Melbourne#Education

{{Further|History of Melbourne}}

{{For timeline|Timeline of Melbourne history}}

{{See|Aboriginal Victorians|Aboriginal Australians}}

Aboriginal Australians have lived in the Melbourne area for at least 40,000 years.Gary Presland, The First Residents of Melbourne's Western Region, (revised edition), Harriland Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-646-33150-7}} When British colonists arrived in the 19th century, at least 20,000 Kulin people from three distinct language groups – the Wurundjeri, Bunurong and Wathaurong – resided in the area.{{Cite web |date= |title=Indigenous connections to the site |url=http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/__data/page/1062/Indig.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908132608/http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/__data/page/1062/Indig.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2008 |access-date=28 April 2021 |website=rbg.vic.gov.au}}Gary Presland, Aboriginal Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People, Harriland Press (1985), Second edition 1994, {{ISBN|0-9577004-2-3}} It was an important meeting place for the clans of the Kulin nation alliance and a vital source of food and water.Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days, Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 {{ISBN|0-9577728-0-7}} In June 2021, the boundaries between the land of two of the traditional owner groups, the Wurundjeri and Bunurong, were agreed after being drawn up by the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council. The borderline runs across the city from west to east, with the CBD, Richmond and Hawthorn included in Wurundjeri land, and Albert Park, St Kilda and Caulfield on Bunurong land.{{cite web |last=Dunstan |first=Joseph |title=Melbourne's birth destroyed Bunurong and Wurundjeri boundaries. 185 years on, they've been redrawn |website=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=26 June 2021 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-26/melbourne-aboriginal-traditional-owners-bunurong-wurundjeri/100236480 |access-date=30 June 2021 |archive-date=30 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630070654/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-26/melbourne-aboriginal-traditional-owners-bunurong-wurundjeri/100236480 |url-status=live }} However, this change in boundaries is still disputed by people on both sides of the dispute including N'arweet Carolyn Briggs.{{Cite web |last=Eddie |first=Rachel |date=2021-07-01 |title=Traditional owners formalised in new boundaries covering central Melbourne |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/traditional-owners-formalised-in-new-boundaries-covering-central-melbourne-20210701-p585vg.html |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=The Age |language=en |url-access=registration |archive-date=5 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605135509/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/traditional-owners-formalised-in-new-boundaries-covering-central-melbourne-20210701-p585vg.html |url-status=live }} The name Narrm is commonly used by the broader Aboriginal community to refer to the city, stemming from the traditional name recorded for the area on which the Melbourne city centre is built.{{cite book |last1=Smyth |first1=Robert Brough |title=Aborigines of Victoria: With Notes Relating to the Habits of the Natives of Other Parts of Australia and Tasmania Compiled from Various Sources for the Government of Victoria. Volume 2 |date=1878 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781108006569 |page=188}} The word is closely related to Narm-narm, being the Boonwurrung word for Port Phillip Bay.{{cite book |last=Clark |first=Ian D. |title=Dictionary of Aboriginal placenames of Melbourne and Central Victoria |date=2002 |publisher=Victorian Aboriginal Corp. for Languages |location=Melbourne |isbn=0957936052 |page=76}} Narrm means scrub in Eastern Kulin languages which reflects the Creation Story of how the Bay was filled by the creation of the Birrarung (Yarra River). Before this, the dry Melbourne region extended out into the Bay and the Bay was filled with teatree scrub where boorrimul (emu) and marram (kangaroo) were hunted.{{Cite book |last=Nicholson |first=Bill and Mandy |url=https://www.melton.vic.gov.au/files/assets/public/services/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander/bill-and-mandy-nicholson-january-2018.pdf |title=Wurundjeri's Cultural Heritage of the Melton Area |publisher=Melton City Council |year=2016 |location=Melbourne |access-date=16 June 2022 |archive-date=19 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619150947/https://www.melton.vic.gov.au/files/assets/public/services/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander/bill-and-mandy-nicholson-january-2018.pdf |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Boon Wurrung: The Filling of the Bay – The Time of Chaos – Nyernila |url=http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/aboriginal-culture/nyernila/boon-wurrung-the-filling-of-the-bay-the-time-of-chaos/ |access-date=2022-06-16 |website=Culture Victoria |language=en |archive-date=3 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703110903/https://cv.vic.gov.au/stories/aboriginal-culture/nyernila/boon-wurrung-the-filling-of-the-bay-the-time-of-chaos/ |url-status=live }}

{{Further|Foundation of Melbourne}}

The first British settlement in Victoria, then part of the penal colony of New South Wales, was established by Colonel David Collins in October 1803, at Sullivan Bay, near present-day Sorrento. The following year, due to a perceived lack of resources, these settlers relocated to Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania) and founded the city of Hobart. It would be 30 years before another settlement was attempted.{{cite web |last=Button |first=James |title=Secrets of a forgotten settlement |website=The Age |publisher=Fairfax Media |location=Melbourne |date=4 October 2003 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/03/1064988393029.html?from=storyrhs |access-date=19 October 2008 |archive-date=5 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105201822/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/03/1064988393029.html?from=storyrhs |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}

File:Batman signs treaty artist impression.jpg's treaty with a group of Wurundjeri elders]]

In May and June 1835, John Batman, a leading member of the Port Phillip Association in Van Diemen's Land, explored the Melbourne area, and later claimed to have negotiated a purchase of {{cvt|600000|acre|km2|disp=flip}} with eight Wurundjeri elders. However, the nature of the treaty has been heavily disputed, as none of the parties spoke the same language, and the elders likely perceived it as part of the gift exchanges which had taken place over the previous few days amounting to a tanderrum ceremony which allows temporary, not permanent, access to and use of the land.Diane E. Barwick, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24045800'Mapping the Past: An Atlas of Victorian Clans 1835-1904: PART 1,'] Aboriginal History, 1984, Vol. 8, No. 1/2 (1984), pp. 100-131, p.107{{Cite journal |last=Kenny |first=Robert |year=2008 |title=Tricks or Treats? |url=https://doi.org/10.2104/ha080038|journal=History Australia |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=38.1–38.14|doi=10.2104/ha080038 }} Batman selected a site on the northern bank of the Yarra River, declaring that "this will be the place for a village" before returning to Van Diemen's Land.{{cite book |last=Annear |first=Robyn |year=2005 |title=Bearbrass: Imagining Early Melbourne |location=Melbourne, Victoria |publisher=Black Inc |page=6 |isbn=1863953973}} In August 1835, another group of Vandemonian settlers arrived in the area and established a settlement at the site of the current Melbourne Immigration Museum. Batman and his group arrived the following month and the two groups ultimately agreed to share the settlement, initially known by the native name of Dootigala.{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Melbourne |volume=18 |page=91 }}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32937146 |title=Melbourne's Godfather. |newspaper=The West Australian |volume=50 |issue=14,996 |location=Western Australia |date=14 July 1934 |access-date=20 September 2017 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604151735/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32937146 |url-status=live }}

Batman's Treaty with the Aboriginal elders was annulled by Richard Bourke, the Governor of New South Wales (who at the time governed all of eastern mainland Australia), with compensation paid to members of the association.{{cite web |title=Foundation of the Settlement |work=History of the City of Melbourne |publisher=City of Melbourne |year=1997 |url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/History/Pages/SettlementtoCity.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220130102/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/History/Pages/SettlementtoCity.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 February 2011 |access-date=13 July 2010}} In 1836, Bourke declared the city the administrative capital of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, and commissioned the first plan for its urban layout, the Hoddle Grid, in 1837.{{cite web |url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=53 |title=Roads |publisher=City of Melbourne |access-date=29 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220130459/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=53 |archive-date=20 February 2011}} Known briefly as Batmania,{{cite web |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11144430 |date=29 January 1938 |title=They Called Melbourne Barebrass |work=The Argus Weekend Magazine |last=Kenyon |first=A. S. |author-link=A. S. Kenyon |via=Trove |access-date=3 June 2022 |archive-date=7 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407173142/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11144430 |url-status=live }} the settlement was named Melbourne on 10 April 1837 by Bourke{{Cite Trove newspaper |230669736 |title=New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW) |access-date=1 October 2020}} after the British Prime Minister, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, whose seat was Melbourne Hall in the market town of Melbourne, Derbyshire.{{Cite web |url=https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/history-of-melbourne-581 |title=History of Melbourne |website=Onlymelbourne.com.au |access-date=21 November 2021 |archive-date=21 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121095449/https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/history-of-melbourne-581 |url-status=live }} That year, the settlement's general post office officially opened with that name.{{cite web |last=Phoenix Auctions History |title=Post Office List |url=http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&filter=*Melbourne* |access-date=22 January 2021 |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604151912/http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&filter=%2AMelbourne%2A |url-status=live }}

File:Landing at melbourne 1840.jpg

Between 1836 and 1842, Victorian Aboriginal groups were largely dispossessed of their land by British colonists.{{cite book |last=Boyce |first=James |author-link=James Boyce (author) |title=1835: The Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia |publisher=Black Inc |year=2011 |page=151 |postscript=,}} citing Richard Broome, "Victoria" in Ann McGrath (ed.), Contested Ground: 129 In 1840, the Superintendent of the Port Phillip District, Charles La Trobe issued a directive to banish Aborigines from the immediate vicinity of Melbourne.{{cite book |last1=Broome |first1=Richard |title=Aboriginal Victorians: A History since 1800 |date=2005 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Crows Nest |isbn=9781741145694}} This was enforced later that same year by the mass-arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of Indigenous people during the Lettsom raid.{{cite journal |last1=Standfield |first1=Rachel |title='The vacillating manners and sentiments of these people': Mobility, civilisation and dispossession in the work of William Thomas with the Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectorate |journal=Law Text Culture |date=2011 |volume=15 |issue=9 |pages=162–184 |doi=10.14453/ltc.642 |url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/ltc/vol15/iss1/9/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406190747/http://ro.uow.edu.au/ltc/vol15/iss1/9/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 April 2012 }} However, Aboriginal people still managed to continue living near the settlement and by January 1844 there were said to be 675 residing in squalid camps around Melbourne.{{sfn|Boyce|2011|p=186}} The British Colonial Office had appointed five Aboriginal Protectors for the Aboriginal people of Victoria, in 1839, but their work was nullified by a land policy that favoured squatters who took possession of Aboriginal lands.{{sfn|Boyce|2011|p=199}} By 1845, fewer than 240 wealthy Europeans held all the pastoral licences then issued in Victoria and became a powerful political and economic force in Victoria for generations to come.{{sfn|Boyce|2011|page=163}} Letters patent of Queen Victoria, issued on 25 June 1847, declared Melbourne a city.{{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Miles |title=Melbourne: the city's history and development |edition=2nd |publisher=City of Melbourne |location=Melbourne |year=1995 |page=25 |isbn=0-949624-71-3}} On 1 July 1851, the Port Phillip District separated from New South Wales to become the Colony of Victoria, with Melbourne as its capital.{{cite web |url=http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01353b.htm |title=Separation |website=EMelbourne-Encyclopedia of Melbourne |access-date=7 July 2015 |archive-date=6 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706093438/http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01353b.htm |url-status=live }}

{{further|Victorian gold rush}}

File:Canvas town south melbourne victoria 1850s.jpg

File:Eureka Rebellion Prisoners Released.jpg in 1855]]

The discovery of gold in Victoria in mid-1851 sparked a gold rush, and Melbourne, the colony's major port, experienced rapid growth. Within months, the city's population had nearly doubled from 25,000 to 40,000 inhabitants.{{cite web |title=Gold |first=Suzie |last=Hoban |work=Victorian Cultural Collaboration |publisher=Special Broadcasting Service |url=http://sbs.com.au/sbsmain/gold/story.html?storyid=49 |access-date=18 July 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724135849/http://sbs.com.au/sbsmain/gold/story.html?storyid=49 |archive-date=24 July 2008}} Exponential growth ensued, and by 1865 Melbourne had overtaken Sydney as Australia's most populous city.{{cite web |url=http://www.atse.org.au/index.php?sectionid=289 |title=The Snowy Mountains Scheme and Multicultural Australia |publisher=ATSE |access-date=21 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106222322/http://www.atse.org.au/index.php?sectionid=289 |archive-date=6 January 2010}}

An influx of intercolonial and international migrants, particularly from Europe and China, saw the establishment of slums, including Chinatown and a temporary "tent city" on the southern banks of the Yarra. In the aftermath of the 1854 Eureka Rebellion, mass public support for the plight of the miners resulted in major political changes to the colony, including improvements in working conditions across mining, agriculture, manufacturing and other local industries. At least twenty nationalities took part in the rebellion, giving some indication of immigration flows at the time.{{Cite news|last=Hagan |first=Kate |date=3 December 2006 |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/eureka-where-multiculturalism-was-born-20061203-ge3pjn.html |title=Eureka: where multiculturalism was born |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115112934/https://www.theage.com.au/national/eureka-where-multiculturalism-was-born-20061203-ge3pjn.html |archive-date=15 November 2018 |newspaper=The Age |access-date=15 November 2018 |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}

With the wealth brought in from the gold rush and the subsequent need for public buildings, a program of grand civic construction soon began. The 1850s and 1860s saw the commencement of Parliament House, the Treasury Building, the Old Melbourne Gaol, Victoria Barracks, the State Library, University of Melbourne, General Post Office, Customs House, the Melbourne Town Hall, St Patrick's cathedral, though many remained incomplete for decades.

The layout of the inner suburbs on a largely one-mile grid pattern, cut through by wide radial boulevards and parklands surrounding the central city, was largely established in the 1850s and 1860s. These areas rapidly filled with the ubiquitous terrace houses, as well as with detached houses and grand mansions, while some of the major roads developed as shopping streets. Melbourne quickly became a major finance centre, home to several banks, the Royal Mint, and (in 1861) Australia's first stock exchange.{{cite web |url=http://www.caslon.com.au/timeline6.htm |title=Media Business Communication time line since 1861 |publisher=Caslon |access-date=29 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121206004159/http://www.caslon.com.au/timeline6.htm |archive-date=6 December 2012}}

In 1855, the Melbourne Cricket Club secured possession of its now famous ground, the MCG. Members of the Melbourne Football Club codified Australian football in 1859,Pennings, Mark (2012). Origins of Australian Football: Victoria's Early History: Volume 1: Amateur Heroes and the Rise of Clubs, 1858 to 1876. Connor Court Publishing Pty Ltd. {{ISBN|9781921421471}}, p. 11 and in 1861, the first Melbourne Cup race was held. Melbourne acquired its first public monument, the Burke and Wills statue, in 1864.

With the gold rush largely over by 1860, Melbourne continued to grow on the back of continuing gold-mining, as the major port for exporting the agricultural products of Victoria (especially wool) and with a developing manufacturing sector protected by high tariffs. An extensive radial railway network spread into the countryside from the late 1850s. Construction started on further major public buildings in the 1860s and 1870s, such as the Supreme Court, Government House, and the Queen Victoria Market. The central city filled up with shops and offices, workshops, and warehouses. Large banks and hotels faced the main streets, with fine townhouses in the east end of Collins Street, contrasting with tiny cottages down laneways within the blocks. The Aboriginal population continued to decline, with an estimated 80% total decrease by 1863, due primarily to introduced diseases (particularly smallpox), frontier violence and dispossession of their lands.

File:Elizabeth Street Melbourne 1900.jpg lined with buildings from the "Marvellous Melbourne" era]]

The 1880s saw extraordinary growth: consumer confidence, easy access to credit, and steep increases in land prices led to an enormous amount of construction. During this "land boom", Melbourne reputedly became the richest city in the world,{{cite book |last=Cervero |first=Robert B. |title=The Transit Metropolis: A Global Inquiry |publisher=Island Press |location=Chicago |year=1998 |page=320 |isbn=1-55963-591-6}} and the second-largest (after London) in the British Empire.{{cite book |last1=Goodman |first1=Robin |last2=Buxton |first2=Michael |last3=Moloney |first3=Susie |chapter=The early development of Melbourne |title=Planning Melbourne: Lessons for a Sustainable City |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3-NDAAAQBAJ |quote=By 1890, Melbourne was the second-largest city in the British Empire and one of the world's richest. |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |date=2016 |access-date=16 June 2019 |isbn=9780643104747 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802185923/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3-NDAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}

The decade began with the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880, held in the large purpose-built Exhibition Building. A telephone exchange was established that year, and the foundations of St Paul's were laid. In 1881, electric light was installed in the Eastern Market, and a generating station capable of supplying 2,000 incandescent lamps was in operation by 1882.{{cite web |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3807950 |title=The Story of Melbourne |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=9 September 1926 |access-date=24 January 2012 |page=8 Supplement: An Historic Souvenir |publisher=National Library of Australia |archive-date=20 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220114122/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3807950 |url-status=live }} The Melbourne cable tramway system opened in 1885 and became one of the world's most extensive systems by 1890.

In 1885, visiting English journalist George Augustus Henry Sala coined the phrase "Marvellous Melbourne", which stuck long into the twentieth century and has come to refer to the opulence and energy of the 1880s,{{cite web |last=Button |first=James |title=He came, he saw, he marvelled |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/09/1073437468105.html |work=The Age |publisher=Fairfax |date=10 January 2004 |access-date=7 July 2012 |archive-date=6 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106110242/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/09/1073437468105.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}} during which time large commercial buildings, grand hotels, banks, coffee palaces, terrace housing and palatial mansions proliferated in the city. The establishment of the Melbourne Hydraulic Power Company in 1886 led to the availability of high-pressure piped water, allowing for the installation of hydraulically powered elevators, which led to the construction of the first high-rise buildings in the city.{{cite web |title=Marvellous Melbourne – Introduction of the Hydraulic Lift |url=http://museumvictoria.com.au/marvellous/powered/lifts.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413165429/http://museumvictoria.com.au/marvellous/powered/lifts.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 April 2008 |publisher=Museum Victoria |access-date=21 June 2010}}{{cite web |title=Melbourne Hydraulic Power Company |url=http://www.fadingvictoria.com/image/20110530XF9N3591/ |website=Fading Victoria |access-date=2023-04-30 |archive-date=10 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710050504/http://www.fadingvictoria.com/image/20110530XF9N3591/ |url-status=live }} The period also saw the huge expansion of a significant radial rail-based transport network throughout the city and suburbs.{{cite book |year=1995 |first=Lewis |last=Miles |title=Melbourne the city's history and development |publisher=City of Melbourne |page=47}}

Melbourne's land-boom peaked in 1888,{{cite book |title=The Land Boomers |first=Michael |last=Cannon |publisher=Melbourne University Press; Cambridge University Press |year=1966}} the year it hosted the Centennial Exhibition. The brash boosterism that had typified Melbourne during that time ended in the early 1890s. The bubble supporting the local finance and property industries burst, resulting in a severe economic depression.{{cite web |url=http://www.localhistories.org/melbourne.html |title=A Brief History of Melbourne |last=Lambert |first=Tim |publisher=Local Histories |access-date=29 September 2008 |archive-date=13 January 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130113035328/http://www.localhistories.org/melbourne.html |url-status=live }} Sixteen small land banks and building societies collapsed, and 133 limited companies went into liquidation. The Melbourne financial crisis was a contributing factor to the Australian economic depression of the 1890s and the Australian banking crisis of 1893. The effects of the depression on the city were profound, with virtually no significant construction until the late 1890s.{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/373808/Melbourne/12674/Growth-of-the-city |title=Melbourne (Victoria) – growth of the city |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=29 September 2008 |archive-date=24 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524214405/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/373808/Melbourne/12674/Growth-of-the-city |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.we-love-melbourne.net/Melbourne-history.html |title=Fast Facts on Melbourne History |publisher=We Love Melbourne |access-date=29 September 2008 |archive-date=18 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018034957/http://www.we-love-melbourne.net/Melbourne-history.html |url-status=live }}

{{further|Federation of Australia}}

File:Opening of the first parliament.jpg, the opening of the first Parliament of Australia on 9 May 1901, painted by Tom Roberts]]

At the time of Australia's federation on 1 January 1901 Melbourne became the seat of government of the federated Commonwealth of Australia. The first federal parliament convened on 9 May 1901 in the Royal Exhibition Building, subsequently moving to the Victorian Parliament House, where it sat until it moved to Canberra in 1927. The Governor-General of Australia resided at Government House in Melbourne until 1930, and many major national institutions remained in Melbourne well into the twentieth century.{{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Miles Bannatyne |title=Melbourne: the city's history and development |year=1995 |pages=113–114 |publisher=City of Melbourne |isbn=0949624888 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mWdAAAACAAJ |access-date=11 April 2021 |archive-date=11 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411024608/https://books.google.com/books?id=4mWdAAAACAAJ |url-status=live }} During World War II the city hosted American military forces who were fighting the Empire of Japan, and the government requisitioned the Melbourne Cricket Ground for military use.{{cite web |url=http://www.mcg.org.au/History/Other%20Events/US%20Marines.aspx |title=Melbourne Cricket Ground – US Marines at the MCG |access-date=10 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218084312/https://www.mcg.org.au/History/Other%20Events/US%20Marines.aspx#:~:text=Melbourne%20was%20described%20as%20the,Australian%20troops%20on%20the%20arena |archive-date=18 December 2013}}

In the immediate years after World War II, Melbourne expanded rapidly, its growth boosted by post-war immigration to Australia, primarily from Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.{{cite web |title=1961 – the Impact of Post-War Immigration |url=http://museumvictoria.com.au/origins/keydates.aspx?cid=13 |publisher=Museum Victoria |access-date=21 June 2010 |archive-date=13 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013011217/http://museumvictoria.com.au/origins/keydates.aspx?cid=13 |url-status=dead}} While the "Paris End" of Collins Street began Melbourne's boutique shopping and open air cafe cultures,{{cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/28/1053801445880.html |title=Boutique battle at Paris end of town |first=Misha |last=Ketchel |website=The Age |publisher=Fairfax Media |date=29 May 2003 |access-date=24 February 2010 |archive-date=25 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425154627/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/28/1053801445880.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}} the city centre was seen by many as stale—the dreary domain of office workers—something expressed by John Brack in his famous painting Collins St., 5 pm (1955).{{cite web |url=http://www.ipa.org.au/publications/1691/the-art-of-the-forgotten-people |title=The art of the forgotten people |website=Institute of Public Affairs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313203932/http://ipa.org.au/publications/1691/the-art-of-the-forgotten-people |archive-date=13 March 2016 |first=Tim |last=Wilson |author-link=Tim Wilson (Australian politician)}} Up until the 21st century, Melbourne was considered Australia's "industrial heartland".{{cite news |last=Wade |first=Matt |date=2014 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-takes-manufacturing-capital-crown-from-melbourne-20140207-327c3.html |title=Sydney takes manufacturing capital crown from Melbourne |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=20 July 2014 |archive-date=6 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406184950/http://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-takes-manufacturing-capital-crown-from-melbourne-20140207-327c3.html |url-status=live }}

File:Orica House.jpg (formerly ICI House), a symbol of modernity in post-war Melbourne]]

Height limits in the CBD were lifted in 1958, after the construction of ICI House, transforming the city's skyline with the introduction of skyscrapers. Suburban expansion then intensified, served by new indoor malls beginning with Chadstone Shopping Centre.{{cite web |url=http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/gallery/image.php?id=802 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805185805/http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/gallery/image.php?id=802 |url-status=dead |title=Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for |publisher=State Library Victoria |date=5 August 2012 |archive-date=5 August 2012}} The post-war period also saw a major renewal of the CBD and St Kilda Road which significantly modernised the city.Judith Raphael Buckrich (1996) Melbourne's Grand Boulevard: the Story of St Kilda Road. Published State Library of Victoria New fire regulations and redevelopment saw most of the taller pre-war CBD buildings either demolished or partially retained through a policy of facadism. 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 the Housing Commission of Victoria, which resulted in the demolition of many neighbourhoods and a proliferation of high-rise towers.{{cite book |first=William |last=Logan |title=The Gentrification of inner Melbourne: a political geography of inner-city housing |publisher=University of Queensland Press |year=1985 |location=Brisbane, Australia |pages=148–160 |isbn=0-7022-1729-8}} 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. The Bolte government sought to rapidly accelerate the modernisation of Melbourne. Major road projects including the remodelling of St Kilda Junction, the widening of Hoddle Street and then the extensive 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan changed the face of the city into a car-dominated environment.{{cite web |last=Millar |first=Royce |title=Road to ... where? |work=The Age |publisher=Fairfax |date=7 November 2005 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/road-to-where/2005/11/06/1131211946903.html |access-date=11 December 2012 |archive-date=6 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106110308/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/road-to-where/2005/11/06/1131211946903.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}

Australia's financial and mining booms during 1969 and 1970 resulted in establishment of the headquarters of many major companies (BHP and Rio Tinto, among others) in the city. Nauru's then booming economy resulted in several ambitious investments in Melbourne, such as Nauru House.{{cite web |last=Shepherd |first=Dick |title=Hotel men expected to press for Govt. aid |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2eFUAAAAIBAJ&pg=6710,571748 |access-date=25 April 2011 |work=Age |publisher=Fairfax |date=4 February 1972 |archive-date=14 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614013238/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2eFUAAAAIBAJ&pg=6710%2C571748&hl=en |url-status=live }} Melbourne remained Australia's main business and financial centre until the late 1970s, when it began to lose this primacy to Sydney.{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/30/1072546531264.html?from=storyrhs |title=Tell Melbourne it's over, we won |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=Fairfax Media |date=31 December 2003 |access-date=18 July 2008 |archive-date=24 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524004823/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/30/1072546531264.html?from=storyrhs |url-status=live }}

Melbourne experienced an economic downturn between 1989 and 1992, following the collapse of several local financial institutions. In 1992, the newly elected Kennett government 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.{{cite web |last=Saward |first=Joe |title=Interview – Judith Griggs |website=Grandprix |publisher=Inside F1 |date=1 February 1996 |url=http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00208.html |access-date=14 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117122653/http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00208.html |archive-date=17 January 2010 |url-status=dead}} During this period the Australian Grand Prix moved to Melbourne from Adelaide. Major projects included the construction of a new facility for the Melbourne Museum, Federation Square, the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Crown Casino and the CityLink tollway. 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.{{cite book |author=Miles Lewis |title=Melbourne the city's history and development |page=203,205–206}}

File:Melbourne city skyline from the perspective of Port Melbourne.jpg, 2023]]

Since the mid-1990s, Melbourne has maintained significant population and employment growth. There has been substantial international investment in the city's industries and property market. Major inner-city urban renewal has occurred in areas such as Southbank, Port Melbourne, Melbourne Docklands and South Wharf. Melbourne sustained the highest population increase and economic growth rate of any Australian capital city from 2001 to 2004.{{cite web |date=24 March 2005 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Melbournes-population-booms/2005/03/23/1111525222758.html |title=Melbourne's population booms |website=The Age |location=Melbourne |access-date=18 July 2008 |first1=Melissa |last1=Marino |first2=Tim |last2=Colebatch |archive-date=4 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104162809/http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Melbournes-population-booms/2005/03/23/1111525222758.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}

From 2006, the growth of the city extended into "green wedges" and beyond the city's urban 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.vic.gov.au/planningmelbourne |title=Delivering Melbourne's newest sustainable communities |website=Victoria Online |publisher=State of Victoria |date=21 September 2006 |access-date=21 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604005014/http://www.vic.gov.au/planningmelbourne |archive-date=4 June 2010}} In 2009, Melbourne was less affected by the Great Recession in comparison to other Australian cities. At this time, more new jobs were created in Melbourne than any other Australian city—almost as many as the next two fastest growing cities, Brisbane and Perth, combined,The Age, 12 February 2010{{full citation needed|date=May 2022}} and Melbourne's property market remained highly priced,{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Ormonde |date=14 November 2009 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/housing-the-bubble-that-no-one-dares-burst-20091113-iemr.html |title=Housing the bubble that no one dares burst |access-date=21 June 2010 |website=The Age |location=Melbourne |archive-date=2 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202111801/http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/housing-the-bubble-that-no-one-dares-burst-20091113-iemr.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}} resulting in historically high property prices and widespread rent increases.{{cite web |date=16 February 2008 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/02/16/1202760669052.html |title=Rent crisis forces urgent action |website=The Age |location=Melbourne |access-date=21 June 2010 |first=Jason |last=Dowling |archive-date=17 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217035049/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/02/16/1202760669052.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}

Beginning in the 2010s the State Government of Victoria initiated a number of major infrastructure projects designed to reduce congestion in Melbourne and encourage economic growth, including the Metro Tunnel, the West Gate Tunnel, the Level Crossing Removal Project and the Suburban Rail Loop.{{Cite web |date=2018-05-21 |title=What is Victoria's Big Build? |url=https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/things-to-do/everything-you-need-to-know-about-victorias-big-build |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Time Out Melbourne |language=en-AU |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031232850/https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/things-to-do/everything-you-need-to-know-about-victorias-big-build |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Woodcock |first=Ian |date=Jan 2020 |title=On track: Level Crossing Removal Project |url=https://architectureau.com/articles/level-crossing-removal-project/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222223923/https://architectureau.com/articles/level-crossing-removal-project/ |archive-date=22 December 2022 |access-date=20 September 2022 |website=Architecture Australia |language=en}} New urban renewal zones were initiated in inner-city areas like Fisherman's Bend and Arden, while suburban growth continued on the urban periphery in Melbourne's outer west and east in suburbs like Wyndham Vale and Cranbourne.{{Cite web |last1=Stanley |first1=Janet |last2=Stanley |first2=John |last3=Brain |first3=Peter |date=2019-05-19 |title=Rapid growth is widening Melbourne's social and economic divide |url=http://theconversation.com/rapid-growth-is-widening-melbournes-social-and-economic-divide-117244 |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=The Conversation |language=en |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031232850/http://theconversation.com/rapid-growth-is-widening-melbournes-social-and-economic-divide-117244 |url-status=live }} Middle suburbs like Box Hill became denser as a greater proportion of Melburnians began living in apartments.{{Cite news |date=2019-11-16 |title='It's not what we bought into': How high density living is changing the face of Australia's suburbs |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-17/how-skyscrapers-are-reshaping-australian-suburbs/11697614 |access-date=2023-10-24 |archive-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025075104/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-17/how-skyscrapers-are-reshaping-australian-suburbs/11697614 |url-status=live }} A construction boom resulted in 34 new skyscrapers being built in the central business district between 2010 and 2020.{{Cite news |title=Remarkable 10-year change to city skyline |work=Herald Sun |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/property/melbourne-city-skyline-adds-34-skyscrapers-in-10year-tower-boom/news-story/d7601d68e1bbdac2d207cb98266e16eb |access-date=24 October 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031234352/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/property/melbourne-city-skyline-adds-34-skyscrapers-in-10year-tower-boom/news-story/d7601d68e1bbdac2d207cb98266e16eb |url-status=live }} In 2020, Melbourne was classified as an Alpha city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.{{cite web |title=The World According to GaWC 2020 |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |website=GaWC – Research Network |publisher=Globalization and World Cities |access-date=31 August 2020 |archive-date=24 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824031341/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |url-status=live }}

Out of all major Australian cities, Melbourne was the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and spent a long time under lockdown restrictions,{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/may/28/bad-luck-or-bad-management-why-has-victoria-had-so-many-covid-outbreaks |title=Bad luck or bad management: why has Victoria had so many Covid outbreaks? |website=The Guardian |last=Liu |first=Donna |date=28 May 2021 |access-date=1 June 2021 |archive-date=31 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531105209/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/may/28/bad-luck-or-bad-management-why-has-victoria-had-so-many-covid-outbreaks |url-status=live }} with Melbourne experiencing six lockdowns totalling 262 days.{{cite news |last1=Boaz |first1=Judd |title=Melbourne passes Buenos Aires' world record for time spent in COVID-19 lockdown |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-03/melbourne-longest-lockdown/100510710 |website=ABC News |date=3 October 2021 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=18 March 2022 |archive-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004005924/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-03/melbourne-longest-lockdown/100510710 |url-status=live }} While this contributed to a net outflow of migration causing a slight reduction in Melbourne's population over the course of 2020 to 2022, Melbourne's population is projected to reach 6.4 million people by 2033-34.{{cite web |url=https://population.gov.au/publications/statements/2021-population-statement |title=2021 Population Statement |website=Centre For Population, Australian Government |date=21 December 2021 |access-date=5 January 2023 |url-status=live |archive-date=5 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105121600/https://population.gov.au/publications/statements/2021-population-statement }}{{Cite news |date=2024-12-20 |title=Australians to vote with feet for crowded city life, Treasury predicts |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-20/treasury-predicts-capital-city-population-growth-outpace-regions/104750974 |access-date=2024-12-20 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU |archive-date=20 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220085152/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-20/treasury-predicts-capital-city-population-growth-outpace-regions/104750974 |url-status=live }}

{{Wide image|Melbourne from Waterfront City, Docklands Pano 21.08.22.jpg|700px|A panoramic view of the Docklands and city skyline from Waterfront City, looking across Victoria Harbour}}

{{main|Geography of Melbourne}}

{{see also|Lakes and reservoirs of Melbourne}}

File:Greater Melbourne Map 4 - May 2008.png urban areas]]

Melbourne is in the southeastern part of mainland Australia, within the state of Victoria.{{Cite web |title=Australia for Everyone |url=https://www.australiaforeveryone.com.au/beyond-vic/ |access-date=11 December 2021 |archive-date=12 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212042927/https://www.australiaforeveryone.com.au/beyond-vic/ |url-status=live }} Geologically, it is built on the confluence of Quaternary lava flows to the west, Silurian mudstones to the east, and Holocene sand accumulation to the southeast along Port Phillip. The southeastern suburbs are situated on the Selwyn fault, which transects Mount Martha and Cranbourne.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Geology |author=Thomas A. Darragh |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Melbourne Online |url=https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00636b.htm |publisher=School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne |access-date=3 June 2022 |archive-date=7 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407173145/https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00636b.htm |url-status=live }} The western portion of the metropolitan area lies within the Victorian Volcanic Plain grasslands vegetation community,[https://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/projects/victorian-volcanic-plains/ Victorian Volcanic Plains] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903124412/https://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/projects/victorian-volcanic-plains/ |date=3 September 2022 }} by Greening Australia. Retrieved 3 September 2022.[https://bwvp.ecolinc.vic.edu.au/about Biodiversity of the Western Volcanic Plains – The Western Volcanic Plains] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903064342/https://bwvp.ecolinc.vic.edu.au/about |date=3 September 2022 }} State of Victoria (Department of Education). Retrieved 3 September 2022. and the southeast falls in the Gippsland Plains Grassy Woodland zone.[https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/gippsland-red-gum.pdf Gippsland Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Associated Native Grassland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201111619/https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/gippsland-red-gum.pdf |date=1 December 2022 }} Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Retrieved 6 September 2022.

Melbourne extends northward through the undulating bushland valleys of the Yarra Valley's tributaries—Moonee Ponds Creek (toward Melbourne Airport),{{cite web |url=http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/woodlands-historic-park |title=Woodlands Historic Park}} Merri Creek, Darebin Creek and Plenty River.{{cite web|url=http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=211706&cmd=sp|title=Map of Plenty River, VIC|work=Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia|access-date=11 April 2014|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923223748/http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=211706&cmd=sp|url-status=live}} The city reaches southeast through Dandenong to the growth corridor of Pakenham towards West Gippsland.{{cite news | url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/a-city-on-the-edge/2008/05/02/1209235157167.html | work=The Age | location=Melbourne, Australia | first1=Royce | last1=Millar | first2=Simon | last2=Mann | title=A city on the edge | date=3 May 2008 | archive-date=14 April 2018 | access-date=9 August 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414125452/https://www.theage.com.au/news/national/a-city-on-the-edge/2008/05/02/1209235157167.html | url-status=live }} In the west, it extends along the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries north towards Sunbury.{{cite web |url=http://sunbury-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/big-growth-tax-grab-in-sunbury/ |title=Big growth tax grab in Sunbury – Council – News – Sunbury Leader |access-date=2010-01-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706113351/http://sunbury-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/big-growth-tax-grab-in-sunbury/ |archive-date=6 July 2011 }}

Melbourne's major bayside beaches are in the various suburbs along the shores of Port Phillip Bay, in areas like Port Melbourne, Albert Park, St Kilda, Elwood, Brighton, Sandringham, Mentone, Frankston, Altona, Williamstown and Werribee South. The nearest surf beaches are {{cvt|85|km|mi|}} south of the Melbourne CBD in the back-beaches of Rye, Sorrento and Portsea.{{cite web |last=Russell |first=Mark |url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/victoria/lifes-a-beach-in-melbourne/2006/01/02/1136050380503.html |title=Life's a beach in Melbourne |date=2 January 2006 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=29 September 2008 |archive-date=22 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122060830/http://www.smh.com.au/news/victoria/lifes-a-beach-in-melbourne/2006/01/02/1136050380503.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://epanote2.epa.vic.gov.au/EPA/Publications.nsf/2f1c2625731746aa4a256ce90001cbb5/d494227d97812f42ca2574330000f2c6/$FILE/1240.pdf |title=Beach Report 2007–08 |publisher=EPA |access-date=29 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001224523/http://epanote2.epa.vic.gov.au/EPA/Publications.nsf/2f1c2625731746aa4a256ce90001cbb5/d494227d97812f42ca2574330000f2c6/%24FILE/1240.pdf |archive-date=1 October 2008}}

{{main|Climate of Melbourne}}

{{Further|Environmental issues in Melbourne|Extreme weather events in Melbourne}}

File:Storm clouds and blue sky over Melbourne skyline.jpg

Melbourne has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), with warm summers and cool winters.{{cite book |last1=Tapper |first1=Andrew |last2=Tapper |first2=Nigel |title=The weather and climate of Australia and New Zealand |year=1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Melbourne, Australia |isbn=0-19-553393-3 |edition=First |editor=Gray, Kathleen |page=300}}{{cite book |last1=Linacre |first1=Edward |last2=Geerts |first2=Bart |title=Climates and Weather Explained |publisher=Routledge |location=London |year=1997 |page=379 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mkZa1KLHCAQC&pg=PA379 |isbn=0-415-12519-7 |access-date=17 November 2020 |archive-date=1 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301173128/https://books.google.com/books?id=mkZa1KLHCAQC&pg=PA379 |url-status=live }} Melbourne is well known for its changeable weather conditions, mainly due to it being located on the boundary of hot inland areas and the cool southern ocean. This temperature differential is most pronounced in the spring and summer months and can cause strong cold fronts to form. These cold fronts can be responsible for varied forms of severe weather from gales to thunderstorms and hail, large temperature drops and heavy rain. Winters, while exceptionally dry by southern Victorian standards, are nonetheless drizzly and overcast. The lack of winter rainfall is because of Melbourne's rain shadowed location between the Otway and Macedon Ranges, which block much of the rainfall arriving from the north and west.

Port Phillip is often warmer than the surrounding oceans or the land mass, particularly in spring and autumn; this can set up a "bay effect rain", 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, while the rest of Melbourne and surrounds stays dry. Overall, the area around Melbourne is, owing to its rain shadow, nonetheless significantly drier than average for southern Victoria.{{cite web |url=http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/rainfall |title=Rainfall |publisher=State of Victoria (Agriculture Victoria) |date=22 February 2021 |access-date=15 March 2022 |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316171437/http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/rainfall |url-status=live }} Within the city and surrounds, rainfall varies widely, from around {{cvt|425|mm|in|0}} at Little River to {{cvt|1250|mm|in|0}} on the eastern fringe at Gembrook. Melbourne receives 48.6 clear days annually. Dewpoint temperatures in the summer range from {{cvt|9.5|to|11.7|C|F}}.{{BoM Aust stats|site_ref=cw_086071|site_name=Melbourne Regional Office |access-date=30 October 2016}}

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 include hail, squalls, and significant drops in temperature, but they often pass through very quickly with a rapid clearing trend to sunny and relatively calm weather and the temperature rising back to what it was before the shower. This can occur in the space of minutes and can be repeated many times a day, giving Melbourne a reputation for having "four seasons in one day", a phrase that is part of local popular culture.{{cite web |url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=269&pg=2325 |title=Welcome to Melbourne |publisher=City of Melbourne |access-date=18 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719171215/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=269&pg=2325 |archive-date=19 July 2008}} The lowest temperature on record is {{cvt|-2.8|C|F}}, on 21 July 1869.{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_086071_All.shtml |title=Monthly climate statistics |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-date=31 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031175240/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_086071_All.shtml |url-status=live }} The highest temperature recorded in Melbourne city was {{cvt|46.4|C|F}}, on 7 February 2009. While snow is occasionally seen at higher elevations in the outskirts of the city, and dustings were observed in 2020, it has not been recorded in the central business district since 1986.{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/c20thc/temp4.html |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090317054300/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/96122/20090317-1643/www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/c20thc/temp4.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 March 2009 |title=BOM – Australian Climate Extremes |website=webarchive.nla.gov.au}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

The sea temperature in Melbourne is warmer than the surrounding ocean during the summer months, and colder during the winter months. This is predominantly due to Port Phillip Bay being an enclosed and shallow bay that is largely protected from the ocean,{{cite web |url=https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01165b.htm |title=Port Phillip Bay |website=eMelbourne |access-date=29 April 2024 |archive-date=29 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429050127/https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01165b.htm |url-status=live }} resulting in greater temperature variation across seasons.

{{Weather box

|location=Melbourne Airport (1991–2020 averages, 1970–2024 extremes)

|metric first=Yes

|single line=Yes

|unit precipitation days=0.2 mm

|precipitation colour=green

|Jan record high C=46.0

|Feb record high C=46.8

|Mar record high C=40.8

|Apr record high C=34.5

|May record high C=27.0

|Jun record high C=21.8

|Jul record high C=22.7

|Aug record high C=25.6

|Sep record high C=30.2

|Oct record high C=36.0

|Nov record high C=41.6

|Dec record high C=44.6

|year record high C=

| Jan avg record high C = 40.4

| Feb avg record high C = 38.2

| Mar avg record high C = 34.7

| Apr avg record high C = 28.8

| May avg record high C = 22.7

| Jun avg record high C = 18.0

| Jul avg record high C = 17.3

| Aug avg record high C = 19.8

| Sep avg record high C = 24.6

| Oct avg record high C = 30.2

| Nov avg record high C = 34.3

| Dec avg record high C = 37.6

| year avg record high C = 41.3

|Jan high C=27.0

|Feb high C=26.7

|Mar high C=24.4

|Apr high C=20.6

|May high C=16.7

|Jun high C=14.0

|Jul high C=13.4

|Aug high C=14.7

|Sep high C=17.1

|Oct high C=20.0

|Nov high C=22.6

|Dec high C=24.8

|year high C=

| Jan mean C= 20.6

| Feb mean C= 20.6

|Mar mean C= 18.6

| Apr mean C= 15.4

| May mean C= 12.5

| Jun mean C= 10.2

| Jul mean C= 9.6

| Aug mean C= 10.4

| Sep mean C= 12.1

| Oct mean C= 14.3

| Nov mean C= 16.6

| Dec mean C= 18.5

| year mean C= 14.9

|Jan low C=14.2

|Feb low C=14.4

|Mar low C=12.8

|Apr low C=10.1

|May low C=8.3

|Jun low C=6.4

|Jul low C=5.8

|Aug low C=6.0

|Sep low C=7.2

|Oct low C=8.7

|Nov low C=10.6

|Dec low C=12.3

|year low C=

| Jan avg record low C = 8.5

| Feb avg record low C = 8.7

| Mar avg record low C = 7.1

| Apr avg record low C = 4.4

| May avg record low C = 3.0

| Jun avg record low C = 1.3

| Jul avg record low C = 0.9

| Aug avg record low C = 1.1

| Sep avg record low C = 1.8

| Oct avg record low C = 3.1

| Nov avg record low C = 4.9

| Dec avg record low C = 6.6

| year avg record low C = 0.2

|Jan record low C=6.0

|Feb record low C=4.8

|Mar record low C=3.7

|Apr record low C=1.2

|May record low C=0.6

|Jun record low C=-0.9

|Jul record low C=-2.5

|Aug record low C=-2.5

|Sep record low C=-1.1

|Oct record low C=1.0

|Nov record low C=0.9

|Dec record low C=3.5

|year record low C=

|Jan precipitation mm=39.3

|Feb precipitation mm=41.4

|Mar precipitation mm=37.5

|Apr precipitation mm=42.1

|May precipitation mm=34.3

|Jun precipitation mm=41.5

|Jul precipitation mm=32.8

|Aug precipitation mm=39.3

|Sep precipitation mm=46.1

|Oct precipitation mm=48.5

|Nov precipitation mm=60.1

|Dec precipitation mm=52.5

|year precipitation mm=515.5

|Jan precipitation days=8.3

|Feb precipitation days=7.5

|Mar precipitation days=8.4

|Apr precipitation days=9.9

|May precipitation days=12.0

|Jun precipitation days=13.0

|Jul precipitation days=14.0

|Aug precipitation days=14.8

|Sep precipitation days=13.9

|Oct precipitation days=12.5

|Nov precipitation days=10.8

|Dec precipitation days=9.9

|year precipitation days=135.0

|humidity colour=green

|Jan afthumidity=44

|Feb afthumidity=45

|Mar afthumidity=46

|Apr afthumidity=50

|May afthumidity=59

|Jun afthumidity=65

|Jul afthumidity=63

|Aug afthumidity=57

|Sep afthumidity=53

|Oct afthumidity=49

|Nov afthumidity=47

|Dec afthumidity=45

|year afthumidity=

|Jan sun=272.8

|Feb sun=231.7

|Mar sun=226.3

|Apr sun=183.0

|May sun=142.6

|Jun sun=120.0

|Jul sun=136.4

|Aug sun=167.4

|Sep sun=186.0

|Oct sun=226.3

|Nov sun=225.0

|Dec sun=263.5

|year sun=2381.0

|Jan percentsun=61

|Feb percentsun=61

|Mar percentsun=59

|Apr percentsun=56

|May percentsun=46

|Jun percentsun=43

|Jul percentsun=45

|Aug percentsun=51

|Sep percentsun=52

|Oct percentsun=56

|Nov percentsun=53

|Dec percentsun=58

|year percentsun=53

|source 1={{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_086282_All.shtml |title=Melbourne Airport |publisher=BOM |access-date=9 March 2022 |archive-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410032312/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_086282_All.shtml |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=40&p_display_type=dataFile&p_startYear=&p_c=&p_stn_num=086282 |title=Melbourne Airport monthly highest temperature |publisher=BOM |access-date=23 September 2023 |archive-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720134122/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=40&p_display_type=dataFile&p_startYear=&p_c=&p_stn_num=086282 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=43&p_display_type=dataFile&p_startYear=&p_c=&p_stn_num=086282 |title=Melbourne Airport monthly lowest temperature |publisher=BOM |access-date=23 September 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002130349/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=43&p_display_type=dataFile&p_startYear=&p_c=&p_stn_num=086282 |url-status=live }}

|date=August 2010

}}

{{See also|Melbourne city centre|List of heritage listed buildings in Melbourne|Lanes and arcades of Melbourne|Parks and gardens of Melbourne|List of tallest buildings in Melbourne}}

File:Melbourne density.jpg

File:Melbourne skyline sor.jpg]]

Melbourne's urban area is approximately 2,704 km², the largest in Australia and the 33rd largest in the world.{{Cite web |date=July 2022 |title=Demographia World Urban Areas |url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |access-date=19 January 2023 |website=Demographia |page=39 |archive-date=3 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503021711/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |url-status=live }} The Hoddle Grid, a grid of streets measuring approximately {{cvt|1|by|1/2|mi|km}}, forms the nucleus of Melbourne's central business district (CBD). The grid's southern edge fronts onto the Yarra River. More recent office, commercial and public developments in the adjoining districts of Southbank and Docklands have made these areas into extensions of the CBD in all but name. A byproduct of the CBD's layout is its network of lanes and arcades, such as Block Arcade and Royal Arcade.{{cite web |last=Freeman-Greene |first=Suzy |title=Melbourne's love affair with lanes |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Opinion/Melbournes-love-affair-with-lanes/2004/12/31/1104344983928.html |newspaper=The Age |location=Melbourne |date=1 January 2005 |access-date=18 July 2008 |archive-date=26 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626122506/http://www.theage.com.au/news/Opinion/Melbournes-love-affair-with-lanes/2004/12/31/1104344983928.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}{{cite book |author=Weston Bate |title=Essential but unplanned: the story of Melbourne's lanes |publisher=City of Melbourne |year=1994}}

Melbourne's CBD has become Australia's most densely populated area, with approximately 19,500 residents per square kilometre,{{Cite news|last=Carey |first=Adam |date=17 June 2018 |url=https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/population-pressure-a-fast-growing-concern-for-victorian-voters-20180614-p4zlh5.html |title=Population pressure a fast-growing concern for Victorian voters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128075333/https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/population-pressure-a-fast-growing-concern-for-victorian-voters-20180614-p4zlh5.html |archive-date=28 November 2018 |newspaper=The Age |access-date=28 November 2018 |url-status=live |url-access=registration}} and is home to more skyscrapers than any other Australian city, the tallest being Australia 108, situated in Southbank.{{cite web |url=http://skyscrapercenter.com/building/australia-108/14817 |title=Australia 108 |website=The Skyscraper Center |publisher=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat |access-date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=20 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220110614/http://skyscrapercenter.com/building/australia-108/14817 |url-status=live }} Melbourne's newest planned skyscraper, Southbank By Beulah{{cite web |title=A Mini Metropolis for the Garden State |url=https://www.southbankbybeulah.com/vision |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704022957/https://www.southbankbybeulah.com/vision |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 July 2022 |website=Southbank by Beulah |publisher=Beulah |access-date=11 October 2020}} (also known as "Green Spine"), has recently been approved for construction and will be the tallest structure in Australia by 2025.

The CBD and surrounds also contain many significant historic buildings such as the Royal Exhibition Building, the Melbourne Town Hall and Parliament House.{{cite web |url=http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/ |title=Walking Melbourne, Heritage, Architecture, Skyscraper and Buildings Database |publisher=Walking Melbourne |access-date=28 September 2008 |archive-date=5 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205051055/http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.melbourneaustralia.org/arts-architecture.html |title=Melbourne Architecture |publisher=Melbourne Travel Guide |access-date=28 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915024055/http://www.melbourneaustralia.org/arts-architecture.html |archive-date=15 September 2008}}

Although the area is described as the centre, it is not actually the demographic centre of Melbourne at all, due to an urban sprawl to the southeast, the demographic centre being located at Camberwell.{{cite web |last1=Sirianos |first1=Athos |title=Indian restaurant Tandoori Den Camberwell named as centre of Melbourne |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/indian-restaurant-tandoori-dan-camberwell-named-as-centre-of-melbourne/news-story/7c67a14aae9eae48e11f705f83669a88 |website=Herald Sun |publisher=News Corp |access-date=7 August 2024 |archive-date=7 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807145102/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/indian-restaurant-tandoori-dan-camberwell-named-as-centre-of-melbourne/news-story/7c67a14aae9eae48e11f705f83669a88 |url-status=live }}

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 the Australian Dream.{{cite web |title=The death of the great Australian dream |website=The Guardian |date=11 March 2016 |access-date=16 April 2020 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/10/the-death-of-the-great-australian-dream |archive-date=18 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218092354/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/10/the-death-of-the-great-australian-dream |url-status=live }}{{cite book |author1=Timms, Peter |title=Australia's quarter acre : the story of the ordinary suburban garden |date=2006 |publisher=Miegunyah Press |isbn=978-0-522-85185-4}} This, coupled with the popularity of the private automobile after 1945, led to the auto-centric urban structure now present today in the middle and outer suburbs. Much of metropolitan Melbourne 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 is known as the garden state.{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/03/10/1205125821732.html |title=Victoria: the garden state or greenhouse capital? |newspaper=The Age |location=Melbourne |access-date=29 September 2008 |date=11 March 2008 |first1=Clay |last1=Lucas |first2=Royce |last2=Millar |archive-date=20 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920213131/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/03/10/1205125821732.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}{{cite web |url=http://www.wilmap.com.au/vic.html |title=Victoria |publisher=wilmap.com.au |access-date=29 September 2008 |archive-date=12 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081112034738/http://www.wilmap.com.au/vic.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.goway.com/downunder/australia/victoria/ |title=Victoria Australia, aka "The Garden State" |publisher=goway.com |access-date=29 September 2008 |archive-date=1 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501065213/http://www.goway.com/downunder/australia/victoria/ |url-status=live }} There is an abundance of parks and gardens in Melbourne,{{cite web |url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=25&pg=617 |title=City of Melbourne – Parks and Gardens |publisher=City of Melbourne |access-date=28 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040830151740/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=25&pg=617 |archive-date=30 August 2004}} many close to the CBD with a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways and tree-lined avenues. Melbourne's parks are often considered the best public parks in all of Australia's major cities.{{cite web |url=http://www.weekendnotes.com/melbournes-best-gardens/ |title=Melbourne's Best Gardens |work=weekendnotes.com |access-date=20 February 2015 |archive-date=10 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910070819/http://www.weekendnotes.com/melbournes-best-gardens/ |url-status=live }} There are also many parks in the surrounding suburbs of Melbourne, such as in the municipalities of Stonnington, Boroondara and Port Phillip, southeast of the central business district. Several national parks have been designated around the urban area of Melbourne, including the Mornington Peninsula National Park, Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park and Point Nepean National Park in the southeast, Organ Pipes National Park to the north and Dandenong Ranges National Park to the east. There are also a number of significant state parks just outside Melbourne.{{cite web |url=http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1aboutus.cfm |title=About Parks Victoria |publisher=Parks Victoria |access-date=29 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725040209/http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1aboutus.cfm |archive-date=25 July 2008}}{{cite book |title=Wild Places of Greater Melbourne |author=R Taylor |isbn=9780957747104 |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |date=January 1999 |page=224}} 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,{{cite web |url=http://www.vicnet.net.au/government/localgovt/ |title=Vicnet Directory – Local Government |publisher=Vicnet |access-date=29 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928014734/http://www.vicnet.net.au/government/localgovt/ |archive-date=28 September 2008}} 31 of which are located within the metropolitan area.{{cite web |url=http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/living-in-victoria/melbourne-and-regional-victoria/melbourne |title=Metropolitan Melbourne – Live in Victoria |publisher=Liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au |date=12 August 2009 |access-date=21 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124155435/http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/living-in-victoria/melbourne-and-regional-victoria/melbourne |archive-date=24 January 2010}}

{{Main|Housing in Victoria, Australia}}

File:Drummond Street Terrace Houses.jpg

Melbourne has minimal public housing and high demand for rental housing, which is becoming unaffordable for some.{{cite web |url=http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/city-shortage-pushes-up-rents-20110418-1dksd.html |title=City shortage pushes up rents |date=17 April 2011 |first=Andrew |last=Wilson |work=Domain |publisher=Fairfax Media |access-date=7 July 2012 |archive-date=14 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514003239/http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/city-shortage-pushes-up-rents-20110418-1dksd.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/the-rental-pressure-cooker-20100402-rjvb.html |location=Australia |website=The Age |title=The rental pressure cooker |last=Cooke |first=Dewi |date=3 April 2010 |publisher=Fairfax Media |access-date=27 April 2011 |archive-date=8 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708052251/http://www.theage.com.au/national/the-rental-pressure-cooker-20100402-rjvb.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}{{cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/business/melbourne-housing-now-severely-unaffordable-20110123-1a17l.html?comments=141 |location=Melbourne |website=The Age |title=Melbourne housing now 'severely unaffordable' |last=Zappone |first=Chris |date=24 January 2011 |publisher=Fairfax Media |access-date=27 April 2011 |archive-date=30 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130170855/http://www.theage.com.au/business/melbourne-housing-now-severely-unaffordable-20110123-1a17l.html?comments=141 |url-status=live |url-access=registration}} Public housing is managed and provided by the Victorian Government's Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, and operates within the framework of the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement, by which both federal and state governments provide funding for housing.

Melbourne is experiencing high population growth, generating high demand for housing. This housing boom has increased house prices and rents, as well as the availability of all types of housing. Subdivision regularly occurs in the outer areas of Melbourne, with numerous developers offering house and land packages. However, since the release of Melbourne 2030 in 2002, planning policies have encouraged medium-density and high-density development in existing areas with good access to public transport and other services. As a result of this, Melbourne's middle and outer-ring suburbs have seen significant brownfields redevelopment.{{cite web |url=http://urbanmelbourne.info/projectdatabase |title=Project Database |website=Urban Melbourne |access-date=4 July 2013 |archive-date=24 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624013032/http://urbanmelbourne.info/projectdatabase |url-status=dead}}

{{Further|Architecture of Melbourne|List of tallest buildings in Melbourne}}

File:Melbourne Collins Street Architecture.jpg, preserved by setting skyscrapers back from the street]]

On the back of the 1850s gold rush and 1880s land boom, Melbourne became renowned as one of the world's great Victorian-era cities, a reputation that persists due to its diverse range of Victorian architecture.{{cite book |author=Dovey, Kim |year=2013 |title=Fluid City: Transforming Melbourne's Urban Waterfront |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135159719 |page=1}} High concentrations of well-preserved Victorian-era buildings can be found in the inner suburbs, such as Carlton, East Melbourne and South Melbourne.{{cite book |author1=Murray, John |author2=Armstrong, Mark |year=1999 |title=Victoria: From High Country to High Culture |isbn=9780864427342 |page=39|publisher=Lonely Planet }} Outstanding examples of Melbourne's built Victorian heritage include the World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building (1880), the General Post Office (1867), Hotel Windsor (1884) and the Block Arcade (1891).{{cite web |last=Peregoy |first=Beau |date=20 March 2017 |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/melbourne-stunning-victorian-architecture |title=7 Examples to Prove Melbourne Has Stunning Victorian Architecture |website=Architectural Digest |access-date=13 May 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801045955/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/melbourne-stunning-victorian-architecture |url-status=live }} Comparatively little remains of Melbourne's pre-gold rush architecture; St James Old Cathedral (1839) and St Francis' Church (1845) are among the few examples left in the CBD. Many of the CBD's Victorian boom-time landmarks were also demolished in the decades after World War II, including the Federal Coffee Palace (1888) and the APA Building (1889), one of the tallest early skyscrapers upon completion.{{cite book |title=A City Lost and Found: Whelan the Wrecker's Melbourne |first=Robyn |last=Annear |year=2014 |publisher=Black Inc |isbn=9-78-192223141-3}}{{cite web |title=Walking Melbourne |url=http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/building3_apa-building-the-australian-building.html |access-date=9 January 2012 |archive-date=22 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222052447/http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/building3_apa-building-the-australian-building.html |url-status=live }} Heritage listings and heritage overlays have since been introduced in an effort to prevent further losses of the city's historic fabric.

File:Skyline of Melbourne (Feb 2021).jpg, the tallest being Australia 108 (centre-right), the Southern Hemisphere's only 100-plus-storey building, and Eureka Tower (right), February 2021.]]

In line with the city's expansion during the early 20th century, suburbs such as Hawthorn and Camberwell are defined largely by Federation and Edwardian architectural styles. The City Baths, built in 1903, are a prominent example of the latter style in the CBD. The 1926 Nicholas Building is the city's grandest example of the Chicago School style, while the influence of Art Deco is apparent in the Manchester Unity Building, completed in 1932. The city also features the Shrine of Remembrance, which was built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I and is now a memorial to all Australians who have served in war.

Residential architecture is not defined by a single architectural style, but rather an eclectic mix of large McMansion-style houses (particularly in areas of urban sprawl), apartment buildings, condominiums, and townhouses which generally characterise the medium-density inner-city neighbourhoods. Freestanding dwellings with relatively large gardens are perhaps the most common type of housing outside inner city Melbourne. Victorian terrace housing, townhouses and historic Italianate, Tudor revival and Neo-Georgian mansions are all common in inner-city neighbourhoods such as Carlton, Fitzroy and further into suburban enclaves like Toorak.{{Cite journal |last=Cole |first=David B. |date=1985 |title=Gentrification, Social Character, and Personal Identity |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/214465 |journal=Geographical Review |volume=75 |issue=2 |pages=142–155 |doi=10.2307/214465 |jstor=214465 |bibcode=1985GeoRv..75..142C |issn=0016-7428 |access-date=22 January 2024 |archive-date=26 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326031322/https://www.jstor.org/stable/214465 |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Culture of Melbourne}}

File:State Library of Victoria Dome.jpg]]

Often referred to as Australia's cultural capital, Melbourne is known for its music, theatre and arts scenes, as well as its diverse range of cultural events and festivals, including the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Melbourne Fringe Festival and Moomba, Australia's largest free community festival.{{Cite news |url=https://www.meldmagazine.com.au/2016/07/melbourne-cultural-capital-australia/ |title=What makes Melbourne the cultural capital of Australia? |date=12 July 2016 |work=Meld Magazine |access-date=26 March 2018 |archive-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312075049/https://www.meldmagazine.com.au/2016/07/melbourne-cultural-capital-australia/ |url-status=live }} For much of the 2010s, Melbourne topped The Economist Intelligence Unit{{'s}} list of the world's most liveable cities, partly due to its cultural attributes.

State Library Victoria, founded in 1854, is one of the world's oldest free public libraries and, as of 2018, the fourth most-visited library globally.{{Cite web |last=Temple |first=Emily |date=10 May 2018 |url=https://lithub.com/the-12-most-popular-libraries-in-the-world |title=The 12 Most Popular Libraries in the World |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200520185514/https://lithub.com/the-12-most-popular-libraries-in-the-world/ |archive-date=20 May 2020 |url-status=live |website=Literary Hub |access-date=28 May 2020}} During the 19th-century boom period, Melbourne-based authors and poets Marcus Clarke, Adam Lindsay Gordon and Rolf Boldrewood produced classic visions of colonial life,{{cite book |last=Narasimhaiah |first=C. D. |author-link=C. D. Narasimhaiah |date=1965 |title=An Introduction to Australian Literature |url= |location= |publisher=Jacaranda Press |page=29 |isbn=}} and many visiting writers recorded literary responses to the city: for Henry Kendall, it was a "wild bleak Bohemia",Ackland, Michael (1993). Henry Kendall: Poetry, Prose and Selected Correspondence. University of Queensland Press, {{ISBN |9780702223082}}, p. 140. while Henry Kingsley stated that, in its rapid growth, Melbourne "surpasses all human experience".{{cite book |last=Mellick |first=John Stanton Davis |author-link= |date=1982 |title=Henry Kingsley |url= |location= |publisher=University of Queensland Press |page=203 |isbn=9780702217500}} Fergus Hume's The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), the fastest-selling crime novel of the era, is set in Melbourne, as is Australia's best-selling book of poetry, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke (1915) by C. J. Dennis.{{Cite journal|last=Bellanta |first=Melissa |date=2014 |url=http://jprstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AMR_Bellanta.pdf |title=A Masculine Romance: The Sentimental Bloke and Australian Culture in the War- and Early Interwar Years |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801073016/http://jprstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AMR_Bellanta.pdf |archive-date=1 August 2020 |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Popular Romance Studies |volume=4 |issue=2 }} Contemporary Melbourne authors who have set novels in the city include Peter Carey, Helen Garner and Gerald Murnane.{{cite news |last=Holdstock |first=Nick |date=12 January 2024 |title=Write for whom you love: Keys to a private world |url=https://www.the-tls.co.uk/literature/fiction/inland-gerald-murnane-book-review-nick-holdstock |work=The Times Literary Supplement |location=London |access-date=31 August 2024 |archive-date=30 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830172525/https://www.the-tls.co.uk/literature/fiction/inland-gerald-murnane-book-review-nick-holdstock |url-status=live }} Melbourne has Australia's widest range of bookstores, as well as the nation's largest publishing sector.{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofliterature.com/cities-of-literature/cities-of-literature/melbourne/ |title=Cities of Literature |work=cityofliterature.com |access-date=20 February 2015 |archive-date=18 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218080101/http://www.cityofliterature.com/cities-of-literature/cities-of-literature/melbourne/ |url-status=dead}} The city also hosts the Melbourne Writers Festival and the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. In 2008, it became the second UNESCO City of Literature.{{cite web |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2008/08/271122 |title=Melbourne books its place in UN cultural network of cities |last= |first= |date=29 August 2008 |website=un.org |publisher=UN News |access-date=5 September 2024 |quote=}}

File:Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Australia.jpg is the oldest theatre in the East End Theatre District.]]

Melbourne is home to many theatres, eight of which are concentrated in the East End Theatre District, including the Victorian era Athenaeum, Her Majesty's and Princess theatres, as well as the Forum and the Regent. Other heritage-listed theatres include the avant-garde picture palace The Capitol and St Kilda's Palais Theatre, Australia's largest seated theatre with a capacity of 3,000 people.{{Cite web|last=Sadler |first=Denham |date=14 August 2015 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/aug/14/live-music-in-melbourne-four-of-the-best-places-to-see-a-gig |title=Live music in Melbourne: four of the best places to see a gig |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801095703/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/aug/14/live-music-in-melbourne-four-of-the-best-places-to-see-a-gig |archive-date=1 August 2020 |url-status=live |website=The Guardian |access-date=13 November 2018}} The Arts Precinct in Southbank is home to Arts Centre Melbourne (which includes the State Theatre and Hamer Hall), as well as the Melbourne Recital Centre, Malthouse Theatre and Southbank Theatre, home of the Melbourne Theatre Company, Australia's oldest professional theatre company.{{cite web |title=Southbank Theatre |url=http://www.mtc.com.au/your-visit/southbank-theatre/ |website=Melbourne Theatre Company |access-date=9 November 2014 |date=2014 |archive-date=12 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130712105331/http://www.mtc.com.au/your-visit/southbank-theatre/ |url-status=live }} The Australian Ballet, Opera Australia and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are also based in the precinct. Many of Melbourne's theatres join the Melbourne Town Hall in hosting the annual Melbourne International Comedy Festival, one of the world's three largest comedy festivals.{{cite book |last=Van der Wagen |first=Lynn |author-link= |date=2010 |title=Event Management |url= |location= |publisher=Pearson Higher Education AU |page=358 |isbn=9781442538399}}

File:George Hotel Crystal Ballroom St Kilda.jpg, famed for hosting local and international post-punk and new wave bands]]

Melbourne has been called "the live music capital of the world";{{Cite web|last=Donoughue |first=Paul |date=12 April 2018 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-12/melbourne-is-the-live-music-capital-of-the-world-census-shows/9643684 |title=Melbourne is the live music capital of the world, study says |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818135804/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-12/melbourne-is-the-live-music-capital-of-the-world-census-shows/9643684 |archive-date=18 August 2020 |url-status=live |website=ABC News |access-date=13 November 2018}} one study found it has more music venues per capita than any other world city sampled, with 17.5 million patron visits to 553 venues in 2016.{{Cite web |url=https://www.musicvictoria.com.au/assets/2018/MLMC-2017-Report-compressed.pdf |title=Melbourne Live Music Census 2017 Report |last=Music Victoria |date=2017 |access-date=3 August 2019 |archive-date=21 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321184343/https://www.musicvictoria.com.au/assets/2018/MLMC-2017-Report-compressed.pdf |url-status=live }} Australia's first global music star, opera singer Nellie Melba, took her stage name from her hometown. Composer Percy Grainger followed her in becoming the most famous Melburnian of the Edwardian era. The Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Kings Domain hosted the largest crowd ever for a music concert in Australia when an estimated 200,000 attendees saw Melbourne band The Seekers in 1967.{{Cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/sidney-myer-music-bowl |title=National Heritage Places – Sidney Myer Music Bowl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501175905/http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/sidney-myer-music-bowl |archive-date=1 May 2020 |url-status=live |website=dcceew.gov.au |publisher=Australian Government (Department of Environment and Energy) |access-date=13 November 2018}}. Airing between 1974 and 1987, Melbourne's Countdown helped launch the careers of local acts as diverse as AC/DCHuxley, Martin (2015). AC/DC: The World's Heaviest Rock. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 9781250096524. p. 49, 57, 59 and Kylie Minogue. Several distinct post-punk scenes flourished in Melbourne during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the Little Band scene and St Kilda's Crystal Ballroom scene, which gave rise to Dead Can Dance and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.Delaney, Cornelius (2020). "We're the Most Fabulous People Australia Has Ever Known". In Nichols, David; Perillo, Sophie (ed.). Urban Australia and Post-Punk: Exploring Dogs in Space. Springer Nature. pp. 73–80. {{ISBN|9789813297029}}. More recent independent acts from Melbourne to achieve global recognition include The Avalanches, Gotye and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Melbourne is also regarded as a centre of EDM, and lends its name to the Melbourne Bounce genre and the Melbourne Shuffle dance style, both of which emerged from the city's underground rave scene.Van Maas, Sander (2015). Thresholds of Listening: Sound, Technics, Space. Fordham Univ Press, {{ISBN|9780823264391}}, pp. 223–224.

File:National Gallery of Victoria 2024.jpg's international collection]]

Established in 1861, the National Gallery of Victoria is Australia's oldest and largest art museum, and houses its collection across two sites: NGV International in Southbank and NGV Australia at Federation Square. Several art movements originated in Melbourne, most famously the Heidelberg School of impressionists, named after a suburb where they camped to paint en plein air in the 1880s.Sayers, Andrew (2001). Australian Art. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|9780192842145}}, pp. 79–80. The Australian tonalists followed in the 1910s,{{Cite web|last=Lock-Weir |first=Tracy |date=2009 |url=https://nga.gov.au/mistymoderns/essay.cfm |title=Misty moderns: Australian Tonalists 1915–1950 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224225128/https://nga.gov.au/mistymoderns/essay.cfm |archive-date=24 February 2021 |url-status=dead |website=NGA.gov.au |access-date=13 May 2020}} some of whom founded Montsalvat in Eltham, Australia's oldest surviving art colony. Mid-century Melbourne became a stronghold of figurative modernism through the paintings of the Antipodeans and Angry Penguins; the latter group often met at a pastoral estate in Bulleen, now the Heide Museum of Modern Art.{{cite web |url=https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00703b.htm |title=Heide Museum of Modern Art |last=Delany |first=Max |date= |website= |publisher=eMelbourne |access-date=5 September 2024 |quote=}} The city is also home to the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, as well as numerous independent galleries and artist-run spaces. In the 2000s, street art proliferated in Melbourne, with Banksy saying its graffiti scene "leads the world",{{cite news |last=Northover |first=Kylie |date=29 May 2010 |title=Banksy's first Australian interview |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/banksys-first-australian-interview-20100528-wlj8.html |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |location=Sydney |access-date=31 August 2024}} and "laneway galleries" becoming major tourist sites; Hosier Lane for example attracts more Instagram hashtags than some of the city's traditional destinations, like the Melbourne Zoo.{{Cite web|last=Scopelianos |first=Sarah |date=5 April 2020 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-05/melbourne-laneway-street-art-artists-concerned-for-future/12042794 |title=Melbourne is famous for its laneway street art. But artists work in a 'grey area' – and worry about the future |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426121209/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-05/melbourne-laneway-street-art-artists-concerned-for-future/12042794 |archive-date=26 April 2020 |url-status=live |website=ABC News |access-date=20 May 2020}}{{Cite web|last=Jopp |first=Ryan |date=8 June 2017 |url=https://theconversation.com/melbournes-love-hate-relationship-with-being-australias-street-art-capital-78177 |title=Melbourne's love-hate relationship with being Australia's 'street art capital' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526123014/https://theconversation.com/melbournes-love-hate-relationship-with-being-australias-street-art-capital-78177 |archive-date=26 May 2020 |url-status=live |website=The Conversation |access-date=20 May 2020}} Melbourne's many public artworks range from the Burke and Wills monument (1865) to the abstract sculpture Vault (1978), the latter a popular reference point amongst Melbourne designers.{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Kerrie |date=28 July 2020 |title=Four decades on, the controversial Vault has won hearts |url=https://www.theage.com.au/culture/art-and-design/four-decades-on-the-controversial-vault-has-won-hearts-20200521-p54v6n.html |work=The Age |location=Melbourne |access-date=31 August 2024}}

File:RMIT Capitol Melbourne.jpg, built in 1924, was Melbourne's first major picture palace.]]

The oldest film in Australia's National Film and Sound Archive is of the 1896 Melbourne Cup.{{cite web |url=https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00567b.htm |title=Film |last=Freiberg |first=Freda |date= |website= |publisher=eMelbourne |access-date=5 September 2024 |quote= |archive-date=17 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917092726/https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00567b.htm |url-status=live }} Melbourne filmmakers spurred Australia's first cinematic boom with The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), shot a quarter century after bushranger Ned Kelly's execution at Old Melbourne Gaol, and since recognised as the world's first feature-length narrative film.{{Cite web |last=Routt |first=William D. |date= |title=More Australian than Aristotelian: The Australian Bushranger Film, 1904–1914 |url=http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/01/18/oz_western.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224214514/http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/01/18/oz_western.html |archive-date=24 December 2010 |access-date=28 April 2021 |website=archive.sensesofcinema.com}} Melbourne remained a world leader in film production until the mid-1910s, when several factors, including a ban on bushranger films, contributed to a decades-long decline of the industry. A notable film shot and set in Melbourne during this lull was On the Beach (1959).{{Cite web|last=Davey |first=Philip |date=17 December 2009 |url=https://2015.acmi.net.au/acmi-channel/2009/film-essay-on-the-beach/ |title=When Hollywood Came To Melbourne |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809135800/https://2015.acmi.net.au/acmi-channel/2009/film-essay-on-the-beach/ |archive-date=9 August 2020 |url-status=live |work=ACMI |access-date=23 May 2020}} In the wake of the 1970s Australian Film Revival, many films have been shot and set in Melbourne, including Mad Max (1979),{{cite news |last=Leigh |first=Danny |date=26 June 2024 |title=Cities on screen: Melbourne's starring roles |url=https://www.ft.com/content/16cdb036-e34f-4f54-821d-22b587648b1f |work=Financial Times |location=London |access-date=5 September 2024 |archive-date=10 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910204120/https://www.ft.com/content/16cdb036-e34f-4f54-821d-22b587648b1f |url-status=live }} Romper Stomper (1992), Chopper (2000) and Animal Kingdom (2010). The Melbourne International Film Festival began in 1952 and is one of the world's oldest film festivals.{{cite book |last=Gore |first=Chris |author-link= |date=2001 |title=The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide |url= |location= |publisher=IFILM Pub. |page=346 |isbn=9781580650328}} The AACTA Awards, Australia's top screen awards, were inaugurated by the festival in 1958. Docklands Studios Melbourne is the city's largest film and television studio complex and has attracted major international productions.{{cite web |url=http://www.dsmelbourne.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=32 |title=Docklands Studios – Bringing Screen Ideas to Life |website=Docklands Studios |access-date=21 October 2010 |archive-date=20 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220114127/https://www.dsmelbourne.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=32 |url-status=live }} Melbourne is also home to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the headquarters of Village Roadshow Pictures, Australia's largest film production company.

{{further|Sport in Victoria}}

File:Tom Wills Statue.jpg founder Tom Wills umpiring an 1858 football match. The first games of Australian rules were played in adjacent parklands.]]

File:Rod Laver Arena Melbourne Park Australian Open 2023 quarter final.jpg, the first of four annual Grand Slam tennis tournaments.]]

Melbourne has long been regarded as Australia's sporting capital due to the role it has played in the development of Australian sport, the range and quality of its sporting events and venues, and its high rates of spectatorship and participation.{{cite web |last1=Hess |first1=Rob |last2=Symons |first2=Caroline |last3=Hemphill |first3=Dennis |url=http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01413b.htm |title=Sporting Culture |website=eMelbourne |access-date=17 November 2018 |archive-date=29 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329214803/http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01413b.htm |url-status=live }} The city is also home to 27 professional sports teams competing at the national level, the most of any Australian city. Melbourne's sporting reputation was recognised in 2016 when, after being ranked as the world's top sports city three times biennially, the Ultimate Sports City Awards in Switzerland named it 'Sports City of the Decade'.{{Cite news |last= |date=21 April 2016 |title=Melbourne crowned 'sports city of the decade' |work=Business Standard India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/melbourne-crowned-sports-city-of-the-decade-116042100385_1.html |access-date=24 October 2021 |archive-date=24 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024163021/https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/melbourne-crowned-sports-city-of-the-decade-116042100385_1.html |url-status=live }}

The city has hosted a number of major international sporting events, most notably the 1956 Summer Olympics, the first Olympic Games held outside Europe and the United States.{{cite web |url=http://www.athletesedge.info/og_1956.php |title=1956 Melbourne |publisher=athletesedge.info |access-date=2 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102071309/http://www.athletesedge.info/og_1956.php |archive-date=2 November 2013 |url-status=usurped}} Melbourne also hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and is home to several major annual international events, including the Australian Open, the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. First held in 1861 and declared a public holiday for all Melburnians in 1873, the Melbourne Cup is the world's richest handicap horse race, and is known as "the race that stops a nation". The Formula One Australian Grand Prix has been held at the Albert Park Circuit since 1996.

Cricket was one of the first sports to become organised in Melbourne with the Melbourne Cricket Club forming within three years of settlement. The club manages one of the world's largest stadiums, the 100,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).{{Cite web |url=https://cricketaddictor.com/cricket/10-largest-cricket-stadiums-in-world/ |title=10 Largest Cricket Stadiums In The World |first=Amrit |last=Santlani |date=20 February 2020 |access-date=16 November 2020 |archive-date=27 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427233012/https://cricketaddictor.com/cricket/10-largest-cricket-stadiums-in-world/ |url-status=live }} Established in 1853, the MCG is notable for hosting the first Test match and the first One Day International, played between Australia and England in 1877 and 1971, respectively. It is also the home of the National Sports Museum,{{cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/australian-sports-museum-opens-at-mcg/2008/03/05/1204402550094.html |title=Australian sports museum opens at MCG |date=6 March 2008 |first=Geoff |last=Strong |website=The Age |publisher=Fairfax Media |location=Melbourne |access-date=18 July 2008 |archive-date=17 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617202031/http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/australian-sports-museum-opens-at-mcg/2008/03/05/1204402550094.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}} and serves as the home ground of the Victoria cricket team. At Twenty20 level, the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades compete in the Big Bash League.

Australian rules football, Australia's most popular spectator sport, traces its origins to matches played in parklands next to the MCG in 1858. Its first laws were codified the following year by the Melbourne Football Club,Nauright, John (ed.) (2012). Sports around the World: History, Culture, and Practice, ABC-CLIO. {{ISBN|9781598843019}}, pp. 350–351. also a founding member, in 1896, of the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite professional competition. Headquartered at Docklands Stadium, the AFL fields a further eight Melbourne-based clubs: Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda, and the Western Bulldogs.Wilson, John K.; Promfet, Richard (ed.) (2019). Historical Perspectives on Sports Economics: Lessons from the Field, Edward Elgar Publishing. {{ISBN|9781788977845}}, p. 25. The city hosts up to five AFL matches per round during the home and away season, attracting an average of 40,000 spectators per game.{{cite web |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24109399-12270,00.html |title=AFL blueprint for third stadium |last=Smith |first=Patrick |date=1 August 2008 |website=The Australian |access-date=22 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080809210411/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24109399-12270,00.html |archive-date=9 August 2008 |url-status=dead}} The AFL Grand Final, traditionally held at the MCG, is the highest attended club championship event in the world.

In soccer, Melbourne is represented in the A-League by Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City FC and Western United FC, and in rugby league it is home to the National Rugby League team, Melbourne Storm. North American sports have also gained popularity in Melbourne: basketball sides South East Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne United play in the NBL; Melbourne Ice and Melbourne Mustangs play in the Australian Ice Hockey League; and Melbourne Aces plays in the Australian Baseball League. Rowing also forms part of Melbourne's sporting identity, with a number of clubs located on the Yarra River, out of which many Australian Olympians trained.

{{See also|Category:Companies based in Melbourne|Tourism in Melbourne}}

File:Melbourne Central Coop's Shot Tower.jpg enclosed in Melbourne Central, one of the city's major retail hubs]]

Melbourne has a highly diversified economy with particular strengths in finance, manufacturing, research, IT, education, logistics, transportation and tourism. Melbourne houses the headquarters of many of Australia's largest corporations, including five of the ten largest in the country (based on revenue), and five of the largest seven in the country (based on market capitalisation);{{Cite web |url=https://www.afr.com/rich-list |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829143027/http://www.brw.com.au/lists/detail/?listId=5 |url-status=dead |title=Rich List |archive-date=29 August 2007 |website=Australian Financial Review}} ANZ, BHP, the National Australia Bank, CSL and Telstra, as well as such representative bodies and think tanks as the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Melbourne's suburbs also have the head offices of Coles Group (owner of Coles Supermarkets) and Wesfarmers companies Bunnings, Target, K-Mart and Officeworks, as well as the head office for Australia Post. The city is home to Australia's second busiest seaport, after Port Botany in Sydney.{{cite web |url=https://www.portauthoritynsw.com.au/news-and-publications/news/port-botany-australias-biggest-container-port/ |title=Port Botany: Australia's biggest container port |website=Portauthoritynsw.com.au |access-date=28 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128164457/https://www.portauthoritynsw.com.au/news-and-publications/news/port-botany-australias-biggest-container-port/ |archive-date=28 November 2018 |url-status=dead}} Melbourne Airport provides an entry point for national and international visitors, and is Australia's second busiest airport.{{Cite web |website=Australian Airports Association |url=http://planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/294809/057-Melbourne-Airport-Part-F.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009145547/http://planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/294809/057-Melbourne-Airport-Part-F.pdf |url-status=dead |title=The economic and social contribution of Australia's airports |archive-date=9 October 2016}}

Melbourne is also an important financial centre. In the 2024 Global Financial Centres Index, Melbourne was ranked as having the 28th most competitive financial centre in the world. Two of the big four banks, the ANZ and National Australia Bank, are headquartered in Melbourne. The city has carved out a niche as Australia's leading centre for superannuation (pension) funds, with 40% of the total, and 65% of industry super-funds including the AU$109 billion-dollar Federal Government Future Fund. The city was rated 41st within the top 50 financial cities as surveyed by the MasterCard Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index (2008),{{cite web |url=http://www.mastercard.com/us/company/en/insights/pdfs/2008/MCWW_WCoC-Report_2008.pdf |title=Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index |date=2008 |access-date=10 October 2008 |archive-date=4 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504014257/http://www.mastercard.com/us/company/en/insights/pdfs/2008/MCWW_WCoC-Report_2008.pdf |url-status=live }} second only to Sydney (12th) in Australia. Melbourne is Australia's second-largest industrial centre.{{cite web |author=Matt Wade |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-takes-manufacturing-capital-crown-from-melbourne-20140207-327c3.html |title=Sydney takes manufacturing capital crown from Melbourne |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=8 February 2014 |access-date=30 March 2014 |archive-date=6 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406184950/http://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-takes-manufacturing-capital-crown-from-melbourne-20140207-327c3.html |url-status=live }}

File:Crown Casino Complex Melbourne 20180723-002.jpg contributes AU$2 billion to the Victorian economy annually.{{cite web |url=http://www.businessday.com.au/business/crown-records-profit-growth-up-130-20100826-13st5.html |title=Crown casino records profit growth, up 130% |website=Business Day |date=26 August 2010 |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307143548/http://www.businessday.com.au/business/crown-records-profit-growth-up-130-20100826-13st5.html |archive-date=7 March 2012}}]] It is the Australian base for a number of significant manufacturers including Boeing Australia, truck-makers Kenworth and Iveco, Cadbury as well as Alstom and Jayco, among others. It is also home to a wide variety of other manufacturers, ranging from petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals to fashion garments, paper manufacturing and food processing.{{cite web |url=http://dsdbi.vic.gov.au/our-department/strategies-and-initiatives/a-more-competitive-manufacturing-industry |title=Business Victoria – Manufacturing |date=26 May 2008 |publisher=State of Victoria, Australia |access-date=22 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103103103/http://dsdbi.vic.gov.au/our-department/strategies-and-initiatives/a-more-competitive-manufacturing-industry |archive-date=3 November 2013}} The south-eastern suburb of Scoresby is home to Nintendo's Australian headquarters. The city also has a research and development hub for Ford Australia, as well as a global design studio and technical centre for General Motors and Toyota Australia respectively.

CSL, one of the world's top five biotech companies, and Sigma Pharmaceuticals have their headquarters in Melbourne. The two are the largest listed Australian pharmaceutical companies.{{cite web |url=http://www.invest.vic.gov.au/biotechnology-life-sciences |title=Invest Victoria – Biotechnology and Life Sciences |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705045504/http://www.invest.vic.gov.au/biotechnology-life-sciences |archive-date=5 July 2013}} Melbourne has an important ICT industry, home to more than half of Australia's top 20 technology companies, and employs over 91,000 people (one third of Australia's ICT workforce), with a turnover of AU$34 billion and export revenues of AU$2.5 billion in 2018.{{cite report | title= Why Melbourne, Australia | publisher= Victorian State Government | date= 2018 | url= https://www.invest.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/37857/Melbourne-Flagship-Booklet-web-version.pdf | access-date= 6 January 2023 | archive-date= 6 January 2023 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230106234630/https://www.invest.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/37857/Melbourne-Flagship-Booklet-web-version.pdf | url-status= live }} In addition, tourism also plays an important role in Melbourne's economy, with 10.8 million domestic overnight tourists and 2.9 million international overnight tourists in 2018.{{cite web |title=Australian Tourism Statistics 2019 |work=Budget Direct |url=https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/travel-insurance/research/tourism-statistics.html |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505081624/https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/travel-insurance/research/tourism-statistics.html |url-status=live }} Melbourne has been attracting an increasing share of domestic and international conference markets. Construction began in February 2006 of an AU$1 billion 5000-seat international convention centre, Hilton Hotel and commercial precinct adjacent to the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre to link development along the Yarra River with the Southbank precinct and multibillion-dollar Docklands redevelopment.{{cite news |first=Rachel |last=Kleinman |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/councillors-furious-about-convention-centre-deal/2006/04/30/1146335610761.html |title=Councillors furious about convention centre deal |newspaper=The Age |location=Melbourne |date=1 May 2006 |access-date=1 October 2007 |archive-date=11 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911232815/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/councillors-furious-about-convention-centre-deal/2006/04/30/1146335610761.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}

{{Main|Tourism in Melbourne}}

{{see also|Parks and gardens of Melbourne}}

File:CentrePlace-rain.jpg and coffee culture, the inner city's network of laneways and arcades is a popular cultural attraction.]]

Melbourne is the second most visited city in Australia and the seventy-third most visited city in the world.{{cite web |url=https://ceoworld.biz/2019/12/05/these-are-the-worlds-most-visited-cities-among-international-travelers-2019/ |work=CEO World |title=These Are The World's Most Visited Cities Among International Travelers, 2019 |last=Ireland |first=Sophie |date=5 December 2020 |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801055349/https://ceoworld.biz/2019/12/05/these-are-the-worlds-most-visited-cities-among-international-travelers-2019/ |url-status=live }} In 2018, 10.8 million domestic overnight tourists and 2.9 million international overnight tourists visited Melbourne. The most visited attractions are Federation Square, Queen Victoria Market, Crown Casino, Southbank, Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne Aquarium, Docklands, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Observation Deck, Arts Centre Melbourne, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.{{cite web |url=http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=4481 |title=Victoria's Top 20 Attractions |publisher=Only Melbourne |date=27 September 2013 |access-date=30 March 2014 |archive-date=9 April 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140409061420/http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=4481#.UgqoBEg6htI |url-status=live }} The State Library of Victoria is the fourth most visited in the world. Luna Park, a theme park modelled on New York's Coney Island and Seattle's Luna Park,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66391776 |title=Luna Park, St Kilda. |date=21 December 1912 |newspaper=Malvern Standard |access-date=18 May 2016 |issue= 507 |location= Victoria, Australia |volume=9 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604151843/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66391776 |url-status=live }} is also a popular destination for visitors.{{cite web |url=https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/100-years-fun-luna-park-celebrating-melbourne-icon |title=100 years of fun at Luna Park |website=National Film and Sound Archive |year=2012 |last=Dee |first=Siobhan |access-date=13 May 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801071142/https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/100-years-fun-luna-park-celebrating-melbourne-icon |url-status=live }} In its annual survey of readers, the Condé Nast Traveler magazine found that both Melbourne and Auckland were considered the world's friendliest cities in 2014.{{cite news |author1=Kylie McLaughlin |title= Melbourne named the world's friendliest city, Sydney fifth |url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-planning/travel-news/melbourne-named-the-worlds-friendliest-city-sydney-fifth-20140818-3dvj3.html#poll |access-date=18 August 2014 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=18 August 2014 |archive-date=19 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819224050/http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-planning/travel-news/melbourne-named-the-worlds-friendliest-city-sydney-fifth-20140818-3dvj3.html#poll |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Conde Nast Traveler The 2014 Friendliest and Unfriendliest Cities in the World |url=http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-08-05/the-2014-friendliest-and-unfriendliest-cities-in-the-world/11 |website=Condé Nast Traveler |access-date=18 August 2014 |date=5 August 2014 |archive-date=19 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819090353/http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-08-05/the-2014-friendliest-and-unfriendliest-cities-in-the-world/11 |url-status=live }} Melbourne's laneways and arcades are of particular importance for the city's tourism–Hosier Lane attracted one million visitors in each year prior to the COVID pandemic.{{cite web|title=Melbourne is famous for its laneway street art. But artists work in a 'grey area' — and worry about the future|work=ABC Australia|date=April 2020|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-05/melbourne-laneway-street-art-artists-concerned-for-future/12042794|accessdate=31 March 2023|archive-date=26 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426121209/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-05/melbourne-laneway-street-art-artists-concerned-for-future/12042794 |url-status=live}} The laneways of Melbourne have been gentrified and now include prominent displays of street art, which attracts international tourists. Melbourne is considered one of the safest world cities for travellers.{{cite web |url=http://safecities.economist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Aug-5-ENG-NEC-Safe-Cities-2019-270x210-19-screen.pdf |title=Safe cities index 2019 |website=Safe Cities Index |publisher=The Economist |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=19 January 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200119072007/https://safecities.economist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Aug-5-ENG-NEC-Safe-Cities-2019-270x210-19-screen.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/melbourne-most-livable-city/index.html |title=Melbourne fans: 50 ways our city is the best |work=CNN |last1= Khoury |first1=Matt |last2=Prendergarst |first2=Luke |date=18 November 2018 |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=16 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516140021/http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/melbourne-most-livable-city/index.html |url-status=live }}

File:Aerial photograph of Queen Victoria Market.jpg is the Southern Hemisphere's largest open air market.]]

Melbourne has a renowned culinary scene that attracts international tourists.{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/melbournes-food-and-drink-scene-has-been-voted-one-of-the-best-in-the-world-091421|title=Melbourne's food and drink scene has been voted one of the best in the world|work=Time Out Magazine|date=14 September 2021|accessdate=31 March 2023|archive-date=31 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331051943/https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/melbournes-food-and-drink-scene-has-been-voted-one-of-the-best-in-the-world-091421|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/dining/worlds-50-best-restaurants-melbourne.html|title=How Melbourne Landed the World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards|work=The New York Times|date=5 April 2017|accessdate=31 March 2023|archive-date=31 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331051943/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/dining/worlds-50-best-restaurants-melbourne.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.singletonargus.com.au/story/7945220/what-makes-melbournes-food-scene-so-iconic/|title=What makes Melbourne's food scene so iconic?|work=The Singleton Argus|date=17 October 2022|accessdate=31 March 2023|archive-date=31 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331051944/https://www.singletonargus.com.au/story/7945220/what-makes-melbournes-food-scene-so-iconic/|url-status=live}} Lygon Street, which runs through the inner-northern suburbs of Melbourne, is a popular dining destination with an abundance of Italian and Greek restaurants that date back to earlier European immigration of the city. Food festivals are of particular popularity in Melbourne, many of which are held during early autumn, earning this period the nickname "mad March".{{cite news |last1=Waters |first1=Cara |title=Melbourne's 'Mad March' of festivals is here. But this trend has organisers sweating |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/fashionably-late-festivals-sweat-post-pandemic-trend-of-last-minute-tickets-20230303-p5cp39.html |access-date=27 February 2025 |work=The Age |date=4 March 2023 |language=en}} The most well-known of these events, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, takes place over the course of ten days and began in 1993.{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/things-to-do/melbourne-food-wine-festival-30-under-30|title=Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 30 Under 30|work=Time Out |first1=Sanam |last1=Goodman |date=16 June 2022|accessdate=31 March 2023|archive-date=31 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331052004/https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/things-to-do/melbourne-food-wine-festival-30-under-30|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://beat.com.au/melbourne-food-and-wine-festival-why-melbournes-hospitality-culture-makes-the-city-so-exciting/ |first1=Jasmine |last1=Penman |title=Melbourne Food and Wine Festival: Why Melbourne's hospitality culture 'makes the city so exciting'|date=21 February 2023|accessdate=31 March 2023|work=Beat Magazine |archive-date=31 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331055009/https://beat.com.au/melbourne-food-and-wine-festival-why-melbournes-hospitality-culture-makes-the-city-so-exciting/|url-status=live}}File:Melbourne Chinatown from Exhibition St.jpg is the longest continuous Chinese settlement outside Asia.]]Melbourne is also home to many annual events and festivals. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is held every year in March through to April. Established in 1987, it is one of the three largest international comedy festivals in the world. Other notable festivals and events include the Melbourne Flower and Garden Show, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the Melbourne Royal Show and the Midsumma Festival.

{{AI-generated|1=section|date=May 2025}}

Melbourne is projected to overtake Sydney as Australia's most populous city sometime between 2032 and 2046.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-04 |title=Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base) - 2071 {{!}} Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/population-projections-australia/latest-release?utm_source=chatgpt.com#assumptions |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=www.abs.gov.au |language=en}}{{AI-generated inline|date=May 2025}}

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, such as Postcode 3000 and Melbourne 2030, which have aimed to curtail urban sprawl.{{cite web |url=http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/melbourne2030online/content/introduction/02_summary.html |title=Melbourne 2030 – in summary |publisher=Victorian Government, Department of Sustainability and Environment |access-date=5 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907065147/http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/melbourne2030online/content/introduction/02_summary.html |archive-date=7 September 2008}}{{cite web |url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=288&pg=1362 |title=City of Melbourne: Strategic Planning – Postcode 3000 |publisher=City of Melbourne |access-date=5 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912084620/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=288&pg=1362 |archive-date=12 September 2008}} {{As of|2018}}, the CBD is the most densely populated area in Australia with more than 19,000 residents per square kilometre, and the inner city suburbs of Carlton, South Yarra, Fitzroy and Collingwood make up Victoria's top five.{{Cite news|last=Smith |first=Rohan |date=5 October 2018 |url=https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/theres-a-reason-melbourne-feels-so-crowded-its-the-most-densely-populated-area-in-australia/news-story/8ccbaa220544ff3702164b57a35caf57 |title=There's a reason Melbourne feels so crowded – it's the most densely populated area in Australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414065002/https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/theres-a-reason-melbourne-feels-so-crowded-its-the-most-densely-populated-area-in-australia/news-story/8ccbaa220544ff3702164b57a35caf57 |archive-date=14 April 2019 |website=news.com.au |access-date=14 April 2019 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=Chinatown, Melbourne: Dining, entertainment, shopping, accommodation & more |url=https://chinatownmelbourne.com.au/ |access-date=2022-08-25 |language=en-AU |archive-date=14 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814001351/https://chinatownmelbourne.com.au/ |url-status=live }}

At the 2021 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were:

{{columns-list|colwidth=12em|

• English (24.8%)
• Australian (22.5%)
• Chinese (8.8%)
• Irish (8.2%)
• Scottish (6.9%)
• Italian (6.7%)
• Indian (5.5%)
• Greek (3.6%)
• German (2.8%)
• Vietnamese (2.5%)
• Filipino (1.7%)
• Dutch (1.4%)
• Maltese (1.3%)
• Polish (1.1%)
• Sri Lankan (1%)
• Lebanese (1%)

}}

At the 2021 census, 0.7% of Melbourne's population identified as being Indigenous — Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.{{NoteTag|Indigenous identification is separate to the ancestry question on the Australian Census and persons identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may identify any ancestry.}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/2GMEL|title=2021 Greater Melbourne, Census All persons QuickStats |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=1 July 2022|archive-date=29 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629062723/https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/2GMEL|url-status=live}} In Greater Melbourne at the 2021 census, 59.9% of residents were born in Australia. The other most common countries of birth were India (4.9%), Mainland China (3.4%), England (2.7%), Vietnam (1.8%) and New Zealand (1.7%).

At the time of the 2021 census, 61.1% of Melburnians speak only English at home. Mandarin (4.3%), Vietnamese (2.3%), Greek (2.1%), Punjabi (2%), and Arabic (1.8%) were the most common foreign languages spoken at home by residents of Melbourne.

{{Pie chart|thumb=right|caption=Religion in Melbourne (2021){{cite web|url=https://profile.id.com.au/australia/religion?WebID=270|title=Religion|publisher=ABS|access-date=22 December 2024|archive-date=16 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516192217/https://profile.id.com.au/australia/religion?WebID=270|url-status=live}}|label1=Christianity|value1=40.1|color1=DodgerBlue|label2=No religion|value2=37.2|color2=honeydew|label3=Islam|value3=5.3|color3=Green|label4=Hinduism|value4=4.1|color4=coral|label5=Buddhism|value5=3.9|color5=darkkhaki|label6=Sikhism|value6=1.7|color6=yellow|label7=Judaism|value7=0.9|color7=turquoise|label8=Other religions|value8=1.0|color8=deeppink|label9=Religion not stated|value9=5.8|color9=lightgrey}}File:St Patrick's Cathedral-Gothic Revival Style (East Side).jpg]]

Melbourne has a wide range of religious faiths, the most widely held of which is Christianity. This is signified by the city's two large cathedrals—St Patrick's (Roman Catholic), and St Paul's (Anglican). Both were built in the Victorian era and are of considerable heritage significance as major landmarks of the city.{{cite web |url=http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/period_info2.html?period=Victorian |title=Victorian Architectural Period – Melbourne |website=Walking Melbourne |access-date=5 October 2008 |archive-date=25 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325145312/http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/period_info2.html?period=Victorian |url-status=live }} In recent years, Greater Melbourne's irreligious community has grown to be one of the largest in Australia.{{cite web |title=Census 2016: Why Australians are Losing their Religion |url=http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2016/08/09/4515206.htm |website=ABC Religion and Ethics |date=9 August 2016 |access-date=27 March 2018 |archive-date=17 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317003956/http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2016/08/09/4515206.htm |url-status=live }}

According to the 2021 Census, persons stating that they had no religion constituted 36.9% of the population. Christianity was the most popular religious affiliation at 40.1%. The largest Christian denominations were Catholicism (20.8%) and Anglicanism (5.5%). The most popular non-Christian religious affiliations were Islam (5.3%), Hinduism (4.1%), Buddhism (3.9%), Sikhism (1.7%) and Judaism (0.9%).

Over 258,000 Muslims live in Melbourne.{{cite web |title=Greater Melbourne Religion |url=https://profile.id.com.au/australia/religion?WebID=270 |website=.id |access-date=25 June 2024 |archive-date=16 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516192217/https://profile.id.com.au/australia/religion?WebID=270 |url-status=live }} Muslim religious life in Melbourne is centred on about 25 mosques and a number of prayer rooms at university campuses, workplaces and other venues.{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00766b.htm |title=Islam |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Melbourne Online |last=Saeed |first=Abdullah |access-date=29 March 2013 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924000127/http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00766b.htm |url-status=live }} {{As of|2000}}, Melbourne had the largest population of Polish Jews and Holocaust survivors in Australia, and the largest number of Jewish institutions.{{cite web |url=http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-December-2001/freiberg.html |title=Judith Berman, Holocaust Remembrance in Australian Jewish Communities, 1945–2000 |last=Freiberg |first=Freda |year=2001 |publisher=UWA Press |access-date=22 October 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723004651/http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-December-2001/freiberg.html |archive-date=23 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}

{{Main|Education in Melbourne}}

File:Parkville - University of Melbourne (Ormond College).jpg, part of the University of Melbourne]]

Of the top twenty high schools in Australia according to the My Choice Schools Ranking, five are in Melbourne.{{cite web |url=https://mychoiceschools.com.au/ |title=School Ranking |website=Mychoiceschools.com.au/ |access-date=29 May 2020 |archive-date=20 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420150818/https://mychoiceschools.com.au/ |url-status=live }} There has also been a rapid increase in the number of International students studying in the city, with Melbourne considered the 4th best city in the world for studying abroad in the 2024 Best Student Cities ranking by QS,{{cite web |date=19 July 2023 |title=QS Best Student Cities 2024 |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2024 |publisher=QS |access-date=19 July 2023 |url-status=live |archive-date=19 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719062548/https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2024}} and voted the world's fourth top university city in 2008 after London, Boston and Tokyo in a poll commissioned by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.{{cite web |date=30 May 2008 |title=World's top university cities revealed |url=http://www.rmit.net.au/browse;ID=q3l220b3wzs5 |work=RMIT News |publisher=RMIT University |access-date=18 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719164651/http://www.rmit.net.au/browse%3BID%3Dq3l220b3wzs5 |archive-date=19 July 2008}} Eight public universities operate in Melbourne: the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology, Deakin University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), La Trobe University, Australian Catholic University (ACU) and Victoria University (VU).

Melbourne universities have campuses all over Australia and some internationally. Swinburne University and Monash University have campuses in Malaysia, RMIT in Vietnam, with Monash also having a campus in Indonesia and research centres in Prato, Italy, and a joint partnership research academy with IIT Bombay in Mumbai, India. The University of Melbourne, the second oldest university in Australia,{{cite web |title=WEHI: Our research partners |publisher=University of Melbourne |url=http://www.wehi.edu.au/about_us/partners_and_affiliates/the_university_of_melbourne |work=Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research |access-date=13 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927122559/http://www.wehi.edu.au/about_us/partners_and_affiliates/the_university_of_melbourne |archive-date=27 September 2011}} is the highest ranked university in Australia across the three major global rankings – QS (13th), THES (34th) and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (32nd),{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/28/three-australian-unis-place-in-top-20-list-of-the-qs-world-university-rankings |title=Three Aus Universities place in top 20 |website=The Guardian |date=27 June 2023 |language=en-US |access-date=28 June 2023 |last1=Cassidy |first1=Caitlin |archive-date=27 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627224730/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/28/three-australian-unis-place-in-top-20-list-of-the-qs-world-university-rankings |url-status=live }} with Monash University also ranking within the top 50 – QS (37nd) and THES (44th).{{cite web |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/monash-university |title=Monash University |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |language=en-US |access-date=28 December 2022 |archive-date=21 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321134228/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/monash-university |url-status=live }} Both are members of the Group of Eight, a coalition of leading Australian tertiary institutions offering comprehensive and leading education.{{cite web |url=http://www.go8.edu.au/ |title=Group of Eight Australia |work=go8.edu.au |access-date=20 February 2015 |archive-date=26 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226020032/http://go8.edu.au/ |url-status=live }}

As of 2024 RMIT University is ranked 18th in the world in both Art & Design, and Architecture.{{cite web |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/rmit-university#p2-programs |title=RMIT University Rankings |publisher=Top Universities |access-date=6 May 2024 }} The Swinburne University of Technology, based in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, was as of 2014 ranked 76th–100th in the world for physics by the Academic Ranking of World Universities.{{cite web |url=http://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/latest-news/2015/12/excellence-in-research-australia-2015-physics-research-strongly-recognised-.php |title=Excellence in Research Australia 2015: Physics research strongly recognised |website=Swindon University |date=4 December 2015 |access-date=12 May 2020 |archive-date=12 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112081613/http://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/latest-news/2015/12/excellence-in-research-australia-2015-physics-research-strongly-recognised-.php |url-status=live }} Deakin University maintains two major campuses in Melbourne and Geelong, and is the third largest university in Victoria. 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 for them.{{cite web |url=http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_3967.html |title=University of Melbourne's international student offers rise as its demand leaps |publisher=University of Melbourne |date=12 January 2007 |access-date=18 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730104958/http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_3967.html |archive-date=30 July 2008}} Education in Melbourne is overseen by the Victorian Department of Education (DET), whose role is to 'provide policy and planning advice for the delivery of education'.{{cite web |url=http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/default.htm |title=Department of Education and Early Childhood Development: About Us |website=Education Victoria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529131835/http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/default.htm |archive-date=29 May 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=2 May 2010}}

{{Main|Media in Melbourne}}{{See also|List of Australian radio stations#Melbourne}}

File:Federation Square (SBS Building).jpg (SBS), located at Federation Square]]

Three daily newspapers serve Melbourne: the Herald Sun (tabloid), The Age (compact) and The Australian (national broadsheet). There are six primary free-to-air digital television stations operating in Greater Melbourne and Geelong: ABC Victoria, (ABV), SBS Victoria (SBS), Seven Melbourne (HSV), Nine Melbourne (GTV), Ten Melbourne (ATV), C31 Melbourne (MGV) – community television.{{Cite web |title=Television – Communications – Travel Victoria: accommodation & visitor guide |url=https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/victoria/television/ |access-date=21 January 2022 |website=Travelvictoria.com.au |archive-date=21 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121034821/https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/victoria/television/ |url-status=live }} Each station (excluding C31) broadcasts a primary channel and several multichannels.{{Cite web |title=Melbourne TV Guide – All TV Show times, All Channels – 9Entertainment |url=https://www.yourtv.com.au/guide/melbourne/ |access-date=21 January 2022 |website=Yourtv.com.au |language=en |archive-date=21 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121034819/https://www.yourtv.com.au/guide/melbourne/ |url-status=live }} Some digital media companies such as Broadsheet are based in and primarily serve Melbourne.

Many AM and FM radio stations broadcast to greater Melbourne. These include public (i.e., state-owned ABC and SBS) and community stations. Many commercial stations are networked-owned: Nova Entertainment owns Nova 100 and Smooth; ARN controls Gold 104.3 and KIIS 101.1; and Southern Cross Austereo runs both Fox and Triple M. Youth stations include ABC Triple J and youth-run SYN. Triple J, and community stations PBS and Triple R, strive to play under represented music. JOY 94.9 caters for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender audiences. 3MBS and ABC Classic FM play classical music. Light FM is a contemporary Christian station. AM stations include ABC: ABC Radio Melbourne, Radio National, and News Radio; also Nine Entertainment affiliates 3AW (talk) and Magic (easy listening). SEN 1116 broadcasts sports coverage. Melbourne has many community run stations that serve alternative interests, such as 3CR and 3KND (Indigenous). Many suburbs have low powered community run stations serving local audiences.{{cite web |title=Victoria Members – Community Broadcasting Association of Australia |publisher=CBAA |url=http://www.cbaa.org.au/Who_We_Are/Victoria-Members |access-date=28 August 2010 |archive-date=19 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219183454/http://cbaa.org.au/Who_We_Are/Victoria-Members |url-status=live }}

File:Parliament House East Melbourne.jpg]]

The governance of Melbourne is split between the government of Victoria and the 27 cities and four shires that make up the metropolitan area. There is no ceremonial or political head of Melbourne, but the Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne often fulfils such a role as a first among equals.{{cite news |last=Dunstan |first=David |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/11/11/1100131127769.html?from=storylhs |title=The evolution of 'Clown Hall' |newspaper=The Age |location=Melbourne |date=12 November 2004 |access-date=8 November 2010 |archive-date=6 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106140240/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/11/11/1100131127769.html?from=storylhs |url-status=live |url-access=registration}}

The local governments are responsible for providing the functions set out in the Local Government Act 1989{{cite web |url=http://www.dms.dpc.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/PubLawToday.nsf/0/B171E800B03D6A9ECA256E5B00037B12/$FILE/89-11a030.pdf |title=Local Government Act 1989 |website=Pub Law Today |date=1 July 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108212735/http://www.dms.dpc.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/PubLawToday.nsf/0/B171E800B03D6A9ECA256E5B00037B12/%24FILE/89-11a030.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2006}} such as urban planning and waste management. Most other government services are provided or regulated by the Victorian state government, which governs from Parliament House in Spring Street. These include services associated with local government in other countries and include public transport, main roads, traffic control, policing, education above preschool level, health and planning of major infrastructure projects.

{{Main|Transport in Melbourne}}

File:Bolte bridge dusk.jpg is part of the CityLink tollway system.]]Like many Australian cities, Melbourne has a high dependency on the automobile for transport,{{cite web |url=http://www.mtf.org.au/binary.php/resouces_presentation/mtf_launch_presentation_071105_handout_.pdf |title=Most Liveable and Best Connected? The Economic Benefits of Investing in Public Transport in Melbourne |author1=Jan Scheurer |author2=Jeff Kenworthy |author3=Peter Newman |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060827051335/http://www.mtf.org.au/binary.php/resouces_presentation/mtf_launch_presentation_071105_handout_.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2006}} particularly in the outer suburban areas where the largest number of cars are bought,{{cite news |date=10 October 2007 |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22561141-2862,00.html |title=Still addicted to cars |newspaper=Herald Sun |location=Melbourne |access-date=18 July 2008 |archive-date=13 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013193634/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22561141-2862,00.html |url-status=live }} with a total of 3.6 million private vehicles using {{cvt|22320|km|mi}} of road, and one of the highest lengths of road per capita in the world. The early 20th century saw an increase in popularity of automobiles, resulting in large-scale suburban expansion and a tendency towards the development of urban sprawl—like all Australian cities, inhabitants would live in the suburbs and commute to the city for work.{{cite news |date=14 February 2004 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/11/1076388428001.html |title=The cars that ate Melbourne |website=The Age |location=Melbourne |access-date=18 July 2008 |archive-date=6 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106110553/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/11/1076388428001.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}} By the mid-1950s, there were just under 200 passenger vehicles per 1000 people, and by 2013, there were 600 passenger vehicles per 1000 people.{{cite web |title=Australian Social Trends |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features40July+2013 |website=abs.gov.au |date=5 March 2014 |access-date=29 May 2015 |archive-date=9 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609055240/http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features40July+2013 |url-status=live }}

The road network in Victoria is managed by Vicroads, as part of the Department of Transport, who oversee the planning and integration. Maintenance of roads is undertaken by different bodies, depending on the road. Local roads are maintained by local governments, while secondary and main roads are the responsibility of Vicroads. Major national freeways and roads integral to national trade are overseen by the Federal Government.{{Cite web |title=Road Management Act, regulations & codes |url=https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/about-vicroads/acts-and-regulations/road-management-act-regulations-and-codesv |access-date=1 November 2022 |website=Vicroads}}

Today, Melbourne has an extensive network of freeways and arterial roadways. These are used by private vehicles, including road freight vehicles, as well as road-based public transport modes like buses and taxis. Major highways feeding into the city include the Eastern Freeway, Monash Freeway and West Gate Freeway (which spans the large West Gate Bridge). Other freeways include the Calder Freeway, Tullamarine Freeway, which is the main airport link, and the Hume Freeway, which connects Melbourne to Canberra and Sydney. Melbourne's middle suburbs are connected via an orbital freeway, the M80 Ring Road, which will be completed when the North East Link opens.{{cite web |url=http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/RoadsAndProjects/RoadNetwork/ |title=Victoria's Road Network |publisher=VicRoads |access-date=5 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907072720/http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/RoadsAndProjects/RoadNetwork/ |archive-date=7 September 2008}}

Out of Melbourne's twenty declared freeways open or under construction, six are electronic toll roads. This includes the M1 and M2 CityLink (which includes the large Bolte Bridge), Eastlink, North East Link, and the West Gate Tunnel. Apart from Eastlink which is owned and operated by ConnectEast, the toll roads in Melbourne are run by Transurban. In Melbourne, tollways have blue and yellow signage compared to the green signs used for free roads.

{{Main|Transport in Melbourne}}

Melbourne has an integrated public transport system based around extensive train, tram, bus and taxi systems. Flinders Street station was 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. From the 1940s, public transport use in Melbourne declined due to a rapid expansion of the road and freeway network, with the largest declines in tram and bus usage.{{Cite journal |last1=Mees |first1=Paul |last2=Groenhart |first2=Lucy |date=2 January 2014 |title=Travel to work in Australian cities: 1976–2011 |journal=Australian Planner |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=66–75 |doi=10.1080/07293682.2013.795179 |s2cid=110693311 |issn=0729-3682}} This decline quickened in the early 1990s due to large public transport service cuts. The operations of Melbourne's public transport system was privatised in 1999 through a franchising model, with operational responsibilities for the train, tram and bus networks licensed to private companies.{{Cite journal |last=Mees |first=Paul |date=1 July 2005 |title=Privatization of Rail and Tram Services in Melbourne: What Went Wrong? |journal=Transport Reviews |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=433–449 |doi=10.1080/0144164042000335779 |s2cid=59046845 |issn=0144-1647}} After 1996 there was a rapid increase in public transport patronage due to growth in employment in central Melbourne, with the mode share for commuters increasing to 14.8% and 8.4% of all trips.{{cite web |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/rrat_ctte/public_transport/report/c02.htm |title=Parliament of Australia, Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee; Investment of Commonwealth and State funds in public passenger transport infrastructure |website=Australian Senate |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006053021/http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/rrat_ctte/public_transport/report/c02.htm |archive-date=6 October 2009}} A target of 20% public transport mode share for Melbourne by 2020 was set by the state government in 2006.{{Cite news |last=Lucas |first=Clay |date=14 January 2008 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/public-transport-makes-inroads-but-not-beyond-the-fringe/2008/01/13/1200159277533.html |title=Public transport makes inroads, but not beyond the fringe |website=The Age |publisher=Fairfax Media |access-date=8 October 2010 |location=Melbourne |archive-date=11 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911064140/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/public-transport-makes-inroads-but-not-beyond-the-fringe/2008/01/13/1200159277533.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration}} Since 2006 public transport patronage has grown by over 20% and a number of projects have commenced aimed at expanding public transport usage.

{{Main|Railways in Melbourne}}

{{See also|Rail transport in Victoria}}File:Southern Cross Station at night.jpg is Victoria's main hub for regional and interstate trains.]]

The Melbourne metropolitan rail network dates back to the 1850s gold rush era, and today consists of 222 suburban stations on sixteen lines which radiate from the City Loop, a mostly-underground subway system around the CBD. Flinders Street station, one of Australia's busiest rail hubs, serves the entire network, and remains a prominent Melbourne landmark and meeting place.{{Cite web |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140507763 |title='Under the clocks' Melbourne's favourite meeting place in the 50s and 60s at Flinders Street Station, ca.1956 [picture] |website=Trove}} The city has rail connections with regional Victorian cities run by V/Line, as well as direct interstate rail services which depart from Melbourne's other major rail terminus, Southern Cross station, in Docklands. The Overland to Adelaide departs twice a week, while the XPT to Sydney departs twice daily. In the 2017–2018 financial year, the Melbourne metropolitan rail network recorded 240.9 million passenger trips, the highest ridership in its history.{{Cite web |url=https://static.ptv.vic.gov.au/PTV/PTV%20docs/AnnualReport/1537917277/2017-18-Annual-Report-accessible-version.pdf |title=2017–18 PTV Annual Report |website=Public Transport Victoria |date=2018 |access-date=25 August 2019 |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003141415/https://static.ptv.vic.gov.au/PTV/PTV%20docs/AnnualReport/1537917277/2017-18-Annual-Report-accessible-version.pdf |url-status=dead}} Many rail lines, along with dedicated lines and rail yards, are also used for freight.

An assortment of new railways are under construction in Melbourne. A new heavy rail corridor through the inner city, the Metro Tunnel, is set to open by 2025, and will reduce congestion on the City Loop. The ongoing Level Crossing Removal Project is grade separating much of the network, and rebuilding many older stations. In June 2022, early works commenced on the Suburban Rail Loop, a 90-kilometre underground automated orbital line through Melbourne's middle suburbs around {{cvt|12|-|18|km}} from the CBD.{{Cite web |last=Build |first=Victoria's Big |date=2022-06-06 |title=Construction starts on SRL East |url=https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/news/suburban-rail-loop/construction-starts-today-on-srl-east |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Victoria's Big Build |language=en |archive-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812033018/https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/news/suburban-rail-loop/construction-starts-today-on-srl-east |url-status=live }} An airport rail connection has commenced with early works in Keilor East.{{Cite web |last=Build |first=Victoria's Big |date=2022-12-15 |title=Start of works, Sunshine Masterplan and Contract announcements |url=https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/news/melbourne-airport-rail/start-of-works,-sunshine-masterplan-and-contract-announcements |access-date=2022-10-01 |website=Victoria's Big Build |language=en |archive-date=4 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104135903/https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/news/melbourne-airport-rail/start-of-works,-sunshine-masterplan-and-contract-announcements |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Trams in Melbourne}}

File:Melbourne Tram D1-Class, St Kilda Road, Park St (20230925) (53321376497).jpg on St Kilda Road. The city's tram network consists of 493 trams and is the largest in the world.]]

Melbourne's tram network dates from the 1880s land boom and, as of 2021, consists of {{cvt|250|km|mi|1}} of double track, 475 trams, 25 routes, and 1,763 tram stops, making it the largest in the world.{{Cite web |url=https://yarratrams.com.au/facts-figures |title=Facts & figures – Yarra Trams |website=Yarra Trams |access-date=25 August 2019 |archive-date=26 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226002728/https://yarratrams.com.au/facts-figures |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/melbhist.html |title=Melbourne's Tram History |publisher=railpage.org.au |access-date=28 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081109080504/http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/melbhist.html |archive-date=9 November 2008 |url-status=dead}} In 2017–2018, 206.3 million passenger trips were made by tram. Around 75 per cent of Melbourne's tram network shares road space with other vehicles, while the rest of the network is separated or are light rail routes. Melbourne's trams are recognised as iconic cultural assets and a tourist attraction. Heritage trams operate on the free City Circle route around the CBD.{{cite web |url=http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/ |title=Metlink – Your guide to public transport in Melbourne and Victoria |publisher=Metlink |access-date=5 October 2008 |archive-date=6 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706110034/http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/ |url-status= live }} Trams are free within the central city Free Tram Zone and run 24-hours on weekends.{{Cite web |last= |title=Visiting Melbourne and Victoria |url-status=live|url= https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/more/travelling-on-the-network/visiting-melbourne-and-victoria/ |access-date= |website=Public Transport Victoria |language=en-GB |archive-date=20 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520051546/https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/more/travelling-on-the-network/visiting-melbourne-and-victoria/ }}

{{Main|Buses in Melbourne}}

Melbourne's bus network consists of more than 400 routes which mainly service the outer suburbs and fill the gaps in the network between rail and tram services.{{cite report |title=Victoria's Bus Plan |publisher= Department of Transport Victoria State Government |date=2021}}{{cite web |url=http://www.getting-around-melbourne.com.au/melbourne-buses.html |title=Melbourne Buses |publisher=getting-around-melbourne.com.au |access-date=5 October 2008 |archive-date=17 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917050105/http://www.getting-around-melbourne.com.au/melbourne-buses.html |url-status=live }} 127.6 million passenger trips were recorded on Melbourne's buses in 2013–2014, an increase of 10.2 percent on the previous year.{{cite web |url=http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PTV/PTV%20docs/AnnualReport/PTVH1216-PTV-Annual-Report-2013_2014_Online.pdf |title=PTV Annual Report 2013-2014 |date=11 September 2014 |work=Public Transport Victoria |access-date=8 November 2015 |archive-date=12 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412231154/http://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PTV/PTV%20docs/AnnualReport/PTVH1216-PTV-Annual-Report-2013_2014_Online.pdf |url-status=dead}}

{{Main|List of airports in the Melbourne area}}

Melbourne has four airports. Melbourne Airport, at Tullamarine, is the city's main international and domestic gateway and second busiest in Australia, with a traffic of over 37 million passengers in 2018–19.{{cite web | title = Airport Traffic Data | publisher = Bureau of Infrastructure & Transport Research Economics| year = 2022 | url = http://bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/airport_traffic_data.aspx | format = XLS | access-date = 21 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424181122/https://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/airport_traffic_data|archive-date=24 April 2020|url-status=live}} The airport, which comprises four terminals,{{Cite web |title=Melbourne Airport – Maps of Melbourne Airport |url=https://www.melbourneairport.com.au/Passengers/Passenger-information/Maps |access-date=21 January 2022 |website=Melbourneairport.com.au |archive-date=21 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121034819/https://www.melbourneairport.com.au/Passengers/Passenger-information/Maps |url-status=live }} is the home base for passenger airline Jetstar and cargo airlines Australian airExpress and Team Global Express, and is a major hub for Qantas and Virgin Australia. Avalon Airport, located between Melbourne and Geelong, is a secondary hub of Jetstar. It is also used as a freight and maintenance facility. Buses and taxis are the only forms of public transport to and from the city's main airports. A rail link to Tullamarine is planned to open in the 2030s.{{Cite web |url=https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/melbourne-airport-rail |title=Melbourne Airport Rail|date=31 August 2021 |website=Victoria's Big Build |access-date=3 June 2022 |archive-date=5 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505070024/https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/melbourne-airport-rail |url-status=live }} Air Ambulance facilities are available for domestic and international transportation of patients.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/about-us/our-services/air-ambulance/ |title=Air Ambulance |website=Ambulance Victoria |access-date=3 June 2022 |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512144740/https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/about-us/our-services/air-ambulance/ |url-status=live }} Melbourne also has a significant general aviation airport, Moorabbin Airport in the city's southeast that also handles a small number of passenger flights. Essendon Airport, which was once the city's main airport, also handles passenger flights, general aviation and some cargo flights.{{cite web |url=http://www.essendonairport.com.au/ |title=Essendon Airport |publisher=Essendon Airport |access-date=5 October 2008 |archive-date=14 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614043629/http://www.essendonairport.com.au/ |url-status=live }}

Ship transport is an important component of Melbourne's transport system. The Port of Melbourne is Australia's largest container and general cargo port and also its busiest. The port handled two million shipping containers in a 12-month period during 2007, making it one of the top five ports in the Southern Hemisphere.{{cite web |title=Port of Melbourne Sets Shipping Record |url=http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=267171 |date=13 June 2007 |website=Bernama |access-date=18 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111153/http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=267171 |archive-date=29 September 2007}} Station Pier on Port Phillip Bay is the main passenger ship terminal with cruise ships docking there. Ferries and water taxis run from berths along the Yarra River as far upstream as South Yarra and across Port Phillip Bay.

File:Royal Children's Hospital Atrium Melbourne.jpg]]

Among Australian capital cities, Melbourne ties with Canberra in first place for the highest male life expectancy (80.0 years) and ranks second behind Perth in female life expectancy (84.1 years).{{Cite web|url=http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr08-je-je112.htm |title=Sunshine Coast and WA Country and Perth Women among Longest Life Expectancy in the World |date=3 July 2008 |publisher=Department of Health and Ageing |website=health.gov.au |access-date=15 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107122008/http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr08-je-je112.htm |archive-date=7 January 2011 |url-status=dead}} The Victorian Government's Department of Health oversees about 30 public hospitals in the Melbourne metropolitan region and 13 health services organisations.{{Cite web|url=http://www.health.vic.gov.au/maps/metro_hs.htm |title=Melbourne public hospitals and Metropolitan Health Services |date=29 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121205917/http://www.health.vic.gov.au/maps/metro_hs.htm |archive-date=21 November 2015 |publisher=Victorian State Government, Department of Health |website=health.vic.gov.au |url-status=dead}}

Major medical, neuroscience and biotechnology research institutions located in Melbourne include the St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Australian Stem Cell Centre, the Burnet Institute, the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Victorian Institute of Chemical Sciences, Brain Research Institute, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, and the Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre.

The headquarters of Australian pharmaceutical company CSL Limited is located in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct in Parkville, which contains over 40 biomedical and research institutions.{{Cite web |title=The Precinct |url=https://www.melbournebiomed.com/the-precinct/ |access-date=2022-05-20 |website=Melbourne Biomedical Precinct |language=en-AU |archive-date=15 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615032149/https://www.melbournebiomed.com/the-precinct/ |url-status=live }} It was announced in 2021 that a new Australian Institute for Infectious Disease would also be built in Parkville.{{Cite web |last=Kevey |first=Donna |date=2022-02-23 |title=Australian Institute for Infectious Disease coming to world-leading Melbourne Biomedical Precinct |url=https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2021/may/australian-institute-for-infectious-disease-coming-to-world-leading-melbourne-biomedical-precinct |access-date=2022-05-20 |website=Newsroom |language=en |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604151918/https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2021/may/australian-institute-for-infectious-disease-coming-to-world-leading-melbourne-biomedical-precinct |url-status=live }} Other institutions include the Howard Florey Institute, the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, and the Australian Synchrotron.{{cite web |url=http://www.health.vic.gov.au/ |title=Victorian Government Health Information Web site |publisher=health services, Victoria |access-date=5 October 2008 |archive-date=29 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529234348/http://www.health.vic.gov.au/ |url-status=live }} Many of these institutions are associated with and located near to universities. Melbourne is also home to the Royal Children's Hospital and the Monash Children's Hospital.

{{Main|Energy in Victoria (Australia)}}

File:Sugarloaf Reservoir Melbourne.jpg in the metropolitan area is one of Melbourne's closest water supplies.]]

Water storage and supply for Melbourne is managed by Melbourne 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 as well as the Wonthaggi desalination plant and North–South Pipeline. Water is stored in a series of reservoirs located within and outside the Greater Melbourne area. The largest dam, the Thomson River Dam, located in the Victorian Alps, is capable of holding around 60% of Melbourne's water capacity,{{cite web |url=http://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/water/water_storages/water_storages.asp?bhcp=1 |title=Dam Water Storage Levels |publisher=Melbourne Water |access-date=18 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718035023/http://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/water/water_storages/water_storages.asp?bhcp=1 |archive-date=18 July 2008}} while smaller dams such as the Upper Yarra Dam, Yan Yean Reservoir, and the Cardinia Reservoir carry secondary supplies.

Gas is provided by three distribution companies:

• AusNet Services, which provides gas from Melbourne's inner western suburbs to southwestern Victoria.{{Cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/business/chinas-state-grid-powers-up-in-australia-20130517-2js2n.html|title=China's State Grid powers up in Australia|last=Maiden|first=Malcolm|date=17 May 2013|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-11|archive-date=13 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913131035/http://www.smh.com.au/business/chinas-state-grid-powers-up-in-australia-20130517-2js2n.html|url-status=live}}
• Multinet Gas, which provides gas from Melbourne's inner eastern suburbs to eastern Victoria (owned by SP AusNet after acquisition, but continuing to trade under the brand name Multinet Gas).
• Australian Gas Networks, which provides gas from Melbourne's inner northern suburbs to northern Victoria, as well as the majority of southeastern Victoria.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbournes-electricity-and-gas-facing-greater-chinese-control-20170409-gvh84k.html|title=Melbourne's electricity and gas facing greater Chinese control|first=Josh|last=Gordon|date=9 April 2017|website=The Age|accessdate=13 January 2025|archive-date=28 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828072236/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbournes-electricity-and-gas-facing-greater-chinese-control-20170409-gvh84k.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/business/they-were-ridiculously-high-flood-of-complaints-over-eyewatering-gas-bills-20171011-gyygm4.html|title='They were ridiculously high': Flood of complaints over eye-watering gas bills|first=Debbie Cuthbertson, Gina|last=Cerasiotis|date=13 October 2017|website=The Age|accessdate=13 January 2025|archive-date=11 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211051204/https://www.theage.com.au/business/they-were-ridiculously-high-flood-of-complaints-over-eyewatering-gas-bills-20171011-gyygm4.html|url-status=live}}

Electricity is provided by five distribution companies:

• Citipower, which provides power to Melbourne's CBD, and some inner suburbs.{{Cite web |last=NNR |date=2020-11-10 |title=Spark Infrastructure Group |url=https://newsnreleases.com/2020/11/10/spark-infrastructure-group/ |access-date=2022-08-25 |website=NewsnReleases |language=en-US |archive-date=9 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809142414/https://newsnreleases.com/2020/11/10/spark-infrastructure-group/ |url-status=live }}
• Powercor, which provides power to the outer western suburbs, as well as all of western Victoria (Citipower and Powercor are owned by the same entity).
• Jemena, which provides power to the northern and inner western suburbs.{{cite web|url=http://www.alinta.net.au/|title=Alinta.net.au|access-date=6 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718190552/http://alinta.net.au/|archive-date=18 July 2008|url-status=dead}}
• United Energy, which provides power to the inner eastern and southeastern suburbs, and the Mornington Peninsula.
• AusNet Services, which provides power to the outer eastern suburbs and all of the north and east of Victoria.

{{stack|{{Portal|Victoria|Australia|Cities}}}}

• Naval Base Melbourne
• Regions of Victoria
• Environmental issues in Melbourne

• Outline of Melbourne
• List of Melbourne suburbs
• List of museums in Melbourne
• List of people from Melbourne
• List of songs about Melbourne
• Local government in Victoria

{{NoteFoot}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Bell |first=Agnes Paton |title=Melbourne: John Batman's Village |publisher=Cassell Australia |location=Melbourne, Vic |year=1965 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last=Boldrewood |first=Rolf |title=Old Melbourne Memories |url=https://archive.org/details/oldmelbournememo00bold |publisher=Macmillan and Co |year=1896 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last1=Borthwick |first1=John Stephen |last2=McGonigal |first2=David |title=Insight Guide: Melbourne |publisher=Prentice Hall Travel |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-13-467713-2 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last=Briggs |first=John Joseph |title=The History of Melbourne, in the County of Derby: Including Biographical Notices of the Coke, Melbourne, and Hardinge Families |publisher=Bemrose & Son |year=1852 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last1=Brown-May |first1=Andrew |last2=Swain |first2=Shurlee |title=The Encyclopedia of Melbourne |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Melbourne, Vic |isbn=978-0521842341 |year=2005 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last=Carroll |first=Brian |title=Melbourne: An Illustrated History |publisher=Lansdowne |year=1972 |isbn=978-0-7018-0195-3 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last=Cecil |first=David |title=Melbourne |publisher=Bobbs-Merrill |year=1954 |series=Grosset's universal library |lccn=54009486 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4 |ref=none }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• {{cite book |last=Cervero |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Cervero |title=The Transit Metropolis: A Global Inquiry |year=1998 |publisher=Island Press |location=Washington |isbn=9781559635912 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Jock |last2=Mondello |first2=Letizia |last3=Breheney |first3=John |last4=Childs |first4=Tim |title=Cosmopolitan Melbourne. Explore the world in one city |publisher=Big Box Publishing |location=Rhodes, New South Wales |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-9579624-0-8 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last=Coote |first=Maree |title=The Melbourne Book: A History of Now |publisher=Melbournestyle Books |year=2003 |edition=2009 |isbn=978-0-9757047-4-5 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |editor=Jim Davidson |title=The Sydney-Melbourne Book |publisher=Allen and Unwin |location=North Sydney, New South Wales |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-86861-819-7 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Miles Bannatyne |last2=Goad |first2=Philip |last3=Mayne |first3=Alan |title=Melbourne: The City's History and Development |publisher=City of Melbourne |year=1994 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0-949624-71-0 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last1=McClymont |first1=David |last2=Armstrong |first2=Mark |title=Lonely Planet Melbourne |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-86450-124-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pwGAAAACAAJ&q=Melbourne |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last=Newnham |first=William Henry |title=Melbourne: The Biography of a City |publisher=F. W. Cheshire |year=1956 |isbn=9780855721442 |lccn=57032585 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IHsrAAAAIAAJ |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |editor1-last=O'Hanlon |editor1-first=Seamus |editor2-last=Luckins |editor2-first=Tanja |title=Go! Melbourne. Melbourne in the Sixties |publisher=Melbourne Publishing Group |location=Beaconsfield, Victoria |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-9757802-0-6 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |last=Priestley |first=Susan |title=South Melbourne: A History |publisher=Melbourne University Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-522-84664-5 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Tout-Smith |editor-first=Deborah |title=Melbourne: A city of stories |publisher=Museum Victoria |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-9803813-7-5 |ref=none}}

{{Sister project links|voy=Melbourne|d=yes|Melbourne}}

Travel

• {{oweb|https://www.visitmelbourne.com/}} of Tourism Victoria
• [https://www.australia.com/en/places/melbourne-and-surrounds/guide-to-melbourne.html Guide to Melbourne] from Tourism Australia

General information

• [https://liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/discover/melbourne-victoria/about-melbourne About Melbourne] from the Victorian Government site
• [https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-melbourne/Pages/about-melbourne.aspx About Melbourne] from the city centre local government site
• [https://www.britannica.com/place/Melbourne Melbourne] Encyclopædia Britannica entry
• {{osmrelation-inline|4246124}}

{{Melbourne}}

{{Navboxes

|list=

{{Cities of Victoria}}

{{Victoria}}

{{Local Government Areas of Victoria}}

{{Capital cities of Australia}}

{{Cities of Australia}}

{{Melbourne City Centre landmarks}}

{{Melbourne public transport}}

{{Melbourne Skyscrapers}}

{{Melbourne Sports Teams}}

{{Theatres in the Melbourne City Centre}}

{{Olympic Summer Games Host Cities}}

{{Commonwealth Games Host Cities}}

{{MuseumVictoria}}

}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1835 establishments in Australia

Category:1835 establishments in Oceania

Category:Australian capital cities

Category:Cities in Victoria (state)

Category:Coastal cities in Australia

Category:Former national capitals

Category:Metropolitan areas of Australia

Category:Populated places established in 1835

Category:Port cities in Victoria (state)

Category:Regions of Victoria (state)

Category:William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne