Melbourne
Overview
Founded in the 1830s as a free settlement Melbourne Australia is resplendent with stunning buildings, both historic and modern, fabulous hidden shopping boutiques and glorious parkland fringing it with green and bursts of colour. Melbourne perhaps is a state of mind full of recognition of the arts whether pictorial, sculptural or performance in all its forms and the perfect spot to experience a self guided walking tour.Melburnians are also passionate about football (Australian Rules), restaurants and fashion. It is above all a very liveable city with great cafés, restaurants and bars and nightlife. With a population of 3.2 million people and an excellent public transport system, as Australia’s second largest city, it’s very easy to get around to go to the tennis, football, horse racing (Melbourne Cup is the richest horse race in the world) and experience a different kind of city tour. It’s perfect for a half day or longer leisurely city sightseeing exploring the laneways, boutique shopping, magnificent gardens and stately architecture and multi-layered history. Melbourne is also one of Australia’s most multi cultural cities with significant Greek, Italian, Chinese and many other ethnic groups adding their special contribution to its food and cultural life. Time Zone
Melbourne is located in Australia’s Eastern Standard Time Zone. It is GMT/UTC +10 hours. New York: 15 hours behind, London: 10 hours behind, Tokyo: 1 hour behind. Daylight saving operates during summer in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia (from the end of October to the end of March) and in Tasmania (from the beginning of October to the end of March). Weather Overview
October - March, are clearly the best month’s weather wise to visit with clear, warm days and mild nights. Melbourne’s climate has summer temperatures averaging around 23°C (72°F), however the weather can change very quickly depending on the wind direction, often in the same day and can get very hot with temperatures reaching 40°C (104°F). The many parks and open places help make it a magical place for seasonal changes. It is rarely unbearably chilly - in winter the average temperature ranges between 6°C (43°F) and 13°C (55°F). July and August are the coldest months with October having the highest rainfall and November through February averaging over 6 ½ hours of sunshine each day. |
