Melbourne

The cosmopolitan capital of Victoria, in southern Australia, is the country's second most populous city. The city centre is laid out in a large rectangle on the northern banks of the River Yarra, about 3.1 miles (5 kilometres) from the bay, with Greater Melbourne set around the Port Philip bay.

Melbourne was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847 and in 1851 became the capital city of the newly created colony of Victoria. During the Victorian Gold Rush in the 1850s Melbourne became one of Australia's largest and wealthiest cities attracting immigrants from all over the world.

Today, Melbourne is a cultural centre for the creative arts, it has a bustling atmosphere and is home is Australia's largest sports stadium. Numerous gardens and parks give a pleasant, open feel to the city, whose skyline mixes elegant spires with dazzling modern skyscrapers, which dwarf the elegant Victorian-era buildings that are dotted along leafy streets.

On the edge of the River Yarra, Federation Square brings together the city's arts and cultures, with galleries, cafés, award-winning restaurants, events and festivals surrounded by some of the most unique architecture in the world.

Built in 1854 Flinders Station is a cultural landmark in Melbourne, in the heart of the city next to the River Yarra, the station covers two blocks. The Melburnian idiom "I'll meet you under the clocks" refers to the row of clocks above the main entrance to the station, which indicate the departure time of the next train on each line. This is a popular meeting place, at the corner of two of the city's busiest thoroughfares. On an average weekday the station sees 110,000 people going in and out.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is Australia's largest stadium broadcasting live sport worldwide, such as the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, Test Cricket and Australian Football.