Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographic region and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area of which Melbourne is the common name. Melbourne has a population of approximately 4 million.

Melbourne was named after the 2nd Viscount Melbourne, William Lamb in 1837; the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the reigns of both King William IV and Queen Victoria. Melbourne is located on the lower reaches of the Yarra River and on the northern and eastern shorelines of Port Phillip, extending into their hinterland.

Melbourne was established in 1835, by free settlers from Van Diemen’s Land, as a pastoral township around the estuary of the Yarra River. Melbourne was declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847, and became the capital of Victoria when the district was declared a separate colony from New South Wales in 1851.

When gold was discovered in the district during the 1850s Melbourne was transformed into a wealthy metropolis, and one of the largest and richest cities in the world, by the 1880s.

Upon the Federation of Australia in 1901, Melbourne served as the seat of government of the newly founded Commonwealth of Australia until 1927 while the new nation's capital of Canberra was being built.

Melbourne is a centre for arts, commerce, education, industry, sports and tourism. Since 2002, it has been consistently ranked among the World's Most Livable Cities by The Economist.

The city of Melbourne is notable for its distinct blend of Victorian and contemporary architecture, expansive parks and gardens and multicultural society. Melbourne is also home to the World’s largest tram network. Melbourne is recognised as Australia's 'cultural and sporting capital' and is home to some of the nation’s most significant cultural and sporting institutions.

Melbourne has also played host to a number of significant international and national events, including: the Parliament of Australia's first sitting in 1901, 1956 Summer Olympics, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1981, World Economic Forum in 2000, 2006 Commonwealth Games and G20 Summit in the same year.

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Melbourne Currency: Australian Dollar (1 USD = 1.28 AUD)
Melbourne Time Difference: UTC/GMT +10 hours