Melbourne, Victoria

The business capital

Melbourne may be Australia’s most fabulous city, with impressive architecture and art, where you can savor Australian cuisine, watch a fast-paced football game or just unwind in a gorgeous spa.

Melbourne is a serious business capital, with telecommunication companies, top banks and mining companies such as Telstra, National Australia Bank and BHP Billiton leading the charge. The central business district sits by the Yarra River. More than 400,000 international visitors a month come to the city for business and pleasure.

This is a meticulously planned city, a tidy, balanced grid of neatly angled streets and grand Victorian train stations, tree-lined avenues and manicured parks that remind visitors of London. But beneath it all, Melbourne has tremendous creative energy and style. Federation Square, a collection of modern buildings near the neo-Gothic twin towers of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the domed facade of Flinders Railway Station, is a good place to start exploring.

Getting around

Taxis are the fastest, simplest way from the airport to downtown and from the city center to the suburbs, but the tram system—another 19th-century feature that Melbourne has retained—is still an efficient way of moving around the inner city.

Hotels

The Langham Hotel (1 Southgate Avenue, Southbank, +61 03 8696 8888, A$350 and up, including breakfast) is close to the Crown Casino in the heart of the city. Located next to the Victorian Arts Centre and National Gallery, it also hosts the gorgeous Chaun Spa (chaun means “flowing water” in Chinese), a sleek retreat with dark wood and warm, soothing orange tones. Guests can use the sauna and steam rooms or do laps in the pool, which has city views. The Lyall Hotel (14 Murphy Street, South Yarra, +61 03 9868 8222, large studio from A$400) is a chic property close to the city, perfectly located for checking out fashion boutiques.

Restaurants

Dine at Vue de Monde (430 Little Collins Street, Normandy Chambers, +61 03 9691 3888), where chef Shannon Bennett is one of the country’s top emerging talents. Vue de Monde has been voted the best French restaurant in the country, and its thinly sliced Wagyu beef with tobacco onions and chickpea fries and Kingfish tartare on parmesan gnocchi are among locals’ favorites. Book well in advance, and expect to pay around A$400 for two people. Taxi (Flinders and Swanson Streets, +61 03 9654 8808), located on level one of the Transport Hotel, was recently named Victoria’s best restaurant by The Age Good Food Guide 2006 (considered Melbourne’s food bible). Chef Michael Lambie presents dishes like confit of roast organic duck with daikon, fresh mint salad and honey-and-sour-plum relish.

Leisure

Melbourne has a sophisticated bar scene. The new Upper and Lower House, right at Federation Square (enter via Flinders Street, +61 03 9663 3134) has a wine bar with an impressive list and snacks like Australian cheeses and asparagus tart. The Transit Lounge (Flinders and Swanson Streets, +61 03 9654 8808), above the Transport Hotel, has an outdoor terrace with striking views of Federation Square, the Yarra River and Southgate.

Business, Melbourne-style

Sydney is more casual than Melbourne, where the weather can be more temperamental, cool one day and boiling hot the next. Dress accordingly, but make sure you look sophisticated enough to please the fashion-savvy locals.

If you have a free hour

Learn about one of the oldest living cultures in the world at the Koorie Heritage Trust Cultural Centre (295 King Street, +61 03 8622 2600). The trust, set up in 1986 to preserve the living culture of the Aborigines of southeastern Australia, has two gallery spaces for emerging and established artists. Guides can explain the dream symbolism and culture of Aboriginal art, as well as show visitors the permanent collection of more than 3,000 objects.

If you have a free day

Melbourne is the birthplace of Australian Rules Football (afl.com.au), also known as “Aussie Rules” or “Footy,” an often ferocious game and the country’s premier spectator sport. Watch an Aussie Rules match with a guide from Melbourne Sports Tours (melbournesportstours.com.au), who can explain the unique 18-players-per-side game. While you’re there, try some real Aussie tucker—a meat pie with sauce—and Melbourne-brewed beer, Fosters Lager and VB (Victoria Bitter).

If you have a free weekend

The Great Ocean Road on Victoria’s rugged southwest coast is one of the most beautiful and remote parts of Australia. Hire a car in the city, and start driving: Tourist offices and hotels supply maps and suggestions on where to stop for lunch and even overnight stays. The top stops are Queenscliff and seaside resort towns such as Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Fairy.

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julie earle-levine is a freelance writer based in New York.



See also:

• Day trips: Melbourne
• Melbourne 2007 events
• Melbourne must-see sights

• Sydney
• Brisbane
• Adelaide