In the southeast of Australia, on the banks of the beautiful Yarra river is Melbourne, the countries second largest city.

Often seen as the most European of Australia’s cities with a tram system and Victorian style buildings, it has a friendly and relaxed feel but is in reality at the cutting edge of culture in Australia. It has a wide range of art galleries such as the Heide Museum of Modern Art (15 minutes from the CBD) and the National Gallery of Victoria at Federation Square, theaters (the Regent and Princess theaters are beautiful) and museums (the Melbourne museum is a definite must see). Its feast of restaurants will satisfy the most avaricious of gourmets and of course it has a number of world renowned sports events such as the Melbourne cup, the Australian open tennis competition and the Australian grand prix.

With such a lot to offer it is worth booking the more popular hotels in advance as they often get full very quickly on the approach to a big sporting event or festival such as Melbourne’s big day out or the Melbourne International comedy festival, fortunately Melbourne offers a good range of accommodation so it should always be possible to find a hotel.

Melbourne’s weather often gets cool during the winter and cannot be compared to the tropical weather conditions of Cairns and is generally cooler than Sydney. Rain is spread throughout the year but the most pleasant and popular months to visit are from November to May.

Transportation is another reason that the city is called magnificent Melbourne, as its efficient public transport system “the met” includes trams, trains and buses all at reasonable set fares that make moving around quick and convenient. The city centre tram, which also has a commentary, is a great way to see the central attractions and provides a free roundtrip. Taxis it should be noted are plentiful but a little expensive.

Melbourne offers a mix of culture, convenience and fun that cannot be found in the other cities of Australia, this enjoyable friendly city continues to attract visitors from far and wide and no visit to Australia can be complete without a visit to truly magnificent Melbourne.