Melbourne prides itself on being a great city. It's hardly surprising, with its spectacular combination of old and new architecture, elegant streetscapes, ethnic communities and lavish parks and gardens. Add Australia's best eating, an excellent transit system and a packed events calendar boasting sporting spectaculars and exuberant events, and you have all the ingredients for one of the most enlightened and liveable cities in the world.

Australia's second-largest city and capital of the state of Victoria, Melbourne has a lively passion for eating and drinking, which is reflected in thousands of restaurants serving up gastronomic experiences from around the world.

What's more, everywhere you look you'll find an array of fashionable cafés, where you can enjoy Melbourne's fantastic coffee culture to the full.

Known as the "Garden City", Melbourne is renowned for its culture, festivals, gardens, wide boulevards and sporting events. It is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city that is host to a multitude of international sporting events including the Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, International One Day and Test Cricket matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the world famous Melbourne Cup.

Melbourne was recently voted "the world's most liveable city" and is a modern, progressive city.