Melbourne City Profile

Melbourne - Capital of the Garden State

Located at the south-eastern edge of mainland Australia, greater Melbourne is set around the shores of Port Philip Bay, with the city centre laid out 5km from the Bay on the northern banks of the Yarra River. Melbourne is best described as a lively cosmopolitan city which is a haven for theatre, creative arts and good living; combined with a state-wide addiction to sports.

As confirmed in the last Census (2006) Melbourne is a city on the move, with substantial international investment in the city's industries and property market. Major inner-city urban renewal has occurred in Southbank, Melbourne Docklands, Port Melbourne, and more recently, South Wharf.

Suburbs that had the highest population growth were in the city centre and the inner suburbs of Docklands, Southbank, Port Melbourne and Carlton. Most of the growth in these areas was linked with an increase in medium and high-density housing.

Almost one third of the city is made up of people who were born overseas - The most common birthplaces being:

• United Kingdom (14.6%),
• South East Europe (mainly Greece) (12.2%),
• Southern Europe (mainly Italy) (9.4%);
• Southern Asia (mainly India & Sri Lanka) (8.7%),
• Maritime South-East Asia (mainly Malaysia & Philippines) (7.9%),
• Mainland South-East Asia (mainly Viet Nam & Chinese Asia) (7.6%)