For years, Sydney and Melbourne have done battle for the title of Australia’s first city. They had to call it a draw with regards to capital status, which is why Canberra was created, but otherwise, they continually attempt to attract inhabitants and visitors and generally out-do each other.
Melbourne has always prided itself on its elegance and sophistication. While Sydney has its amazing opera house, Melbourne itself is simply one huge arts and culture venue, with creativity everywhere from the bars with their live music to the streets themselves, full of open-air installations.
While Melbourne regularly features in lists of the world’s best places to live, it owes much of its current status to the miners from many countries who crowded into the city after gold was found in its home state of Victoria in 1851. For a while the port city of Melbourne was the richest in the world as it served the huge mining trade which lasted for some 40 years. It was during this, literally golden, era that many of the city’s most famous buildings were built.
Of course, like all booms, the gold rush finally came to an end but after a short period of hibernation, Melbourne began to redevelop itself into the international city it is today. Those interested in visiting it or even making it their home can enlist the help of a professional NAATI translator to deal with the paperwork.
