Melbourne, Australia's second largest city with more than 3.5 million people, is a city of neighborhoods. From the inner-city areas like Carlton with Lygon Street where Melbourne's café culture was born, to St. Kilda Beach, with its second-hand shops and funky cafes, you'll never run out of places to explore. The fact that the city is well connected by trams, buses and trains means that it's an easy place to explore.
Most Australians recognize Melbourne for all of the great cultural events it has to offer. It's a city of music and festivals. Whether it's the Australian Ballet, Opera Australia, or the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, you'll find plenty going on at the Arts Centre which sits right across the Yarra River from the center of Melbourne. Annual festivals include the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Fringe Festival.
If sports are more your interest than arts and music, you'll love Melbourne just as much. Eight Australian Rules Football teams call Melbourne home. There's no way to miss the fans on most weekends in Melbourne, festooned in their scarves and team colors on their way to the Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG).
Studying in Australia is about a lot more than simply being in the middle of an urban area however, and Melbourne provides plenty of access to the scenery and landscape that makes Australia so famous. The beauty of the Great Ocean Road, the forests and villages of the Dandenongs or the beaches of the Mornington Peninsula are all within an hour of the city.