Melbourne city centre from Rialto Towers

Martin Zustak, on February 24, 2007, said:

Melbourne - established in 1835 by enterprising Tasmanians, Melbourne (population 3.4 million) sprawls from Port Phillip Bay inland along the banks of the Yarra River. The arrival of Europeans had the usual devastating effect on the local Aboriginal communities. Within forty years, only 2,000 of the estimated 100,000 members of the Koori tribe survived. Today, there are around 20,000 Aborigines living in State Victoria, and half of them hail from Melbourne. However, no Victorian people live a purely traditional lifestyle. It was the gold rush of the mid-19th century that really put Melbourne on the map. The wealth from the goldfields built a city that would later overtake Sydney in the prestige stakes. Since the WWI, Melbourne’s British blood has been boosted by the injection of people and cultures from around the world, creating a vibrant community obsessed with arts, sport and pulsating café and restaurant scene. It’s the city’s atmosphere that makes Melbourne tick, rather than any outstanding geographical or architectonic landmark. On that front, the city is just a mix of Victorian-era buildings, leafy parks, gardens and long boulevards. The photo depicts the city centre from Rialto Towers Observation Deck on the 55th floor: it offers a spectacular 360 degree overview of the city: Port Phillip Bay, Albert Park, The Melbourne Cricket Grounds stadium, Yarra River, and the Royal Botanic Gardens are all easily identifiable.