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What's on City of Melbourne

Melbourne in numbers

The Melbourne municipality is situated within the State of Victoria, in the country of Australia.

The Melbourne municipality is made up of the city centre and a number of inner-city suburbs. Each suburb has its own distinctive flavour, with different businesses, dwellings and groups of people living and working there.

Visit Suburb profiles for more information. You can also view Suburb maps and a Boundary map of the Melbourne municipality.

Melbourne municipality at a glance

Statistics

Location

Language

Climate

Time zone

Daylight hours

Public holidays

Related statistical information

Statistics

Statistics  Latest figure Past figure 
 City of Melbourne area  37.6 km2  
 Estimated resident population 98,859(p) (2011)1   89,525(f) (2008)1
 Top three estimated resident populations of City of Melbourne by small area  Melbourne CBD – 20,974 Melbourne CBD – 18,942 
Carlton – 14,808  Carlton – 14,073
 Southbank – 11,744 (2010)1,2  North Melbourne – 10,274 (2008)1,2
 Residential dwellings  51,638 (2010)2 47,684 (2008)2 
Median age 28 (2006)3  28.9 (2001)3
Daytime population per day 788,000 (2010)4 761,000 (2008)4
Night time (6pm – 6am) population per day (average)  363,000 (2010)4 356,000 (2008)4 
 International visitors per year (to Metropolitan Melbourne)  1,442,000 (2010)5 1,303,000 (2008)5
Residents born overseas   41.7% (2006)5
 International tertiary student residents  21,584 (2009)6  20,276 (2007)7
Most common language spoken, other than English   Mandarin 8.1% (2006)3  
 Total built area  30,440,563 m2 (2008)7 28,487,236 m2 (2006)7
 Total employment (workers)  405,843 (2008)7 362,444 (2006)7
 Number of establishments (business locations)  14,704 (2008)7  13,296 (2006)7
 Largest industry by establishments  Business Services 2,684 (2008)7  Business Services 2,353 (2006)7
 Largest industry by employment  Business Services 64,068 (2008)7 Business Services 53,590 (2006)7
 Largest industry by floor area  Arts and Recreation 6,903,272 m2 (2008)7 Arts and Recreation 6,899,316 m2 (2006)7
 Number of cafe/ restaurant/ bistro seats  145,315 (2008)7  140,189 (2006)7
Most common occupation of workers Professionals - 40.4% (2006)3   
 Total length of roads 342 km (2011)8 338 km (2006)8
 Total area of parks / reserves  4,713,572 m2(2008)7  4,642,413 m2 (2006)9
 Tallest building Eureka Tower, 3-7 Riverside Quay, Southbank, 92 levels/ 300m 9   
 Oldest building  Mitre Tavern, 5-9 Bank Place: 1837 7  
 Melbourne Metropolitan area 7,693.7 km2   
 Estimated resident population  4,077,036(p) (2010)1 3,902,059(f) (2008)1 
 Residential dwellings  1,471,155 (2006)3  1,344,624 (2001)3
 Median age  36 (2006)3  

Note. ABS Estimated Resident Population: (p) = preliminary; (r) = revised

Sources

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3218.0  Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2010-11
  2. City of Melbourne, Property database
  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census of Population and Housing
  4. City of Melbourne, City Research Branch, City of Melbourne Daily Population Estimates and Forecasts 2004-2030, 2011 update
  5. Tourism Research Australia, International Visitors Survey, Year ending December 2010
  6. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and Skills Victoria
  7. City of Melbourne, City Research Branch, Census of Land Use and Employment (CLUE), 2011 update
  8. City of Melbourne, Mapbase
  9. Eureka SkyDeck

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Location

The Melbourne municipality is located at latitude 37 degrees 49 minutes south and longitude 144 degrees 58 minutes east on the south-east edge of Australia. Melbourne municipality residents enjoy a temperate climate influenced by its location at the apex of one of the world's largest bays, Port Phillip.

Focused around a central business district, metropolitan Melbourne's 8,806 sq km of suburbs spread more than 40 km to the south, are hemmed in by the picturesque Dandenong ranges 30 km to the east, extend up to 20 km to the north and sprawl across vast, flat basalt plains to the west.

Language

The official language is English, however more than 100 languages are spoken by the city's residents.

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Climate

The Melbourne municipality has a temperate climate of mild temperatures with four distinct seasons free of extremes.

Seasonal temperatures

Season Average maximum Average minimum
Summer (December to February): warm to hot 25°C (77°F) 14°C (57°F)
Autumn (March to May): mild 20°C (68°F) 11°C (52°F)
Winter (June to August): cool to brisk 14°C (57°F) 7°C (45°F)
Spring (September to November) cool to mild 20°C (68°F) 10°C (50°F)

Rainfall

 

Statistic Figures
Average annual rainfall 650.5 millimetres
Average annual number of days of rain 146
Average annual number of clear days 49
Average annual number of cloudy days 179

(Source: Bureau of Meteorology, Climate statistics for Australian Locations (Melbourne))

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Time zone

  • Australian Eastern Standard Time is GMT plus 10 hours
  • Daylight Saving – first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April

Daylight hours

  • Winter – 9 hours, 32 minutes (June 21)
  • Summer – 14 hours, 47 minutes in summer (December 22)

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Public holidays

Holiday Date
New Year's Day 1 January
Australia Day 26 January
Labour Day Second Monday in March
Easter Good Friday to Easter Monday (March or April)
Anzac Day 25 April
Queen's Birthday Second Monday in June
Melbourne Cup First Tuesday in November
Christmas Day 25 December
Boxing Day 26 December

Related statistical information

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Two men walking down city laneway past small shops