Melbourne

Dynamic and multicultural, Melbourne sprawls by the banks of the great Port Phillip Bay in the country’s extreme south sprouting into the backcountry of the Victoria state. One of the grittiest, coolest and most happening cities in the Southern Hemisphere, this seaport boasts a line-up of cultural and sport activities to match any other capital and a reputation for liveability and style that’s yet to be shaken in earnest. Start your visit by exploring the Central Business District extending into the Docklands, rising in streams of glitzy high-rises from the banks of the meandering Yarra River. Leafy boulevards and a spry tram system blend into old Victorian homes, parks and grandiose governmental buildings, all courtesy the Gold Rush of its yesteryears. Linger here after dark, and the city transforms itself, with bubbling clubs, super-stylish cocktail bars and boutiques revealing themselves at every nook and cranny of its laneways. Further ask your Melbourne tour guide for walking tips on the sights that line the river banks, from the MCG and the AAMI Park in the Sports Precinct that drum up the city in a sport frenzy year round, to the public art displays at the Arts Precinct down St Kilda Road, making sure to catch one of the world class performances being featured there.