Melbourne, the capital of Victoria and home to 4 million people. It was founded on the Yarra River in 1835 and gained independence from New South Wales in 1850.

Melbourne boomed in the 1850's as a result of the gold rush in the region, which sparked the development of housing, schools, churches and fine homes. At that time, Melbourne was larger than most European capitals, and after hosting the International Exhibition in 1880, earned the title of Marvellous Melbourne.

Later on, Melbourne was the financial capital of Australia until about the 1970s and the headquarters of many of the country's largest companies.

In people terms, it is the third largest Greek city in the world and the largest Italian city outside Italy. In common with Sydney, it has a large Chinese community dating from the 1850s gold rush and has long been a bastion of the Jewish community in Australia.