Tourists from all over the world have always been attracted to distant and mysterious Australia. Melbourne is the second most important city in the country, the capital of one of its states. In this article we will talk about this city, its memorable places, natural monuments and architectural attractions.
Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the smallest state in the country. Moreover, its territory is equal to the territory of Great Britain. This is a land of striking contrasts - the coast of the ocean and mountain ranges, forests and deserts, endless pastures and volcanic plains. The population of the state is very diverse. During the "gold rush" in the XIX century, immigrants came here from different parts of the world, the second wave of immigration began after 1945.
Victoria has many national, historical, and coastal parks. The geographical diversity of this territory is amazing - here you can visit the dense and cool tropical forests on the Errinundra plateau and see coastal areas of unspoiled nature at Croajingolong. Tourists are shown majestic mountains in the Alpine National Park and the desert in the northwest of Mallee.
Talking about this Australian state, one cannot but mention the Great Ocean Road, which stretches along the picturesque ocean coast and world famous beaches. Guests are advised to visit the historic Goldfields, the majestic Murray River.
The state has large provincial cities, such as Bendigo and Ballarat, with a huge number of monuments from the "gold rush", as well as tiny towns with one pub. But the special attention of tourists is the state capital - magnificent Melbourne.
Description of the city
Melbourne (Australia) is located in Port Phillip Bay. It is the cultural capital of the country and is famous for its magnificent architecture, numerous shops of famous brands.
Here are museums of history, unique exhibition and art galleries, theaters, gardens and parks, since the city of Melbourne (Australia) is a large modern metropolis that organically combines new and old architecture. Melbourne has many memorable places worthy of the attention of travelers. Today we will introduce you to some of them.
Time in Melbourne (Australia)
This city belongs to the GMT + 10 and GMT + 11 time zones (in summer). Time is six hours ahead of Moscow in summer and seven hours in winter.
Victoria Museum
This is a large complex that includes three museums - the Museum of Immigration, the Melbourne Museum and the Science Museum. It was founded in 1854 as the Museum of Geology. In 1870, the Industrial Museum appeared; a hundred years later it was renamed the Victoria State Museum of Science. Today, his collection has approximately 16 million exhibits that are dedicated to the history of the continent, the development of the art of science and technology.
Eureka Tower
Many of the original buildings are famous for Australia. Melbourne in this sense is no exception. The original tower "Eureka" is the tallest building in the city and one of the most famous buildings in the country. The tower is second only to the Q1 building in Surfers Paradise. The 92-story Eureka has a height of 297 m. Construction of the building began in 2002. It was completed four years later.
The tower was named in memory of the Eureka mine, where an uprising took place in the middle of the 19th century. This story is reflected in the design of the building - it clearly shows the crown, symbolizing the dashing years of the "gold rush", and the scarlet strip - a symbol of blood spilled on the mine. White stripes and blue glass of the facade are the colors of the flag of the rebels.
Cathedral
Melbourne (Australia, photo in our article) is justifiably proud of the magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral. This is the largest Anglican temple in the city. The construction is made in the Gothic style, and today it is the throne cathedral of the archbishop of the state capital and the head of the Anglican metropolis.
It is very well located - on the opposite are the architectural monuments of Federation Square, and on the diagonal - the station of the city of Station. These buildings create the historic city center.
Botanical Gardens
The Royal Gardens of Melbourne are located on the banks of the Yarra River, very close to the city center. Here, on an area of 38 hectares, more than ten thousand plant species grow. They represent not only local, but also world flora. Melbourne Botanical Gardens are considered the best in the country and one of the best in the world.
45 km from Melbourne in the suburbs of Cranburn, you can visit the branch of the Royal Gardens, located on an area of 363 hectares. It mainly grows local plants.
In Melbourne, the Botanical Gardens are next to the King's Domain group of parks, Queen Victoria Gardens , and Alexander Gardens.
Since its foundation, work has been underway in the Botanical Gardens to study and identify plants. The National Herbarium of the State was established here. Today, it consists of 1.2 million copies of dried plants. In addition, there is a huge collection of books, videos, manuals on botanical topics. And recently, the Center for Urban Ecology has been organized here, monitoring plants that grow in urban ecosystems.
Dandenong National Park
Australia has a huge number of parks and gardens. Melbourne offers tourists an excursion to the Dandenong National Park. This beautiful place is located on a ridge bearing the same name, an hour's drive from the city. This is a very popular holiday destination for locals. That is why residents of the surrounding towns come here on weekends. The attraction of the park is a giant eucalyptus, reaching a height of one hundred and fifty meters. It is the tallest flower plant in the world.
Scientists are sure that about a hundred million years ago the jungle appeared here. Today you can see the remains of this ancient forest - dense tree-like ferns. This forest makes a great impression if you pass through it on the popular steam engine "Puffing Billy" under the crowns of giant eucalyptus trees.
For many thousands of years, aboriginal tribes of the Vuvurrong and Bunurong lived on this earth. This land later became a source of wood resources for developing Melbourne. By the end of the 19th century, the first roads and railway lines appeared here, and from that time the first tourists began to visit here. Since 1882, the Fern Hollow was declared a protected area, but it became a national park a hundred years later (1987).
National Gallery
Another interesting place. The National Gallery glorified the city of Melbourne (Australia). The sights of this city are of great interest to researchers and scientists.
The gallery was founded in the city in 1861. In 2003, its funds were divided into two collections - International Art and Ian Potter. The first was placed in a building on Saint Kilda, which was designed by Roy Grounds in 1968 in the city center. And the Ian Potter Center is located on Federation Square.
By the time the gallery opened, Victoria was only an independent colony for ten years, which, thanks to the "gold rush", has become one of the richest regions in the country. Valuable gifts from wealthy citizens, as well as large financial investments, allowed the National Gallery to acquire works by ancient and contemporary artists around the world. Today, funds hold over sixty-five thousand unique works of art.
Today you can see the paintings of Palmezzano, Rembrandt, Bernini, Rubens, Tintoretto, Ucccello, Veronese and Tiepolo. Here you can also find magnificent collections of Egyptian artifacts, ancient Greek vases, European ceramics, etc.
The Ian Potter Center, which was opened in 2003, presents the work of Australian artists, as well as objects of culture and everyday life of Aboriginal people in Australia.
Museum of gold
Australia (Melbourne) has an amazing museum located in the building of the old Treasury. It was built in 1862. Previously, it was the second most important in Melbourne after the parliament, however, the Treasury was not in it for long - only sixteen years.
The author of the architectural project was the young and very talented J. Clark, who began construction when he was only nineteen years old. Today, this building, made in the style of the Neo-Renaissance, is rightly considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Melbourne.
To visit the public, the Gold Museum was opened in 1994. Today, there are several permanent exhibits that are dedicated to the history of the Gold Rush, as well as the formation and development of Melbourne. Sometimes the museum is called urban. For example, the exhibition "Creating Melbourne" acquaints visitors with the history of the city, from its inception in 1835 and ending with our time.
It is natural that a significant part of the exposition tells about the times of gold mining, which gave impetus to the rapid development of Melbourne and made it the most important city on the continent.
Another interesting exhibition - “Built on Gold” will allow guests to find out when the first gold bar was found in Victoria and understand how this find changed the fate of the country. In addition, the museum hosts temporary thematic exhibitions on the cultural heritage of Melbourne.
Tullamarine Airport
Now, let's visit Melbourne Airport (Australia). Tullamarine is the city’s main air harbor. In terms of passenger turnover, it confidently takes second place in Australia. It is located twenty-three kilometers from the city center, in the suburbs of Tullamarine. It was opened in 1970. This is the only international airport serving the Melbourne metropolitan area.
From here you can fly direct flights to all states of Australia, as well as to Oceania, Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. In 2003, Tullamarine Airport received the IATA international award and two national awards for the high quality of passenger service. The airport has two runways, a weather station, four terminals, a huge hangar and a viewing platform.
At the Tullamarin airport, there are three hotels, cafes, restaurants, a gas station, two large and very comfortable waiting rooms, a mother and child’s room equipped with everything necessary. Melbourne Airport (Australia) is equipped with the latest navigation equipment. The arrival board (online), located on the company's website, provides all the necessary information about flights.