are also a number of community stations based around the greater Melbourne area.[188]

Governance

TheMelbourne City Councilgoverns theCity of Melbourne, which takes in the CBD and a few adjoining inner suburbs. However the head of the Melbourne City Council, theLord Mayor of Melbourne, is frequently treated as a representative of greater Melbourne (the entire metropolitan area), [189]particularly when interstate or overseas.Robert Doyle, elected in 2008, is current Lord Mayor.

The rest of the metropolitan area is divided into31 local government areas. All these are designated as Cities, except for five on the city's outer fringes which are classified as Shires.

Local government authorities have elected councils and are responsible for a range of functions set out in the Local Government Act 1989[190], such asurban planningandwaste management.

Most non-local government services are provided or regulated by theVictorian state government, which governs fromParliament HouseinSpring Street.

These include public transport, main roads, traffic control, policing, education above preschool level, health and planning of major infrastructure projects.

Education

Education is overseen statewide by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), whose role is to 'provide policy and planning advice for the delivery of education'.[191]

It acts as advisor to two state ministers, that for Education and for Children and Early Childhood Development.

Melbourne's two largest universities are theUniversity of MelbourneandMonash University, the largest university in Australia. Both are members of theGroup of Eight.

Melbourne University ranked second among Australian universities in the 2006THESinternational rankings.[201]WhileThe Times Higher Education Supplementranked the University of Melbourne as the 22nd best university in the world, Monash University was ranked the 38th best university in the world. Melbourne was ranked the world's fourth top university city in 2008 after London, Bostonand Tokyo.[202]

Other notable universities include theRoyal Melbourne Institute of TechnologyandLa Trobe Universitywhich have also placed in the THES rankings and alsoSwinburne University of Technologybased in the inner city Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn.

The Geelong basedDeakin Universityalso has a significant campus in Melbourne.Victoria University, Australia, has nine campuses across Melbourne's western region, including three in the heart of Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD) and another four within ten kilometers of the CBD.

Some of the nation's oldest educational institutions and faculities are located in Melbourne, including the oldest Engineering (1860), Medical (1862), Dental (1897) and Music (1891) schools and the oldest law course in Australia (1857), all at the University of Melbourne. The University of Melbourne is the oldest university in Victoria and the second-oldest university in Australia.

In recent years, the number of international students at Melbourne's universities has risen rapidly, a result of an increasing number of places being made available to full fee paying students.

Infrastructure

Health

TheGovernment of Victoria's Department of Human Services oversees approximately 30 public hospitals in the Melbourne metropolitan region, and 13 health services organisations.[203]

There are many majormedical, neuroscienceandbiotechnologyresearch institutions located in Melbourne:St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Australian Stem Cell Centre, theBurnet Institute, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Victorian Institute of Chemical Sciences, Brain Research Institute, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, theWalter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, and theMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre.

Other institutions include theHoward Florey Institute, the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Instituteand theAustralian Synchrotron.[204]

Many of these institutions are associated with and are located near universities.

Transport

Its train and tram networks were originally laid out late in the 19th century assisted by wealth from the gold rush. The early 20th century saw an increase in popularity of the private automobile, resulting in unsustainable outward suburban expansion.[205]Public transport usage declined between the 1940s, when 25% of travelers used public transport, and 2003, where it bottomed out at 7.6%.[206]

The public transport system was privatised in 1999, symbolising the peak of the decline.[207]

Despite privatisation and successive governments persisting with auto-centric urban development into the 21st century, [208]there has been large increases in public transport patronage since, bringing the figure back up to 9% by 2006. In 2006, the State Government tentatively announced a goal of 20% public transport mode share by 2020.

Melbourne has the largesttram networkin the world.[33][209]Melbourne's is Australia's only tram network to comprise more than a single line.

Sections of the tram network are on roads, while others are separated or are light rail routes. Melbourne's trams are recognised as iconic cultural assets and a tourist attraction.Heritage tramsoperate on the free City Circle route, intended for visitors to Melbourne, and heritagerestaurant tramstravel through the city during the evening.[210]

TheMelbourne rail networkconsists of 16 suburban lines which radiate from theCity Loop, a partially underground metro section of the network beneath the Central Business District (Hoddle Grid).Flinders Street Stationis Melbourne's busiest railway station, and was the world's busiest passenger station in 1926. It remains a prominent Melbourne landmark and meeting place.[211]

The city has rail connections with regional Victorian cities, as well as interstate rail services to Sydney andAdelaide, which depart from Melbourne's other major rail terminus, Southern Cross Stationin Spencer Street.

Melbourne's bus networkconsists of almost300 routeswhich mainly service the outer suburbs fill the gaps in the network between rail and light rail services.[210][212]

Melbourne has a high dependency on private cars for transport, with 7.1% of trips made by public transport.[213]

However there has been a significant rise in patronage in the last two years mostly due to higher fuel prices, [214]since 2006, public transport patronage has grown by over 20%.[215]

The largest number of cars are bought in the outer suburban area, while the inner suburbs with greater access to train and tram services enjoy higher public transport patronage. Melbourne has a total of 3.6 million private vehicles using 22, 320 km (13, 870 mi) of road, and one of the highest lengths of road per capita.[213]

Major highways feeding into the city include theEastern Freeway, Monash FreewayandWest Gate Freeway(which spans the largeWestgate Bridge), whilst other freeways circumnavigate the city or lead to other major cities, includingCityLink, Eastlink, theWestern Ring Road, Calder Freeway, Tullamarine Freeway(main airport link no rail link) and theHume Freewaywhich links Melbourne and Sydney.[216]

ThePort of Melbourneis Australia's largest container and general cargo port and also its busiest.

In 2007, the port handled two million shipping containers in a 12 month period, making it one of the top five ports in the Southern Hemisphere.[150]

Station PierinPort Phillip Bayhandlescruise shipsand theSpirit of Tasmaniaferries which crossBass StraittoTasmania.[217]

Melbourne hasfour airports.Melbourne Airport, atTullamarine, is the city's main international and domestic gateway. The airport is home base for passenger airlinesJetstarandTiger Airways Australiaand cargo airlinesAustralian air ExpressandToll Priorityand is a major hub forQantasandVirgin Blue.Avalon Airport, located between Melbourne andGeelong, is a secondary hub of Jetstar. It is also used as a freight and maintenance facility.

Air Ambulance facilities are available for domestic and international transportation of patients.Air ambulance australia

This makes Melbourne the only city in Australia to have a second commercial airport.Moorabbin Airportis a significant general aviation airport in the city's south east as well as handling a limited number of passenger flights.

Essendon Airport, which was once the city's main airport before the construction of the airport at Tullamarine, handles passenger flights, general aviation and some cargo flights.[218]

Utilities

Water storage and supply for Melbourne is managed byMelbourne Water, which is owned by the Victorian Government. The organisation is also responsible for management of sewerage and the major water catchments in the region and will be responsible for theWonthaggi desalination plantandNorthSouth Pipeline.

Water is stored in a series of reservoirs located within and outside the Greater Melbourne area. The largest dam, theThomson River Dam, located in the Victorian Alps, is capable of holding around 60% of Melbourne's water capacity, [219]while smaller dams such as theUpper Yarra Damand theCardinia Reservoircarry secondary supplies.

Gas and electricity are provided by private companies.

Numerous telecommunications companies provide Melbourne with terrestrial and mobile telecommunications services and wireless internet services.

Sister cities

TheCity of Melbournehas sixsister cities.[220]They are:

Some other local councils in the Melbourne metropolitan area have sister city relationships; seeLocal Government Areas of Victoria.

Melbourne is a member of the C40:Large Cities Climate Leadership Groupand theUnited Nations Global Compact Cities Programme.

Notes

[a]The variant spelling 'Melbournian' is sometimes found but is considered grammatically incorrect. The term 'Melbournite' is also sometimes used. See:[222]
[b]Legislation passed in December 1920 resulted in the formation of theSECVfrom the Electricity Commission. (State Electricity Commission Act 1920 (No.3104))

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Further reading