Melbourne is Victoria’s capital city and the business, administrative, cultural and recreational hub of the state.
Melbourne at a glance
The City of Melbourne's city centre covers 37.6 sq km and has a residential population of around 96,500 (as of 2010). On an average day, around 788,000 people use the city, and Melbourne hosts over a million international visitors each year.
All of these residents, workers, shoppers and travellers can take a break in one of the around 145,000 cafe or restaurant seats, or walk through some of its 471 hectares of parkland. They can visit Melbourne's tallest building, the 300m high Eureka Tower, or its oldest building, the Mitre Tavern, built in 1837.
The entire Melbourne metropolitan area covers 7,694 sq km and has a population of around 4.1 million.
The people of Melbourne
Melbourne's population is made up of many groups of people of all ages and from many different cultures. City residents include young professionals, international students and older couples looking to enjoy everything the city has to offer now that the kids have grown up and left home.
Find out more about the people who live in and use Melbourne every day.
Find out more about Melbourne
Melbourne and government
The City of Melbourne, as a council, oversees Melbourne’s city centre and several inner suburbs. As a capital-city council, it also speaks on behalf of Melbourne in local, national and international forums.
The City of Melbourne works with other local councils and the State Government of Victoria to ensure that Melbourne is one of the safest, healthiest, and cleanest cities in the world. It supports Melbourne's position as Australia's pre-eminent centre for arts and culture, education, dining and shopping.
The municipality of the City of Melbourne contains eleven suburbs, including Carlton, Docklands and parts of Port Melbourne and South Yarra.
Among the City of Melbourne's seven neighbouring Councils are Hobsons Bay, Stonnington and Port Phillip. To find out more about other councils, visit Local Government Victoria's Guide to Local Government.