Melbourne is 5kms from the Port Phillip Bay, a lively cosmopolitan city on the banks of the Yarra River.

Laid out in a large rectangle, Melbourne is a planned city with everything in its place, yet below this surface lies a creative energy making the city a vibrant hub of the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, sport and tourism.

The discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 led to the rapid development of Melbourne providing most service industries and serving as the major port for the region. By 1880 at the peak of the gold rush Melbourne had become the richest city in the world and second to only London in size.

With substantial international investment in the 20^th century Melbourne has maintained significant growth and is today a very popular tourist and immigrant attraction.

Considered the Cultural capital of Australia because of the festivals, drama, musicals, comedy, music, art, architecture, literature, film and television, Melbourne celebrates the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Theatre and the performing arts flourish at Melbourne with the many venues like The Victorian Arts Centre (which includes the State Theatre, Hamer Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Princess Theatre, Regent Theatre, Forum Theatre, Palace Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Athenaeum Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Capitol Theatre, Palais Theatre and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

Apart from being home to Australia’s oldest and largest art gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne has more than 100 art galleries for the art lover.

Melbourne is also the birthplace of Australian film and television and it hosts the international noted Melbourne International Film Festival.

Lonely Planet lists Melbourne as a major attraction for its street art.

Melbourne boasts of architecture that blends nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings with the modern.

Sports wise Melbourne hosts three major annual international events: the Australian Open Tennis, the Australian Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup in horse racing. Melbourne Cricket Ground the largest in the world was the venue for the first official test match in March 1877. It is the birth place of Australian Rules football.

Melbourne Airport, at Tullamarine, is the city’s main international and domestic gateway. Six car rental companies operate at the airport. They are Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty and Redspot.