While millions of tourists flock to Sydney’s shores each and every year, Melbourne is just as popular on the travelling calendar. More than 12 million tourists visit Melbourne annually, so it’s certainly a popular destination.
So what is it about this southern Australian city that has people visiting in droves? What are some of the attractions that lure in so many keen visitors?
Let’s unearth a few reasons in this post.
The Central Hub of Victoria
What’s really great about Victoria is it’s a fairly small and compact state. Although situated on the coastline, Melbourne is very centrally located. This makes the city the perfect starting location for visitors wanting to explore more of Victoria as well as the city of Melbourne itself.
Many awesome places to visit, such as the Yarra Valley vineyards and iconic National Parks, are just a few hours drive away from the city; meaning you can stay in the city, visit these places, then return to Melbourne in the evening.
Even towns soaked in Australian history are only a day trip from the city; places like Bendigo and Ballarat, famous for gold mining and bushrangers in the 1800s.
If you hire your own car, you can really get away from the hustle of city life and spend some evenings down on the Mornington Peninsula, or all cozy in a mountain hideaway in one of the numerous National Parks.
Melbourne Hosts Some of the World’s Biggest Sporting Spectacles
In March Melbourne plays host to the very first Formula 1 race of the season. Hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the country and around the world head to Melbourne for the 4-day event, which really is a time of glitz and glamour.
In November there is the annual running of the Melbourne Cup horse race, the most famous race in the country, attracting entrants from across the globe. Melbourne is a week-long party during the event, which actually encompasses 4 great race days and not just Melbourne Cup day. If you love fashion, fine dining, drinking champagne and trackside excitement, you’ll really enjoy the Melbourne Cup.
January sees tennis fans and the world’s best players arrive for the annual Grand Slam Australian Open Tennis Championships. The event takes place right in the middle of the summer when the city is really buzzing and alive. Along with the entertainment of the tennis, there is nightly entertainment in the city in celebration of the Australian Open.
Melbourne Has the Best Food
If you ask anyone who lives in Melbourne or has visited Melbourne what the food is like, they’ll all give you the thumbs up.
Melbourne has everything you could ever dream of when it comes to dining out, or even if you’re just searching for an afternoon snack. People from every corner of the world live there, and many of them open up restaurants, eateries, cafes and fast food outlets.
No matter what your taste buds desire or what country you herald from, you’ll find something to satisfy your palette in Melbourne; and that goes for exquisite coffees, alcoholic drinks, trendy bars, and some of the world’s best nightlife too.
Arts & Culture Abound
The city really is the cultural hub of the entire country, and it’s been that way for many decades.
- If you love viewing fine art and strolling through art galleries, you’ll love Melbourne
- If you enjoy regular music festivals, live bands and seeing new talent, you’ll love Melbourne
- If food and wine festivals are your thing, then Melbourne offers up plenty
- How about comedy festivals? Melbourne has those too
- Enjoy opera, ballet or musical theatre? Yep, Melbourne’s got you covered there as well
Seriously, the list goes on and one. It all happens in Melbourne. The city is the place many artistic and creative people are drawn to, for the opportunities of exposure the town represents.
The Takeaway
We’ve only covered a select few reasons to pay a visit to Melbourne in this post. There are many more great reasons to head to Victoria’s capital city.
You’ll never, ever be bored in Melbourne, as no matter what time of year it is, there will always be some major event taking place.
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