Photographs of Melbourne, Victoria

Melbourne is a city of gardens and avid gardeners, which is evident when visiting any renowned leafy suburb or magnificent public park. Close to the Melbourne CBD are many historic gardens, including Fitzroy Gardens. Spectacular any time of the year, the gardens take on a wonderful ambience in the colder months. The deciduous trees reveal their wonderful trunks and branches. The morning autumn fogs transform the impression of these wide-open spaces into a wonderfully moody scene familiar to any European traveller.

Located on one of the most picturesque points of Port Phillip Bay, St Kilda is a must for anyone visiting Melbourne. During Edwardian and Victorian times, St Kilda was a place for Melbourne's elite and a tourism destination for day-trippers. During the mid-20th century, St Kilda became a red-light district renowned for prostitution, drugs, and life's seedier side. It has changed since then and is a top tourist destination for anyone visiting Melbourne. St Kilda Beach offers diverse activities and a cosmopolitan lifestyle. It is a huge drawing point on those hot summer nights when Melburnians spend the twilight time cooling down in the refreshing waters of Port Phillip Bay.

The site of the current Palais was formerly the location of 'Palais Pictures', which burned down in the early 1900s. A replacement was planned, and Walter Burley Griffin began designing a remodelled Palais Pictures, which began construction in 1925. An unfortunate fire did not see his vision come to fruition. A subsequent design was built and opened in 1927. Over the years, the classic Art Deco theatre has hosted events as diverse as The Bolshoi Ballet, Jesus Christ Superstar, Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, the Melbourne International Festival, John Butler Trio and many more. Located on St Kilda's Lower Esplanade, the Palais creates an excellent generational link with parents dropping children off at a concert venue that their parents dropped off at.

Melbourne is renowned as the shopping capital of Australia, and the proliferation of shopping tours to the Victorian capital is a testament to this fact. The Block Arcade is a beautiful example of a classic 19th-century shopping arcade with its exquisite etched glass roof and mosaic floor (the largest in Australia). The National Trust classifies the complex and it is on the register of the National Estate. The arcade is so named due to the late 1800s Melbourne tradition of 'Doing the Block', meaning walking up and down the fashionable shopping strip of Collins Street. Today, Block Arcade is full of unique retail shops and excellent cosmopolitan cafes. It maintains its original vision of being modelled on those of Milan and London. Dutifully restored, the décor of the arcade retains the feel of yesteryear and the warmth of what was initially envisaged.

The Docklands is a region west of Melbourne's CBD that transformed an unused area of Melbourne's waterside. Located close to Southern Cross Station and the stadium precinct, the development created a modern commercial, retail, and residential area, invigorating this side of the city. Like any city development, the construction initiative reveals a life of its own.

Venture away from the city, with so many attractions within easy reach — Victoria is a compact state, with the NSW–Victorian border being over three hours away. The Great Ocean Road, The 12 Apostles, the Victorian High Country, the Victorian Alps & ski fields, and the Murray River run from the Alps along the border with NSW to the northwest corner of the state near Mildura and Wentworth.

The Victorian Surf Coast is a short drive from Melbourne and is one of Australia's most scenic coastal drives. The Great Ocean Road begins at Torquay and meanders along the coast through the wonderful seaside towns of Anglesea and Apollo Bay. It traverses the beautiful Cape Otway onto the 12 Apostles and Port Campbell. Being part of the world's longest south-facing coastline, the weather from the Southern Ocean creates wonderful meteorological creations.