Welcome to Melbourne! Melbourne is the capital city of the state of Victoria with a population of nearly four million. It is situated on the Yarra River and around Port Phillip Bay with its beautiful beaches and water sports facilities. It is a beautiful spacious city with all the parks, gardens, sporting venues and scenic places that Australian space and natural resources allow. The people of Melbourne come from a diverse range of countries and religious backgrounds. There are significant numbers of people from most European and Asian countries as well as from most other parts of the world. Melbourne is truly multicultural and a safe city in which to live. Melbourne is known as one of the “easiest” places to live in and get around, in Australia and the world. With beautiful botanical gardens to high-rise buildings, Melbourne has definitely become a fascinating piece of land. There is an excellent public transport system making Melbourne an easy place to get around. The weather ranges from maximums of 40 C in summer to well under 20 C in winter. The Melbourne communities are friendly people who all work together in making this city one of the safest places in the world. The city provides many Information Centres that assist you in any information that you may need during your stay in Melbourne. Melbourne has an efficient public transport system (buses, trains and trams). Many students ride bicycles on campus and some even have their own car for longer travel. There are also train, bus and air services between cities and towns. Students using public transport can apply for a student concession card that entitles them to discounted fares. Useful links: http://www.visitvictoria.com/ http://melbourne.citysearch.com.au/ http://www.melbourne.com.au/ http://www.melbourneairport.com.au/ http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=23&pg=966