Since its beginnings, Melbourne, capital of Victoria, has been developed with care, growing to named one of the most livable cities in the world to live. The boom of the gold rush resulted in gracious Victorian homes, wide avenues and landscaped public gardens. Trams rumble around Melbourne's circle route, stopping at its many attractions, and side streets are populated with funky shops, stylish restaurants and cutting-edge underground music clubs.

The Queen Victoria Market has been in operation for 100 years, and is a feast for the senses. Theatres and cultural centres cultivate Melbourne's love of creativity, and the Melbourne Museum is one of the most innovative of its kind, with the building itself making its own artistic statement. The creepy Old Melbourne Gaol is where notorious outlaw Ned Kelly and other n'er-do-wells met their final gruesome fates, and tours of the Royal Botanic Gardens discover examples of plant life from rainforests, deserts, New Zealand, New Caledonia and China. Melbourne's zoo is the third oldest in the world, and the Melbourne Aquarium features a climbing coral wall.