The following editorial about Melbourne and its attractions is copyright free to journalists writing about Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB). For MCVB news, see our media releases.
Melbourne – 300 words
Voted many times as one of the world’s most liveable cities, Melbourne (the capital of the State of Victoria) is celebrated for its friendly locals, efficient services, fine wine and dining, and world-class facilities.
No matter when you visit, there is always something special to see or experience; Melbourne is Australia’s events capital and the city’s atmosphere is even livelier when the Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix, the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival or the Australian Open Tennis Championships are in action.
Melbourne boasts comprehensive transport systems, ultra-modern venues, and extensive accommodation for any event. Recognised as a major centre for research and development in the medical, science, technology, business and financial industries, Melbourne provides the perfect setting for today’s meetings, incentive travel programs, conventions and exhibitions.
The city’s ideal Business Events infrastructure includes Australia’s premier convention centre, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, located on the banks of the picturesque Yarra River. The new Centre opened in June 2009 to make Melbourne the city with the most flexible and comprehensive meeting facilities in Australia.
But it is within Melbourne’s hidden laneways that the city comes to life. Here you will experience the city’s contagious passion for coffee at chic cafés, sample award-winning local beer and wine at boutique bars, and gain a unique insight into local culture by visiting independent art galleries.
Just a one hour drive will take you to a world away in regional Victoria – enjoy spectacular scenery and wildlife, take your pick from 100 local vineyards, rest and relax at an award-winning day spa, or tee-off at a world-class golf course.
Cosmopolitan Melbourne is a city on show and has everything you need to make your next Business Event a success.
Melbourne's Attractions – 100 words
Melbourne’s attractions draw visitors from all over the world. Cool and sophisticated, diverse and cosmopolitan, Melbourne offers a truly international experience.
From museums to zoos, and galleries to gardens, Melbourne’s attractions offer great activities outside of the conferencing schedule.
Just a short drive from the city are the wonders of regional Victoria, chequered with wineries and rugged coastlines. Get close to Australian wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary or visit Phillip Island Nature Parks to see the famous penguin parade. Historical Ballarat theatrically recreates Australia’s ‘gold rush’ days. No matter what your interest, Melbourne and its surrounds have an attraction for you.
Dining in Melbourne – 150 words
Over the years, Melbourne has experienced a wonderful melding of cultures – a fact reflected in the city’s myriad of restaurants, cafés and bars. Melbourne is renowned for its quality dining venues in stunning locations that offer a plethora of food styles to rival any other city in the world.
The city and its surrounds boast more than 3,000 restaurants and bars catering for everything from a relaxed brunch, to upscale fine dining, to satisfy the most discerning palate.
For a distinctive dining experience, head to Chinatown for a cheap, quick meal or Lygon Street for affordable, tasty Italian cuisine. Lonsdale Street offers Greek fare, Victoria Street in Richmond is the place for Vietnamese, pub fare is served in generous portions at local spots in Fitzroy and Prahran, and the fish and chips and bay views are second-to none on St Kilda's streets and pier.
Melbourne for Major Events – 150 words
Melbourne is widely recognised as the events capital of Australia and has a buzzing calendar of international events drawing visitors from across the globe.
The city plays host to a range of annual sporting events including the Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix, Australian International Airshow, Australian Open Tennis Championships, Melbourne Boxing Day Test Match (cricket) and the glamorous Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, highlighted by the famous Melbourne Cup - ‘the race that stops a nation’.
Melbourne also hosted around 70 nations for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, further enhancing its international reputation for expertise in staging major events.
Other well-known annual events include the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and Melbourne International Arts Festival.
Art and Design in Melbourne – 150 words
As a result of its innovative architects, designers and artists, Melbourne is building a reputation as a ‘design city’. Recent sparks of inspiration include: Federation Square, with a geometric mix of sandstone, zinc and glass; and Eureka Tower, which practically sparkles with its glass aluminium panels and 24 carat gold-plated glass on the top 10 floors.
With museums, art galleries, theatre productions, musicals, orchestras, ballets and international art festivals, Melbourne is world-famous for its comprehensive year-round art and cultural program. Public art is on display throughout the city, some hidden down intimate laneways, some on show through dynamic street performances, and some boldly presented on billboards.
The Australian Centre for the Moving Image is also a must-visit, to experience exhibitions and screenings celebrating more than a century of cinema, television, computer games and the screen-based art of the future.
Melbourne for Incentive Travel – 100 words
Melbourne is made for incentive travel and conventions. New, internationally acclaimed hotels and restaurants are complemented by the city’s famous hidden laneways, where Melbourne’s passion for chic cafés, boutique bars, designer shopping dens and avant-garde galleries comes to life.
The city offers world-celebrated events, including the Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
Yet, just one hour’s drive takes to you to Victoria’s stunning surf coast, award-winning vineyards, picturesque ski fields, wildlife sanctuaries and rejuvenating day spas. From wining and dining, to trekking the stunning High Country, Melbourne is the perfect destination to re-energise.
Melbourne Incentive Experiences – 300 words
Some of Melbourne’s most popular incentive activities include:
- gaining a new perspective of the Great Ocean Road, voted the best coastal drive on the planet, by hovering over the coast in a helicopter – the Road is one of the world’s most scenic routes where ancient rock formations, rugged cliffs and breathtaking walks provide photographic opportunities at every turn.
- discovering ‘City Secrets’ down Art Deco arcades as your walking tour takes in hidden shops, bars and cafes.
- treating yourself to touch therapy and Aboriginal healing techniques at the uniquely Australian Li’Tya Day Spa.
- sharing a meal with an old Master at the stunning National Gallery of Victoria for fine art, food, wine and opera with a twist.
- sipping champagne in a hot air balloon as the sun rises over the Yarra Valley Wine Region.
- ‘grape grazing’ the day away at Rochford Yarra Valley, spoiling the senses with sparkling wine, fresh produce platters and views of Victorian vistas.
- having your event reach new heights on level 89 of the exclusive Eureka Tower – the Southern Hemisphere's highest event space.
- going green for a good cause on the coast, joining locals on a Coastal Regeneration Program.
- capturing your ‘Wild Child’ on a ‘Chopper’ – decked in leathers, see the city from a different perspective on the back of a Harley Davidson.
- hand-picking and learning to cook local produce in the Mornington Peninsula, then matching your fare with fine local wine.
- settling into a private suite for a Broadway show at the Regent – one of Australia’s most stunning historical theatres.
- having breakfast and meeting multicultural Melbourne at the Queen Victoria Market – discover food and wine from around the globe on the ‘Foodie’s Dream Tour’.
Shopping in Melbourne – 150 words
For the second year running, Shop Til You Drop magazine readers voted Melbourne the best shopping destination in Australia (2008).
Melbourne is famous for its great shopping, and is home to stylish city complexes like QV, GPO and Melbourne Central. Many of Melbourne’s enticing shops and boutiques are hidden down special laneways throughout the central business district, waiting to be discovered.
Melbourne also has a multitude of markets offering everything from new and vintage fashion, to locally designed accessories – try the Chapel Street Bazaar, Camberwell or Queen Victoria markets, or stroll down Bridge Road in Richmond for a bargain, where many of Melbourne's most successful retail stores have their warehouses and factory outlets.
Head to Acland Street in St Kilda or Fitzroy's Brunswick Street for local designers, street fashion, and groovy bars and cafés. Or preview the latest collections – straight off the Melbourne Fashion Festival runway – in Chapel Street, South Yarra.
Melbourne's Venues – 100 words
Whether it’s a large scale convention for 5,000 delegates or a small meeting for 20, Melbourne has a venue to suit almost every meeting or event requirement.
From modern facilities with top of the line technology, to historic hotels with old world charm, Melbourne has it all. The city also boasts a dedicated convention precinct encompassing five major convention hotels and Australia’s most flexible meeting venue, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau’s free venue finding service, MM+ES, can take the hassle out of finding the right venue for your group’s requirements.