Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is often referred to as Australia's sporting and cultural capital. Home to many of the nation's most prominent sporting events, you can see why. In 1956 it was the host city of the Summer Olympics and in 2006 the Commonwealth Games.

Melbourne celebrates a wide variety of annual cultural events, including a celebration of the Yarra River. It also hosts the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Gay and Lesbian Midsummer festival. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the three largest stand-up comedy festivals in the world.

Locals are passionate about football, fashion, music, theatre and ballet, with many restaurants and shops for you to enjoy too. It's a smorgasbord of a city that invites you to take a bite. A leafy bayside community on the Yarra River, it is cosmopolitan, suburban, cultivated, conservative and a haven for the avant-garde. Visitors come for its shopping, restaurants, nightlife and sporting calendar, and most agree that it's one of the world's most liveable cities.

Melbourne has more theatres than any other city in Australia. Live venues include David Marriner's Princess Theatre, Regent Theatre and Her Majesty's Theatre; the Athenaeum, Forum Theatre, Palais Theatre and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.