Victoria - The Place to be

Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, probably wishes that it was the capital city of Australia, and maybe even South East Asia.

While the city certainly has a lot going for it; a good transport network, lots of parks and gardens, an excellent range of entertainment and events, the more you travel around Australia the more you meet people who are anti-Melbourne. They will never really be able to tell you why, it’s just one of those places that everyone seems to love to hate. A bit like Sydney, really. In the opposite camp, however, are international travellers, international students and of course the Victorians themselves. They love the city and will tell you for hours about its good points and features.

And of course it has been voted as the world’s most liveable city by The Economist.

Country Victoria is full of great getaway places such as the Yarra Valley, the Dandenongs, and the Goldfields and with Geelong just down the motorway from Melbourne there are some ideal places for students to consider if Melbourne is not your first choice for study.

It’s always raining and cloudy in Melbourne (or so they say)
The first reason most people give for not loving Melbourne is the weather. ‘It’s always raining and overcast in Melbourne’ they will tell you. ‘Cold, bleak and windy’ are also common descriptions. Yet when the The Economist completed its survey to rank the most liveable cities, Melbourne actually came out ahead of Sydney due to its lower humidity.

The temperature usually hits an average maximum I the high 20’s for the summer months and the low teens during winter. Those stories about the 40 degree weather during the middle of summer are all true and you can be sure to find yourself heading to the beach to cool off.

As a state, however, there is quite a wide range of weather conditions, making it another of those places where you can both going skiing in winter and head to the beach in summer.

Facts about Victoria
Victoria is home to 4.8 million people, with approximately 3.5 million living in Melbourne.

The revelation that Victorians love sport is perhaps not that surprising for people who have visited previously, but for those arriving for the first time by air one of the first things to notice is the large number of sports fields that can be seen spread across the city. While football (Australian Rules Football, that is) is by far the most popular code in Victoria, the competition has arrived with both rugby league and soccer both being quite popular.

Size
Victoria is the smallest of the mainland states, and is about the same size as Minnesota. It does, however, have the second largest population which results in quite a high population density.

Top 5 attractions
With some great attractions and events through out the year, such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix and other major art and sporting events, you can usually find something on no matter when it is you are visiting the state.

Some of the more popular, around the year attractions include:
1. Great Ocean Road
2. Phillip Island
3. Federation square
4. Koala Conservation Centre
5. Melbourne Museum

How many international students are there in Victoria?
Based on 2003 figures there were 48,000 international students in Victoria. That's the highest in Australia, some 3,000 more than second placed New South Wales.

Most Popular Beer
Beer in Victoria begins and ends for most people with Victoria Bittter, or VB.

Major Universities
University of Melbourne, Monash University, La Trobe University, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria University of Technology, Deakin University