Melbourne Victoria Australia

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the state of Victoria Australia and is the 2nd most populous city in Australia.The name Melbourne refers to an urban area spanning some 9,900 square kilometres which comprises the broader metropolitan area, as well as being the common name for its city centre. The metropolis that is Melbourne is located on the large bay of Port Phillip and expands into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon mountain ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. Melbourne consists of 31 municipalities; it had a population of over 4.5 million people as at 2015.

Since the early to mid-1990s, Melbourne has maintained significant population and employment growth and is a very popular holiday destination for both Australians and overseas visitors. Melbourne is also known as the sporting capital of the world, and is regularly named as one of the world’s most liveable cities. There has been substantial international investment in the city’s industries and property market with real estate in Melbourne being some of the most expensive in Australia. Major inner-city urban renewal has occurred in areas such as Southbank, Port Melbourne, Melbourne Docklands and more recently, South Wharf. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Melbourne sustained the highest population increase and economic growth rate of any Australian capital city in the three years ended June 2004.[65] These factors have led to population growth and further suburban expansion through the 2000s.

Major inner-city urban renewal has occurred in areas such as Southbank, Port Melbourne, Melbourne Docklands and South Wharf with shopping in all these precincts very popular.  According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Melbourne sustained the highest population increase and economic growth rate of any Australian capital city in the three years ending June 2004.These factors have led to population growth and further suburban expansion through the 2000s and up until modern day.

Location and climate

The City of Melbourne municipality is located at latitude 37 degrees 49 minutes south and longitude 144 degrees 58 minutes east on the south-east edge of Australia. Focused around a CBD, metropolitan Melbourne suburbs spread over 40 km to the south, are bordered by the Dandenong ranges 30 km to the east, extend up to 20 km to the north and sprawl across vast, flat plains to the west towards South Australia. Melbourne residents enjoy a temperate climate influenced by its location at the apex of one of the world’s largest bays.

Language

The official language of Melbourne is English, however as a modern metropolitan city more than 100 languages are spoken by the residents of Melbourne.