Melbourne Airport Accommodation, Enjoy Sports And Arts In Victoria

Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria in Australia, has a population of more than four million, and is a major national and international centre in sports, the arts, culture and tourism. The city was founded in the 1830s and grew to major importance during the Australian Gold Rush. This article describes the city's early years, and reviews some of the many sporting and cultural attractions which visitors to Melbourne can experience. The Hilton Airport hotel is a convenient Melbourne airport accommodation option for tourists arriving from overseas, or from other parts of Australia.

Melbourne is located around the northern and eastern shores of Port Philip Bay in the Australian state of Victoria. "The Bay" has an area of about 1900 square kilometres, and a coastline of about 260 kilometres. The major river flowing into the bay is the Yarra River, and the city centre of Melbourne is found at the mouth of the Yarra.

Port Philip Bay is quite shallow and sheltered. Beaches on the bay are mostly found in Melbourne's south eastern districts, including the St. Kilda, Port Melbourne and Albert Bay suburbs. The closest surfing beaches are outside the bay area, and are about eighty kilometres away from the centre of Melbourne.

Port Philip Bay was first explored by John Murray on the Lady Nelson in 1802, closely followed by Matthew Flinders on the Investigator. The first settlement by Europeans was at Sorrento, but it was soon abandoned (1804), and it was thirty more years before permanent settlements were founded. The settlement at Bearbrass, at the mouth of the Yarra river, was founded in 1835 by settlers from Tasmania, which was then known as Van Diemen's Land. In 1837 Bearbrass was renamed Melbourne in honour of the British politician Lord Melbourne.

Melbourne grew in importance, being recognized as a city in 1845, and becoming the capital of Victoria in 1851. The major growth followed the discovery of gold in the state in the 1850s. The overall population of Australia tripled, and growth in Victoria was even more rapid. Gold passed into Melbourne from the mines at a rate of two tons per week, and Australia was for a time the world's largest producer.

Nowadays the city of Melbourne is recognized as being major centre for sports and for culture. Every year Melbourne hosts cultural events such as international film and comedy festivals, and a fringe festival. The city is also the birthplace of Australia's film and television industries. In 1906 the film "The Story Of the Kelly Gang" was filmed in Melbourne, at a cost of 1125 pounds. This was the world's first ever feature length film.

Melbourne is also noted as a world centre for sports. It has hosted the Summer Olympics (1956), and the Commonwealth Games (2006), and every year it hosts three major international events: the Australian Open (tennis), the Melbourne Cup (horse racing), and the Australian Grand Prix (Formula One Racing). The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in tennis. It is held every January at Melbourne Park. The Melbourne Cup is held at Flemington Racecourse in November. It is a two mile flat race for three year olds.

Tullamarine (Melbourne International Airport) is the main airport for the area. It is an international hub airport for the Australian carriers Qantas and Virgin Blue, and there are many domestic flights connecting Melbourne to the other state capitals in Australia. The Hilton Melbourne Airport Hotel is a convenient option for Melbourne airport accommodation. This hotel connects directly to the airport via a covered pedestrian walkway, and is just twenty minutes distant from the city centre of Melbourne.

Melbourne Airport Accommodation listings may take 5 - 10 seconds to appear below