Why You Should Visit Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is simply an incredible city in Australia. A gem that is surrounded by the rugged beauty of Australia that never sleeps and offers tourists everything you can want when on vacation. Melbourne (pronounced Mel-Bin) offers anything from football to endless shopping. The downtown area is bustling with eager shoppers and hungry patrons trying to find that perfect restaurant among hundreds. If you cannot find something to do here, then you must have stayed in your hotel room the entire time.

Shopping
If you enjoy shopping, you found the right city. Queen Victoria's Market is a great place to start and one of the most popular bargains shopping around. This market opened back in 1878 and many traders and small business owners still operate there today. They sell anything from small souvenirs to cooking utensils and NBA jerseys. These traders love to wheel and deal so expect to barter back and forth. Surrounding Queen Vic's Market is Dairy Hall, Fish & Meat Market along with the occasional entertainment. The Dairy Hall is the home to 38 delicatessens that are available to browse. The Fish & Meat Market is a huge market with only the freshest items for purchase. There is even an Organic Market for those who want naturally grown produce. If you do not want to find all the markets and shopping outlets that Melbourne offers; jump on a tour bus that will keep you shopping all day long. It also offers a 2-course lunch or a stop at the Crown Casino.

Sports
Those who call Melbourne home all love sports and their enthusiasm is hard not to notice. Melbourne has many sports attractions including cricket, football, horse racing and rugby. Perhaps football is the most popular and when the Melbourne team is not playing, everyone is talking about it.

Entertainment
The city also offers endless entertainment from hundreds of restaurants to a lively nightlife full of bars and dance clubs. Melbourne is very diverse and that is very apparent in their food that comes from all over the world. The ever-present Asian influence has brought many things including their unique foods. You can enjoy anything from authentic Thai to Chinese. Prepare yourself to sample to the world's food choices while you stay in Melbourne.

Day-Tours
You can take many tours however my favorite is the Great Ocean Road tour. This tour travels along 400 of kms of roads carved out by hand. After World War II, veterans came back and some helped pave this amazing road. Its winding features follow the coastline showing off some of the best views Australia has to offer. The 12 Apostles is the more popular destinations that the tour stops at. You can either walk to the ridge of the coastline to see these gentle giants standing in the ocean. There are currently 14 standing pillars of rock that tower above the surface of the water. Some pillars have collapsed after centuries of storms and raging currents. A helicopter ride is the alternative way to see the 12 Apostles. The picture that I took on page 1 shows some of the 12 Apostles from the helicopter.

Gardens
Another highlight of Melbourne are the wonderful gardens and parks that exist throughout the city. Royal Botanical Garden on the Yarra River cannot be overlooked. This garden has over 51,000 plants and 12,000 species. It is one of the best botanical gardens in the world. The other most popular garden is the Fitzroy Garden, which is full of walking paths, unique trees, formal garden beds and more. There is even a cottage there that was the home to Captain James Cook.

Conclusion
There always seem to be something going on in Melbourne. During my visit, simply walking around the city, I stumbled across a parade and the day before was the opening ceremony to the Commonwealth Games that was hosted by Melbourne in 2006. When you are planning your trip to Melbourne, make sure to check local events and perhaps even sign up if needed before hand. If you can only visit one city in Australia, make sure if it Melbourne.