Melbourne is the second most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 3.7 million. Victoria's capital, Melbourne, sits on the Yarra River and around the shores of Port Phillip Bay. Melbourne boasts glamorous festivals and events, Australia's best shopping, a lively passion for eating and drinking, and a flourishing interest in the arts.

Restored and preserved nineteenth-century architecture, built following the discovery of gold, provides a heady reminder of a prosperous age, while beautifully tended parks and gardens present a therapeutic respite from the pace of city life.

Once forgotten warehouses and obscure laneways have emerged as designer-cool caves for patrons drinking pleasure. Melbourne has over 1,000 pubs, bars and nightclubs. Melbourne's night life centres around Flinders Lane and King Street with dozens of retro-style bars and clubs. The chic hotels tend to have hip cocktail lounges with an A list clientele. Crown Casino's two night clubs and the numerous bars along Southgate add life to the city centre.

Events in Melbourne and Victoria host some of Australia's most prestigious events throughout the year, including the Spring Racing Carnival and the Melbourne Cup in November, the Australian Open Tennis Championships in January, the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in March, the Melbourne International Arts Festival in October, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in March and April.

Chapel Street is one of Melbourne, Australia's best shopping, dining and entertainment precincts. It has a myriad of shops ranging from exclusive upmarket fashion designers at the South Yarra end to old fashion pawnbrokers towards Windsor

Today, the city is home to some of Australia's best shopping strips, such as the famous Chapel Street which stretches many blocks through Prahran and South Yarra while heritage arcades such as the Block and the Royal Arcade and the CBD's myriad lanes offer a more intimate shopping experience. The large Chadstone Shopping Centre markets itself as the Fashion Capital. Strip shopping localities include Toorak Village, known for its exclusiveness, and Bridge Road in Richmond, known for its extensive factory out.

In the city, you can enjoy afternoon tea in the genteel surroundings of a nineteenth-century hotel, watch and be watched in buzzing laneway cafes and bars, or handpick a bottle of Yarra Valley chardonnay at the latest uber-chic hangout. Head out a little further and explore one of Melbournes specialist eating destinations, Richmond for cheap and cheerful Vietnamese dishes, Carlton for Italian classics, Fitzroy for tantalising Spanish tap as.

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About the Author

Douglas Scott writes for The Car Hire Specialist. and is a free lance writer for The Melbourne Villa Rental Site