Melbourne is Australia's second largest city. It is the capital, largest city, and chief port of the state of Victoria. With a population of nearly 3,000,000, it is an important world metropolis.
Though a large part of Melbourne is a bustling business and industrial area, the city also contains many quiet tree-lined streets with homes fronted by lovely gardens. Broad, attractive avenues are lined with fine, stately buildings. The city's climate is temperate and comfortable, with an average annual temperature of 58° F (14°C).
Trade, Finance, and Industry
With its broad, modern harbor Melbourne is one of Australia's major ports. Docks are situated in Melbourne itself and also in Port Melbourne and Williamstown, both of which lie nearby on Hobson's Bay. Because of its location Melbourne is an important agricultural depot.
Melbourne is highly industrialized. Its modern factories produce railway rolling stock (locomotives, passenger and freight cars), power station equipment, structural steel, and other heavy engineering equipment. Because many leading banks and insurance companies have made Melbourne their headquarters, the city is recognized as the financial center of Australia. The Melbourne Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange on the continent.
Transportation
Melbourne is a vital transportation center. Highways and railway lines connect the city with Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide. The new international airport at Tullamarine, on the outskirts of the city, is one of the most modern in the world.
Culture and Recreation
Melbourne has many excellent theaters and art galleries. The National Gallery of Victoria has one of the finest collections of paintings in the Commonwealth of Nations. The city also maintains an excellent library system and several fine museums, such as the Museum of Applied Science and the National Museum. Centers of learning include the University of Melbourne, the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, the Australian Institute of International Affairs, the Conservatorium of Music, and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.
Australians are a sports-minded people. The Melbourne Cup is one of the world's greatest horse races. It is run at Flemington Race Course at Melbourne each year on the first Tuesday in November, a day of national celebration. Melbourne is also the home of the "Australian Rules," an Australian brand of football. In 1956 the city was the site of the Olympic Games.
Places of Interest
One attractive sight in Melbourne is the natural beauty of the Botanic Gardens. In Fitzroy Gardens stands a cottage that once belonged to the family of Captain James Cook, the first European to visit eastern Australia. The cottage was brought to Australia from Yorkshire, England, in 1934. Other places of interest are the Victoria Parliament House; the Royal Mint; the Shrine of Remembrance, a World War I memorial; and the recently completed Victorian Arts Center.
History
Melbourne was first settled in 1835, by two groups of settlers from Tasmania, an island that lies south of Victoria. The city was named in 1837 in honor of Lord Melbourne, prime minister of Great Britain at the time. The discovery of gold at Ballarat and other places in 1851 changed Melbourne into a boom city. From 1901 to 1927, Melbourne was the seat of the federal government pending the development of Canberra. When Parliament House opened in Canberra, the seat of the national government was transferred there. Sydney has surpassed Melbourne as Australia's largest city. But Melbourne is still a major center of commerce, transportation, and culture.
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