Melbourne

Melbourne nightlife is world famous. Limitless options of fantastic bars and clubs will leave you confused, but wherever you finally go, you'll definitely live it up! Popular nightclubs include Co, and Therapy Nightclubs in Southbank, the Emerson in South Yarra, and Chaise Lounge in the CBD.

Shopping culture in Melbourne is widespread, with local and international boutiques and brands, small souvenir shops, and bustling market streets. The Queen Victoria Market, to name one, is the biggest market in the entire southern hemisphere. Other places to shop include the Bourke Street Mall, Chadstone shopping complex, Brunswick street, and Melbourne station.

The Australian Dollar is the only currency that is used in Sydney. All major debit and credit cards are accepted in restaurants and hotels.

Options to convert currency are plentiful in Melbourne. Various foreing exchange companies such as Travel Money Oz, Raffles Forex, UAE Exchange, The Change Group and United Currency Exchange have their offices in the city. You can withdraw money straight from the ATM has well. It is best though, to enquire about international charges on your card from your bank first.

Australia in general is not a very expensive country. You can expect a daily expenditure of a low budget trip to range from AUD 90 - 110. Going higher in the quality of you expenditures, a mid range budget trip should cost you somewhere around AUD 180 - 230. A relatively luxury budget for a trip to Melbourne should start at around AUD 270 - 280 and go north from there.

About 30% of the population is Roman Catholic, while the next biggest population is that of the non religious.

Australian customs and etiquettes aren't very complicated. The confrom to very basic and courteous behaviour, such as honesty and sincerity, since they are usually very down to earth people. Boasting or pretentiousness is absolutely hated, and the Aussies have a sharp sense of humour. They are also relaxed, friendly and casual and so are there greetings, and being on first name basis from the very first meeting is totally acceptable. Tipping in Melbourne is not obligatory. Tipping for good service is a common practice in the city, and the amount of the tip, or even tipping at all, is totally at your discretion.

English is the first and the official language in Melbourne. You will find a small population of European languages such as Greek and Italian, and the number of Mandarin speakers has also been on the rise

Although the area around the city shows signs of habitation nearly 30000 years old, the history of Melbourne city began only as recently as 1835. The Hoddle Grid, the oldest neighbourhood of the city, was laid down in in 1837, and the city was named Batmania after John Batman, it's founder. The name 'Melbourne' was given to the city later in the same year, after the British PM, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne. Finally in 1847, Melbourne was declared a city. This was followed by the phase that saw the first phase of rapid growth for Melbourne. The Victorian Gold Rush of 1951 meant that Melbourne, a major port city, became extremely busy, and grew at an exponential rate. So much so, it became the wealthiest city in the world at a point. This meant that the city now needed to evolve a civic society, complete with various government buildings. This was undertaken in the decades of 1850 and 1860. This expansive growth continued into the 1980s, with develpoment now coming through land and construction, and stopped only due to the economic crisis of the next decade. The beginning of the 20th century saw Melbourne declared as capital of Australia in 1901, although this was short lived and only lasted till 1927. The next boom in the city's growth came after the second world war, when there were huge amounts of immigrants coming into the city. This called for construction works for housing and expansions all over. Most of the public transport's massive growth was during this period as well. In more recent times, Melbourne has continue to grow steadily, and though it does not have the same global command as it once did, it is still an influential international city.

Local Melbourne cuisine concentrates on fresh and homegrown. Grilled food is a favourite among the people of Melbourne, especially beef and lamb. Also, being a port city, Melbourne has an excellent offering of sea food as well, so don't miss out on that. Of course, you will easily find all the international fast food joints such as McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut and so on. There is no shortage of alcoholic drinks here either. Beer is of course Australia's staple diet. You can have a mean lamb rack or tenderloin steak with a pint of any local beer for the complete meal.
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