Melbourne is the capital city of the State of Victoria. It is situated on the banks of Yarra River and around the beautiful beaches of Port Phillip Bay. It is an attractive, spacious city with an abundance of parks, gardens, sporting venues and scenic places. Melbourne is also a sprawling city with suburbs extending up to 60km from the city centre.

Melbourne is a truly multicultural city. The population is approximately 4 million. There are now people from over 140 nations living harmoniously together. This broad ethnic mix has brought many benefits to the city including a wide range of cuisines and more than 2,300 elegant and cosmopolitan restaurants, bistros and cafés.

Melbourne is considered to be the fashion (and shopping) capital of Australia and offers some of Australia’s biggest shopping complexes as well as sophisticated, exclusive boutiques and a host of lively and popular markets.

Melbourne has an excellent public transport system with trams, trains and buses providing an extensive network throughout the city and suburbs. For more information please visit www.studymelbourne.vic.gov.au.

Climate

Melbourne enjoys a temperate climate with four distinct seasons in the year – spring, summer, winter and autumn. Below is a guide to average daily temperatures: Spring – September to November – 12-22C Summer – December to February – 28-32C Autumn – March to May – 12 – 20C Winter – June to August – 10 – 15C.

Melbourne does not have a specific wet season; it can rain at any time of the year.

Festival City

Known as Australia’s festival city, Melbourne provides lively festival entertainment every month. Major festivals include: Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Chinese New Year Parade, Moomba Parade, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Spring Fashion Week and the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Melbourne’s primary community venue, Federation Square, hosts a great many multicultural festivals throughout the year such as the Indian Film Festival, Diwali Indian Festival of Light, Buddha’s Day, Nepal Festival, Thai Culture and Food Festival and Fiesta Malaysia.

Melbourne’s music festivals are many ranging from indie music events that attract popular international acts to jazz festivals. Some of the International sporting events include Spring Racing Carnival (Melbourne Cup), Australian Open (Grand Slam tennis), Grand Prix Motor Racing, World Series and Test cricket and Bells Beach Surf Classic

Entertainment

Being located close to Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD), Richmond campus is close to a great array of entertainment options from ten-pin bowling, cinemas and karaoke, to sophisticated art galleries, theatre and dance events, as well the usual bars and clubs. Melbourne is Australia’s festival capital, with free events held in city and community venues each month. The city’s beautiful green and spacious surrounds are very attractive for social, sporting and other outdoor activities. There are plenty of opportunities for international students to have an enjoyable time with friends.

Public transport tickets

Tickets for Melbourne’s Myki public transport ticketing system, which covers trams, trains and buses, must be purchased prior to travel at train stations, some tram stops or retail outlets such as 7Eleven. Tickets are not available on public transport. For more information, visit: www.myki.com.au. Fare evasion attracts steep fines. Melbourne is divided into travel zones and your ticket type and cost depends on which zone you are going to travel in and for how long. There is free tram zone in the CBD area (effective 1 Jan 2015). If your tram journey starts or finishes outside the Free Tram Zone, you need to touch on to ensure you have a valid ticket. Visit www.myki.com.au and Public Transport Victoria at http://ptv.vic.gov.au/ for more details. Cost: approximately $25- $38 a week.