Advantages: The Most Liveable City in the World
Disadvantages: A long way away from practically everywhere else!

.../cafe beside the lake at its centre. These Gardens house large colonies of furry fruit bats, which resemble little winged mice, and can be spotted during the day, suspended in great numbers from the claw-like branches of enormous Moreton Bay fig trees. The Yarra's south bank also houses the Victorian Arts Centre with its spider-web inspired spire, which looks stunning at night, when lit up & encircled by spiralling seagulls. There's also the National Gallery of Victoria, which boasts enviable collections of both Australian and International Art, and then of course there's the Crown Casino. CASINO: I worked as a cocktail waitress in one of the so-called 'high-roller' gambling suites in this establishment for a couple of years, whilst a student at Melbourne University. The tips were great. Problem is that you tend to feel pretty morally awkward when... Read review

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Advantages: Sporty And Spicy.
Disadvantages: Not So Posh.

...Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, is Australia's second city and is home to over 3.5 million people. It has a concentrated city centre with a clutch of gleaming sky scrapers but is resolutely green in its approach to the environment. As well as a thriving inner city scene it also boasts the bohemian suburbs of St. Kilda and Richmond. Melbourne sits on the Australian south coast which means that there are suburban beaches to be lapped up. Unfortunately the surf on offer pales in comparison to Sydney. What Melbourne lacks in beaches though, it more than makes up for in sport and the arts. Many of Australia's favourite television programs have their base in town such as 'The Secret Life Of Us' and 'Rove Live'. Melbourne is also the hotbed for Aussie Rules Football with several top teams based in the city. Getting from the cities... Read review

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Advantages: All the food & drink
Disadvantages: none that i know of

...I must start by saying that i grew up in Melbourne and spent the best part of 20 years there. Now living in London I still pine for the unaffected, easy-going lifestyle that Melbourne engenders. Where to begin... Get a hotel near the centre of town, anywhere with a 3000 postcode is good or aim for the food and drink centres of St Kilda, Fitzroy, Carlton or Prahran. The airport is only half an hour from the city and i would recommend getting a taxi (about $AUD25). Hotel prices are going to vary quite a lot depending on where you stay, but hostels are plentiful in the above areas and average around $AUD30 a night - they are without a doubt the cleanest and best looked after hostels in the world. At the higher end of the market the central business district is full of 3-5 star hotels, ranging in price from $150 - $400 a night... Read review

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Advantages: easy to get around plenty to see and do
Disadvantages: not enough time

...I love Australia and one of the nices Cities is Melbourne. I fell in love with it on my first visit 30 years ago then in the last year I went over to Melbourne again on a visit and I still got the same type of Buzz which I got all those years earlier. Melbourne is a major centre of Commerce, Indusrt and Cultural Activity. There are a great variety of buildings Victorian as well as Modern. The climate is very similar to ours in the South East of England. You often can experience 4 Seasons in one day. It is very easy to get around particularly if you are a Tourist. They have a City Tourist Shuttle which takes you around the Top Attractions which you would like to see if you were a visitor. There are 15 stops so you can get on and off them when ever you wanted to. The other plus factor is it will not cost you anything as it is a free... Read review

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Advantages: close to city centre, beautiful little historic town, great views
Disadvantages: the prestigious suburb of Hobart so it is quite expensive to stay and eat there

...Battery point is the most historic suburb of Hobart, Australia’s second oldest city. Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, the only island state of Australia and separated from the mainland by the Bass strait. **Getting there** For visa requirements for Australia see my general review of Australia. If you are already in Australia, domestic flights into Hobart are available with Qantas, Virginblue, Jetstar or Rex airlines. Otherwise you could get an overnight boat from Melbourne to the north of Tasmania and then drive down to Hobart which is in South West Tasmania and would take about three and a half hours. The airport is about a 15 minute drive to the city centre. Battery Point is only a short walk from the centre, taking around 10 minutes from Salamanca Place and Constitution Dock, the dock famous for being the end of the annual... Read review

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Advantages: Lovely clean city full of welsh people
Disadvantages: My husband taught my son to sing "I come from a land downunder"

..., you have an undertaking lane so that the traffic doesn't get backed up behind the stupid git who wants to turn right at rush hour (not a bad idea). And if you want to go into the centre of Melbourne (where the airport is) you have to pay (like london congestion charge). The Shops --------------- I love Melbourne shopping, firstly because you can shop anytime, for example, I am all ready at 11pm on a thursday night to get into my PJ's when Auntie Di (also a welsh come aussie) knocks on the door and asks if Nan and I are ready to go to K-Mart for the sales, into the car we pile and we don't return until 2:30am laden with shopping bags. Also the parking spaces at the shopping malls are huge, no backing into a space drawn round a mini out there people, possibly an army tank was used to measure the space needed for a car to park. The shopping... Read review

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Advantages: Tons to see / do / experience / buy / eat
Disadvantages: Colder than some other regions in the country as so far south

...part. I started at the top of the city, with a trip to the observation deck where you can admire the city from 55 stories up. The Rialto Towers are located on Collins St, a main thoroughfare in the city, and offer great views from the viewing gallery both inside and out. Entry is $7.80 - $13.50, but if you collect a free visitor's guide from the airport or tourist information offer, you'll find a discount voucher for here that's valid on any ticket, including student concessions. Yay. Included in the price is your trip to the top (with access to the shop here and on the ground, and the café), free use of binoculars (a nice touch as most places charge for these) and a 20 minute "sight and sound extravaganza", or in simple terms, a film entitled, 'Melbourne the Living City,' that features shots of the city and events that have already... Read review

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Advantages: good deals to melbourne, some cheap flights
Disadvantages: no shops, not alot of flight choice, doesn't go many places

...When i was travelling around Australia this year, i was in North Queensland in a small place called Bowen which is about an hour and a half to two hours from Mackay airport, which happened to be the closest airport. I wanted a flight to Melbourne from there, and there's a new airline called Tiger Airways in Australia which was doing special offers for flights from Mackay to Melbourne in April when i was there, they may still be doing the special offer because they are trying to promote their airline because it's very new. The airport is located in the industrial area of the city off the main road. I knew it was going to be a small airport because it only does regional flights, but it looks bigger from the outside than what it is on the inside, when your inside the airport it's really not big at all. There are only a few check-in desks... Read review

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Advantages: Service was great
Disadvantages: Room a bit small

...This past weekend I was lucky enough to have tickets to the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, held at Albert Park in Melbourne. We had booked a 7.30am flight from Sydney and we landed in Melbourne at 8.45am bleary eyed but exited. The hotel is about 25 minutes way by coach from Melbourne's main airport, Tullamarine, and we pulled in at Southern Cross bus station which was a short 5 minute stroll to the hotel. It was too early to expect to get into our room at the Ibis but we were hoping they'd keep our luggage safe for is so we could get off to the track. When we arrived we explained what our plan was for the day and the receptionist was very helpful and accommodating, giving us a couple of options for luggage storage and checking us in so that we would have no hassle when we returned that evening. We went off and had a great day... Read review

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Advantages: Great Lifestyle
Disadvantages: None

...be found on Chapel Street which just on the outskirts of the city but the most lively part of the city. Many other clubs can be found in almost everyother part of the city and ussually come to life from Thursday nights all through the weekends. Accomidation to this city can be found anywhere. From the cheap 3 star motels for $30us a night to the more expensive Hilton hotel and the Grand Hotel which are situated in the heart of the city for over $300us a night. So if your looking for a holiday and your on a budget or willing to splash out visit Melbourne. Even car hire is a breaze with you being able to drive even a luxury car with $5 dollars a day. If your a back packer or a family many theme parks and arcade villages can be found anywhere for even the children to enjoy or even if your an elderly or disabled person there are facilities... Read review

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