Australia, Melbourne: attractions, their photos and description

Tourists from all over the world have always been attracted to a distant and mysterious Australia. Melbourne is the second most important city in the country, the capital of one of its states. In this article we will tell about this city, its memorable places, natural monuments and architectural sights.

Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)

The state of Victoria is the smallest in the country. In this case, its territory is equal to the territory of Great Britain. It is a land of striking contrasts - the ocean coast and mountain ranges, forests and deserts, endless pastures and volcanic plains. The population of the state is very diverse. During the "gold rush" in the XIX century immigrants from all over the world came here, the second wave of immigration began after 1945.

The state of Victoria is distinguished by a multitude of national, historic and coastal parks. The geographical diversity of this area is amazing - here you can visit the dense and cool tropical forests on the plateau of Errinundra and see the coastal areas of the virgin nature near Croajingolong. Tourists are shown majestic mountains in the Alpine National Park and the desert in the north-west of Mallee.

Talking about this Australian state, we can not fail to mention the highway Great Ocean Road, which stretches along the picturesque coast of the ocean and world famous beaches. Guests are recommended to visit the historic area of Goldfields, the majestic Murray River.

In the state there are large provincial cities such as Bendigo and Ballarat, with a huge number of monuments of the times of the "gold rush", as well as tiny towns with one pub. But the special attention of tourists is caused by the capital of the state - the magnificent Melbourne.

Description of the city

The city of Melbourne (Australia) is located in the Port Phillip Bay. It is the cultural capital of the country and is famous for its magnificent architecture, numerous shops of famous brands.

There are museums of history, unique exhibition and picture galleries, theaters, gardens and parks, as Melbourne (Australia) is a large modern megalopolis, in which the new and old architecture is organically combined. In Melbourne there are many memorable places, worthy of attention of travelers. Today we will introduce you to some of them.

Time in Melbourne (Australia)

This city belongs to the time zone GMT + 10 and GMT + 11 (in summer). Time ahead of the Moscow summer in six hours, and in winter - seven.

The Victoria Museum

This is a large complex, which includes three museums - the Museum of Immigration, the Melbourne Museum and the Science Museum. It was founded in 1854 as the Museum of Geology. In 1870, the Industrial Museum appeared, after a hundred years it was renamed the Science Museum of Victoria. Today, its collection has approximately 16 million exhibits, which are devoted to the history of the continent, the development of the art of science and technology.

The tower "Eureka"

Many original buildings are famous for Australia. Melbourne in this sense is no exception. The original tower "Eureka" is the tallest building in the city and one of the most famous buildings of the country. The tower is second only to the Q1 building in Surfers Paradise. 92-storeyed "Eureka" has a height of 297 m. The construction of the building began in 2002. It was completed in four years.

The tower was named in memory of the "Eureka" mine, where in the middle of the 19th century there was an uprising. This story is reflected in the design of the building - it clearly shows the crown, symbolizing the dashing years of the "gold rush", and the scarlet strip is a symbol of the blood spilled on the mine. White stripes and blue glass facade - the colors of the flag of the rebels.

Cathedral

Melbourne (Australia, photo is given in our article) is rightfully proud of the magnificent Cathedral of St. Paul. This is the largest Anglican temple in the city. The structure is made in the Gothic style, and today it is the patronal archbishop of the capital of the state and the head of the Anglican metropolis.

It is very well located - on the contrary are the architectural monuments of the Federation Square, and on the diagonal - the railway station of the city of Station. These buildings create the historic center of the city.

Botanical Gardens

Royal Melbourne Gardens are on the banks of the Yarra River, very close to the city center. More than ten thousand species of plants grow on the territory of 38 hectares. They represent not only the local, but also the world flora. Melbourne's botanical gardens are considered the best in the country and one of the best in the world.

45 km from Melbourne in the suburb of Cranburn, you can visit the branch of the Royal Gardens, located on an area of 363 hectares. Mostly, local plants are grown here.

In Melbourne, botanical gardens are located next to a group of parks, "Kings Domain, Queen Victoria's Gardens and Alexander Gardens.

Since its foundation in Botanic Gardens, works have been carried out to study and identify plants. Here, the National Herbarium of the State was created. Today it includes 1.2 million dried plants. In addition, there is a huge collection of books, videos, and aids on botanical subjects. Recently, the Center for Urban Ecology has been established, which monitors plants that grow in urban ecosystems.

Dandenong National Park

A huge number of parks and gardens is different in Australia. Melbourne offers tourists an excursion to the National Park "Dandenong". This beautiful place is on a mountain ridge bearing the same name, an hour's drive from the city. This is a very popular holiday destination for locals. That is why on weekends the residents of the surrounding towns come here. The park's attraction is a giant eucalyptus, reaching a height of one hundred and fifty meters. This is the tallest flower plant in the world.

Scientists are sure that here about a hundred million years ago there were jungles. Today you can see the remains of this ancient forest - dense tree-like ferns. A huge impression this forest produces, if you drive it on a popular locomotive "Puffing Billy" under the crowns of eucalyptus giants.

Many thousands of years on this land lived aboriginal tribes vuvurrong and bunurong. Later, this land became a source of wood resources for the developing Melbourne. By the end of the XIX century, the first roads and railway lines appeared here, and from that time the first tourists came here. Since 1882, the Fern Trough was declared a protected area, but it became a national park a hundred years later (1987)

National Gallery

Another interesting place. The National Gallery has glorified the city of Melbourne (Australia). The sights of this city are of great interest for researchers and scientists.

The gallery was founded in the city in 1861. In 2003, its funds were divided into two collections - International Art and Ian Potter. The first was placed in a building on Saint Kilda, which was designed by Roy Grounds in 1968 in the center of the city. And Ian Potter's Center is on the Federation Square.

By the time the gallery was opened, Victoria had been an independent colony for only ten years, which, thanks to the "gold rush", had become one of the richest regions of the country. Valuable gifts from wealthy citizens, as well as large cash investments, allowed the National Gallery to purchase works by ancient and contemporary artists all over the world. Today, the funds hold over sixty-five thousand unique works of art.

Today, you can see the canvases of Palmezzano, Rembrandt, Bernini, Rubens, Tintoretto, Uccello, Veronese and Tiepolo. There are also magnificent collections of Egyptian artifacts, ancient Greek vases, European ceramics, etc.

Ian Potter Center, which was opened in 2003, presents works by Australian artists, as well as objects of culture and life of Aboriginal people of Australia.

Museum of gold

Australia (Melbourne) has an amazing museum located in the building of the old treasury. It was built in 1862. Previously, it was the second most important in Melbourne after the parliament, however, the treasury was not in it for long - only sixteen years.

The author of the architectural project was the young and very talented J. Clark, who started the construction when he was only nineteen years old. Today, this building, made in the style of neo-Renaissance, is deservedly considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Melbourne.

To visit the public, the Gold Museum was opened in 1994. Today, there are several permanent exhibitions devoted to the history of the "gold rush", as well as the formation and development of Melbourne. Sometimes the museum is called urban. For example, the exhibition "Creating Melbourne" introduces visitors to the history of the city, from the time it was founded in 1835 and ending with our time.

It is only natural that a significant part of the exhibition tells of the times of gold mining, which gave impetus to the rapid development of Melbourne and made it the most important city on the continent.

Another interesting exhibition - "Built on Gold" - will allow guests to find out when the first gold bar was found in Victoria and how this find changed the destiny of the country. In addition, the museum hosts temporary thematic exhibitions devoted to the cultural heritage of Melbourne.

Tullamarine Airport

And now let's visit the airport of Melbourne (Australia). Tullamarine is the main air harbor of the city. By passenger turnover, he confidently ranks second in Australia. It is located twenty-three kilometers from the city center, in the suburb of Tullamarine. It was opened in 1970. This is the only international airport serving the Melbourne agglomeration. From here you can fly direct flights to all the states of Australia, as well as to Oceania, Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. In 2003, Tullamarine Airport received an international IATA award and two national awards for the high quality of passenger service. The airport has two runways, a weather station, four terminals, a huge hangar and a viewing platform.

At the airport "Tullamarin" there are three hotels, cafes, restaurants, gas station, two large and very cozy waiting rooms, equipped with all necessary room for mother and child. The latest navigation equipment is equipped with the airport of Melbourne (Australia). The arrival screen (online), located on the company's website, provides all the necessary information about flights.