Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/682362
MELBOURNE & VICTORIA From Gold Rush to Silver Screen Good things come in small packages, as the gold prospectors of the 1850s found when they began to mine in the smallest mainland state in the nation. Its capital, Melbourne, has since become one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities, both financially and culturally. It's where national film, television, art, dance, and music were born, and—in its trendy rooftop bars, the casinos and bistros of Southbank, and the bohemian shops and cafés of the intentionally alternative, Fitzroy district—where they're all celebrated. More than 2,000 events of up to 10,000 revelers each year are held in Federation Square, just steps from the Yarra River; The Atrium exhibition center; The Edge indoor amphitheater; professional-artist-staffed Artplay family design center; and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the birthplace of Australian Rules Football and test cricket. As cosmopolitan as this city is, history is only ever minutes away. The Golden Mile Heritage Trail leads you from present to past in the footsteps of those early miners, right down to a walk past Victorian-era public houses and homes. A drive to the Royal Botanical Gardens takes you even farther back in time via the Aboriginal Heritage Walk, guided by Aboriginals whose roots may trace back to the Woiwurrung and Boon Wurrung people, a group that lived alongside fur seals, little penguins, and koalas on ecotouristic Phillip Island. Older still are the limestone crags knowns as the Twelve Apostles, and the beaches off Victoria's Great Ocean Road—most notably surfer's paradise Bells Beach. The way there is dotted with fishing villages; whale watching opportunities; views of Shipwreck Coast; rainforests and national parks; the Tower Hill State Game Reserve; seals at Cape Bridgewaters; platypuses in Lake Elizabeth; charming vineyards; and more to fall in love with than you'd ever imagined. 14 | Melbourne & Victoria Canberra Melbourne King Island Phillip Island Bass Strait 0 100 miles 0 100 km Mildura Swan Hill Echuca Bendigo Ballarat Ararat Portland Geelong Bairnsdale N E W S O U T H W A L E S S O U T H A U S T R A L I A A C T V I C T O R I A Y arra River Swan St. West Gate Fwy. Docklands Hwy. Domain Tunnel King St. King St. Spencer St. Queen St. William St. Sturt St. Power St. City Rd. Queensbridge St. Collins St. Flinders St. Bourke St. Lonsdale St. Victoria St. Victoria Parade Albert St. Latrobe St. Dudley St. Swanson St. Walk St. Kilda Rd. Swanson St. Brunswick St. Nicholson St. Peel St. Lansdowne St. Moray St. Russell St. Elizabeth St. Exhibition St. Spring St. Clarendon St. Wellington Parade Spencer Station Flinders Station National Gallery of Victoria Parliament House 0 1/4 miles 0 1/4 km Kings Domain Royal Botanic Gardens Flinders Park National Tennis Centre Queen Victoria Market Crown Casino Complex Fitzroy Gardens Carlton Gardens Treasury Gardens Alexandra Gardens Flagstaff Gardens A l ex a ndr a Ave. Bat ma n A v e . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8