For tourists, Melbourne simply means a lot of fun
In conjunction with the launch of its direct flight from Jakarta to Melbourne, Ansett Australia recently invited The Jakarta Post to visit Melbourne. Dwi Atmanta took pictures and wrote the following articles about his four-day trip to Australia's second largest city.
MELBOURNE (JP): "What's in a name?" Shakespeare once asked. Such an intriguing question should be asked of Melbourne, home to three million Australians from many cultural backgrounds.
The city, endowed with amazing grace and ambience, is named after the former British prime minister, Lord Melbourne.
A gold rush in the 1850s brought a tidal wave of fortune seekers from Europe, Asia and all parts of the globe, transforming a small pioneers' village into a wealthy, fashionable and cultured city. Reminders of Melbourne's golden era lie at the Sovereign Hill Living Museum in Ballarat, an hour north of the city.
In Melbourne, a thousand years of tradition have been distilled in a single decade, offering a heady brew which pervades the substance and spirit of the city.
The morning sight of people striding down the streets on their way to work shows the city's vitality. Melbourne served as the nation's capital from 1901 to 1926, when Australia's permanent capital, Canberra, was finished.
The view from Rialto Towers, Melbourne's highest building at 253 meters, is a picture of vibrant, urban communities.
Despite its skyscrapers, the city is a sanctuary for late 19th century Victorian architecture. The Old Treasury Building, Magistrate's Court, Victoria's State Parliament House, St. Patrick's and St. Paul's cathedrals and the bustling Flinders Street railway station are among the city's magnificent legacies from the past.
The winding Yarra River flows through Melbourne, a well planned city which evolved along the river's banks. Yarra is an aboriginal word which means floating. You can walk or ride a bicycle along the riverbank and through the green bushes, enjoy a river cruise or even hire your own boat.
Melbourne is a sea of green with thousands of trees in its parks, gardens and along its boulevards. It is truly one big garden. The city has a long-term strategy for keeping the city healthy which includes tree maintenance and the replacement of unsuitable or dying trees.
Jogging or just strolling around the wide open spaces of Princess Park, Fawkner Park, Royal Park, Albert Park, the Botanical Gardens or the huge Fitzroy Gardens nourishes your body and soul.
Fitzroy Gardens is home to Captain Cook's Cottage. Captain James Cook was the British explorer who claimed Australia as a British colony. His house was removed from Great Ayton, England, and moved to Melbourne in 1934 by Sir Russel Grimwade on the occasion of the centenary of the State of Victoria.
Arts
Above all, Melbourne means theater, music, paintings, fashion and sports.
On St. Kilda Road, near the meandering Yarra River, the Victoria Arts Center stands out because of its sheer size. The interior, designed by John Truscott, and the Australian art works are breathtaking.
Ballet, opera, drama, recitals, symphonies, concerts and more performances are offered year round and have won applause from Australian and international audiences.
The 4.5 hectare on which the A$225-million arts center stands is steeped in Australian entertainment history.
In 1877 an American international circus pitched its tent on the site. The building of the new arts center began in 1960 under architect Roy Grounds. His master plan was finished eight years later with the completion of the National Gallery of Victoria, which is part of the arts center.
A 115-meter white, gold and silver spire thrusts upwards from the center's roof like Paris' Eiffel Tower. The spire has become the symbol of the Victoria Arts Center and a prestigious landmark.
The National Gallery is stunning. After entering its giant portal, shaped like a mouse hole, you will discover works by Tiepolo, Rembrandt and Van Dyke, plus a large collection of ancient ceramics, glassware and other artifacts.
Sport is the adrenalin that surges through the veins of Melburnians, who also hosted the 1958 Olympic Games. Cricket and Australian Rules Football are Melbourne's, and Australia's, two most popular sports.
The Australian Open tennis championship is played under the hot January sun. It is the first tennis grand slam and is beamed around the world from the National Tennis Center at Flinders Park and features all the world's top players.
Horse racing is held all year culminating in the annual Spring Racing Carnival where fashion is just as important as horse racing. The Melbourne Cup, the richest horse race in the southern hemisphere, is the carnival's climax and is run on the first Tuesday in November at the Flemington Racecourse. Large sums of money are gambled and it is a public holiday. The Melbourne Cup is known as "The race which stops the nation".
Starting this year the Formula One Grand Prix is held at a circuit around Albert Park Lake, and next year the 500cc World Motorcycling Championship Grand Prix returns to Melbourne after a brief stay in Sydney.
The likes of Formula One world champion Damon Hill need to know every inch of the Melbourne track to win the hearts of the 100,000 fans who pack the event.
And when the sun goes down, Melbourne comes alive. There is a dazzling variety of nightlife which glitters for those with any energy left after taking a stamina-sapping tour of the city. Movies, operas or jazz pubs are all on offer until dawn. But those seeking another kind of action will turn their heads to the city's only casino, the Crown.
So what does Melbourne mean? It simply means a lot of fun.