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Australia Facts - Melbourne

If you are planning a trip, there are a few Australia facts you should know.

Melbourne is the capital of the southern state of Victoria. It is a great location linking Australia’s major cities, Sydney, Brisbane,
Adelaide and Hobart (these areas comprise 65% of the nation’s population and economic activity).

Victoria’s population is 5.2 million and Melbourne has a population of 3.7 million. Learn more about our population

Melbourne and Victoria have a rich aboriginal history, You can find out more on the Australian aborigines page.

Melbourne is the sporting capital of Australia, as the traditional home of Australian Rules Football, the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Australian Open Tennis Championship and the Melbourne Cup horse race (Melbourne has a public holiday on Melbourne Cup Day - sad, but true.)

The average growth rate in the Victorian economy over the past ten years was 3.6%, which is significantly above both the global and OECD average.

Melbourne operates within the Asian time zone. (2 hours ahead of Tokyo, 11 hours ahead of London and 15 hours ahead of New York – depending on the time of year, minor adjustments necessary for summer time.)

Victoria occupies 3% of Australia’s land mass but makes up 25% of its economy.

Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia with an exciting calendar of artistic events, as well as a
strong tradition of culinary excellence. Victoria boasts world-class wineries and is one of the eight
international wine capitals of the world.

Melbourne, Victoria is continually ranked as one of the World’s Most Liveable Cities by the ‘Economist
Intelligence Unit’ (EIU).

Australia's currency is dollars and cents.

Melbourne weather is temperate and we have four true seasons each year.

Photo of football crowd leaving Etihad Stadium taken by Absolutwade