Melbourne Aerials
Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, is viewed by many as Australia’s sporting and major events capital.

As the shots pan inwards, the open waters of Port Phillip Bay give way to the beachside suburb of St Kilda (passing over the St Kilda marina), which in turn give way to the leafy suburbs of South Melbourne and Albert Park (home to the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix), which look towards the city centre.

Melbourne is Australia’s sporting capital, home to major domestic and international tournaments every year.

The vast sports precinct includes the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), a venue that has hosted Olympic and Commonwealth Games, as well as the Rod Laver Arena (home to the Australian Open) and the Rectangular (AAMI) Stadium.

The city is intersected by the Yarra River, a popular place to run, stroll or cycle along, and lined with many restaurants, bars and arts spaces along its banks.

Melbourne is renowned for its stunning Victorian-era architecture – a legacy of the 19th Century gold rush years - and art deco buildings set against modern designs.

One of Melbourne’s most famous and iconic landmarks is Flinders Street train station, built in the early 1900s – it still houses a ballroom in its roof. Today, Melbourne’s historic Flinders Street station remains a busy transport hub and is located directly opposite Federation Square, a must-see attraction for its daring, modern design.

The city centre is home to a bustling laneway culture, with hidden laneways and arcades full of cafes, restaurants and boutiques.

Melbourne is known for its coffee culture, one of the few cities in the world where independent coffee houses still dominate the morning coffee rush. Around 30 tons of coffee beans arrive daily at Melbourne’s port to feed the city’s caffeine cravings.

Melbourne is home to a thriving fashion scene, reflective of the city’s distinct seasons and artistic character.

There  are many shopping precincts, offering local and global brands, with shopping centres such as Emporium and Chadstone offering designer labels under one roof, and precincts such as Chapel Street, Flinders Lane and Fitzroy full of independent designer boutiques.

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has the world’s largest stained glass ceiling – 51 metres (167.3 feet) long by 15 metres (49.2 feet) wide.

Melbourne also comes alive after sundown, when the city’s 3000 bars and restaurants carry on into the evenings.

Locals especially love to congregate up high in the city’s many rooftop bars on top of city centre buildings, as well as down in the laneway cafes, restaurants and bars.

Federation Square opened in 2002 and has quickly become a popular gathering place for tourists and locals alike. Especially during major sporting events when large screens attract crowds to the square.

Federation Square is also home to cafes and restaurants, as well as the Australian Centre for Moving Image, and Australia’s largest collection of national art at the Ian Potter Centre.

Visitors can get spectacular views of the city skyline as they stroll along the Southbank promenade on the banks of the Yarra River and spend time in bars and restaurants along it.

Crown Melbourne’s fireballs mark the hour throughout the evenings along the river.

Melbourne General
The opening shot captures rowers on the Yarra River, passing under Prince’s Bridge, and through the city.

The city is known for its trams.

Melbourne’s famous tramway system is the largest outside Europe and the fourth largest in the world. It stretches along 244 kilometres (152 miles) of track and has 450 trams. It is the only surviving tram network in Australia, and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

All tram travel within the city centre is free for all people, with 24-hour public transport across Melbourne available on Friday and Saturday nights.

Melbourne is renowned for its stunning Victorian-era architecture - a legacy of the 19th Century gold rush years - and art deco buildings set against modern designs.

One of Melbourne’s most famous and iconic landmarks is Flinders Street train station, built in the early 1900s – it still houses a ballroom in its roof.

Today, the historic train station remains a busy transport hub and is located directly opposite Federation Square, a must-see attraction for its daring, modern design.

Melbourne’s café culture captivates its iconic laneways, with outdoor street art throughout this ever-developing artistic scene (additional descriptions available in the Dining & Shopping section).

Federation Square opened in 2002 and has quickly become a popular gathering place for tourists and locals alike. Especially during major sporting events when large screens attract crowds to the square.

Federation Square is also home to cafes and restaurants, as well as the Australian Centre for Moving Image, and Australia’s largest collection of national art at the Ian Potter Centre.

Visitors can get spectacular views of the city skyline as they stroll along the Southbank promenade on the banks of the Yarra River and spend time in bars and restaurants along it.

The magnificent Royal Exhibition Building, set in the Carlton Gardens, was the site of Australia’s first sitting parliament in 1901, before Canberra was established as the new nation’s capital some years later. It is also the first building in Australia to achieve World Heritage Status.

Dusk and night shots of the city follow, with more footage of the beach area of St Kilda.

Melbourne Dining, Shopping, Arts & Culture
The city centre is home to a bustling laneway culture, with hidden laneways and arcades full of cafes, restaurants, boutiques.

Melbourne is known for its coffee culture, one of the few cities in the world where independent coffee houses still dominate the morning coffee rush. Around 30 tons of coffee beans arrive daily at Melbourne’s port to feed the city’s caffeine cravings.

Melbourne also comes alive after sundown, when the city’s 3000 bars and restaurants carry on into the evenings.

Locals especially love to congregate up high in the city’s many rooftop bars on top of city centre buildings, as well as down in the laneway cafes, restaurants and bars.

In recent years many of the city’s laneways themselves have become outdoor galleries, with street art now a signature of the city and its precincts.

Melburnians love their food and the city’s food credentials are flourishing internationally. Heston Blumenthal moved his UK restaurant, Fat Duck, to Melbourne for a temporary residency in recent years, the city hosts the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival every March and last year welcomed the Oscars of the food industry - the World’s 50 Best.

Melbourne is home to a thriving fashion scene, reflective of the city’s distinct seasons and artistic character.

There are many shopping precincts, offering local and global brands, with shopping centres such as Emporium and Chadstone offering designer labels under one roof, and precincts such as Chapel Street, Flinders Lane and Fitzroy full of independent designer boutiques.

Melburnians also love their culture; the city has one of the highest densities of art galleries in the world.

The city is also the home of Australia’s publishing industry and been appointed an official UNESCO City of Literature.

Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is renowned as one of Australia’s and the world’s great coastal touring routes.

This touring route takes in over 240km of dramatic, winding coastline looking out over the Southern Ocean and Bass Strait.

The Great Ocean Road includes Victoria’s surf coast, starting at the surf capital of Torquay - the birthplace of surfing brands such as Quicksilver and Rip Curl which are now global surfing icons.

Nearby Bells Beach is now the site of the annual international Rip Curl Pro surfing championships, held in March.

The Great Ocean Road is also home to the Twelve Apostles – striking 45m high rock formations clustered off the coastline. These mighty pillars of rock were formed 20million years ago.

Today they are one of Australia’s most striking natural wonders, discoverable by road, by hiking or by helicopter.

The Great Ocean Road hinterland region (The Otways) is full of waterfalls, lush rainforests and wildlife such as koalas in the trees, echidnas in the bush and the duck billed platypus, spotted by canoeing in Lake Elizabeth.

The Great Ocean Road was built by hand by Australian soldiers who returned from WWI and needed work during the Great Depression. The spectacularly scenic route took 14 years to build and it is one of the world’s largest war memorials.

The Great Ocean Road coastline also witnesses whale migrations every year, with pods of Southern Right Whales and Blue Whales passing by.

In some spots, southern right whales nurse their new calves just 100m from the shoreline each spring until they are big enough to head out into the open ocean.

The Great Ocean Rd is also home to the shipwreck coast, with hundreds of shipwrecks dating back centuries dotting the route.

Yarra Valley
Less than an hour east of Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is a famous wine-making region, one of 21 wine regions across Victoria.

The Yarra Valley is the perfect place to linger over long lunches in winery eateries or go wine tasting at cellar doors with spectacular views of the rolling hills and boundless vineyards.

The valley produces many wines, as well as ciders, beers and gins, and fresh diary produce.

The Yarra Valley is home to Healesville Sanctuary, a great place to visit to meet native Australian animals such as platypus, emus, koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and echidnas. The sanctuary also has an animal hospital to help rehabilitate injured wildlife and is dedicated to conservation.

Dame Nellie Melba, an opera singer dubbed the most famous woman in the world during the late 1800s and early 1900s, had her estate in the Yarra Valley and used to throw lavish parties for the Hollywood stars of the day – characters such as Charlie Chaplin used to visit for these events. Based in Paris for many years, she took the stage name Nellie ‘Melba’ after her hometown Melbourne.

The dessert Peach Melba was created in her honour by a famous Parisian chef of the times.

Her Yarra Valley estate (Coombe Estate) recently opened to the public – complete with its own winery, museum and restaurant.

The Yarra Valley is also home to golfer Greg Norman’s newest course design, offering 27 holes at the Eastern Golf Club.

Mornington Peninsula
Located an hour south-east of Melbourne is the stunning Mornington Peninsula, famous for its pristine beaches, seaside villages, wineries and gourmet hinterland.

The ‘Peninsula,’ as locals call it, is bound on one side by the open ocean – providing great surf beaches – and the on the other side by the waters of Port Phillip Bay – providing tranquil waters, popular for snorkelling, paddle boarding and boat trips.

This is also the jumping off point for some great wildlife experiences, such as swimming with dolphins and seals, and snorkelling around piers and reefs to find weedy sea-dragons.

The Mornington Peninsula ends with a very narrow point at Point Nepean National Park, accessible by car and where the ocean and bay line each side of the road.

The Morning Peninsula is well known for its rows of bright, multi-coloured beach huts, lined along beaches such as Mornington and Mount Martha. These beach huts are highly sought after, some recently sold for more than $200,000 each! 

Between its two coastlines, the Mornington Peninsula is home to rolling green hills, with more than 200 world-class cool climate wineries producing cool climate chardonnay and pinot noir, and fresh produce such as orchards, dairies and olives. Horseback wine tasting tours have become a popular way to discover the peninsula’s food and wine offering.

The Mornington Peninsula region is also popular in the golfing world for its Sandbelt, and is home to eight of Australia’s top 50 golf courses, including the National Golf Club at Cape Schanck.

Phillip Island
Endless family fun and iconic wildlife, pristine white beaches and hi-octane motor sports, you'll find it all on a seaside holiday at Phillip Island, just 90 minutes from Melbourne.

The rugged coastlines of Phillip Island are some of the picturesque in Victoria, with fairy penguins reigning supreme as they creep up and down the beach.

There are sleep koalas enjoying the spoils of their natural habitat, the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and surfing for both gromits and pros.

AO2019 BROADCAST NOTES

Melbourne, Australia - Australia's sporting capital and a global major events mecca - welcomes you to the 2018 Australian Open.