by Les Scammell

Created on: September 15, 2010   Last Updated: November 07, 2010

Melbourne - the home of the famous Melbourne trams, St Kilda beach, the Melbourne Cricket Ground also known as the MCG, or more colloquially as simply - the Gee. Melbourne is also home to Australia's national sport - Australian Rules Football. The passion in Melbourne for their football is greater than any religious fervor.

Yet, Australia is one of the most culturally diverse nations on earth and this is particularly evident in Melbourne, the capital city of the state of Victoria. Known as the cultural capital of Australia, Melbourne is home to a wide range of peoples from around the world. It is reported to have the second largest population of Greeks in any one city, with only Athens in Greece having more.  Melbourne was also a popular destination for Italians and those from Eastern Europe following the Second World War.  Add to this mix the peoples from Asia, New Zealand and South Africa and you have an extremely diverse culture. What is more important, and what makes Melbourne a wonderful city to visit, is the way these cultures have come together in harmony.

This harmony is evident in the friendly relaxed attitude of everyone in and around the city. Visitors are welcomed warmly and language difficulties handled with patience and an eagerness to help. When it comes to culture, the wonderful mix of ethnic back grounds can be seen in places like Carlton, an inner suburb or Melbourne made famous by its football team and the many restaurants. The main street of Carlton features restaurant after restaurant ranging from traditional Chinese cuisine through to French, Moroccan and the many other ethnic cooking styles.

Away from the food, and cultural diversity, is the sport. Melbourne is also known as the sporting capital of Australia. The national sport of Australian Football had it's roots in Melbourne and as a sport, draws the largest crowds to a single event for any sport in the nation, week after week. Over 100,000 spectators crowd the Melbourne Cricket Ground each September to witness the Grand Final. Melbourne is also famous for its traditional Boxing Day cricket test matches, the Race That Stops A Nation, namely, the Melbourne Cup, a horse race always run on the first Tuesday in November - and the race does stop the nation for three minutes each year. Other sports that attract a lot of attention in Melbourne include Formula 1 motor racing, the world 500cc motor bike race at Phillip Island, and surfing at some of the outlying beaches.

There is

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>