Melbourne, with a population of over 3 million, is a cultural
melting pot and a center for international exhibitions and
sporting events. It is often referred to as the Cultural Capital
of Australia due to its myriad of cultural and artistic
institutions and its extensive street-art laden laneways.
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This portion of our trip included our time in bustling
Melbourne, and the 670 kilometer drive through long stretches of
natural areas to Canberra.
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Melbourne's city center is a grid of streets north of the Yarra River.
Across a pedestrian bridge is Southbank, an entertainment and
shopping area.
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The Federation Square precinct is a conglomerate of attractions
including 3 art galleries and an open-air amphitheatre.
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The Royal Melbourne
Institute of Technology gallery is one of the ten outstanding
contemporary art galleries in the city. |
Flinders Street train station is the transportation hub and
gateway to the city.
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Victorian era
buildings are preserved by setting modern skyscrapers back from
the street.
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Historic
Queen Victoria Market is the largest open air market in the
Southern Hemisphere. Hundreds of stalls offer produce, meat, clothing,
and souvenirs. |
The Old Melbourne Gaol contains death masks and artifacts of
prison life of the 19th century.
(onyo, Wikivoyage) |
The Melbourne
Royal Botanical Garden, established in 1846, is a vast area of
trees, gardens, lakes, lawns and glass houses.
(Raffi Kojian, gardenology.org) |
St. Kilda is a
seaside suburb 6 kilometers from the Melbourne CBD. It is famous
for its esplanade where historic sea baths and boom-time
mansions are reminders of its past as a glitzy resort area.
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The city of
Melbourne has an ambitious project to promote innovative
architecture and public art. There are dozens of sculptures,
murals and ceramic street artworks in Melbourne's Central
Business District and surrounding gardens.
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40 kilometers east of Melbourne lies the cool high country of
the Dandenong Ranges National Park, with its mountain ash
forests and lush tree-fern gullies. |
Canberra,
the capital city with a population of 310,000, was a planned
community. Streets radiate out from Capital Hill in concentric
circles. Millions of planted trees and the creation of Lake
Burley Griffin give Canberra a park-like feel. |
Built in 1988, Parliament House is Canberra's focal point.
A highlight is walking in the park on its roof to view the
surrounding embassies which are built in the architectural
styles of their home countries.
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The National Museum uses creative architecture and interactive
exhibits to highlight Australian history and society. |
The "tent embassy," erected in 1972 on the lawn between Old
Parliament House and the War Memorial, draws attention to
aboriginal land claims. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Exhibits in the National Museum include displays of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories. |