Melbourne - is it the best you can get?

You bet. For long Melbourne has been adjudged as one of the bestcities to live in. In 2002, and again in 2004, Melbourne wasadjudged the best city to live in, by Economic IntelligenceUnit, a sister concern of The Economist. The annual poll isconducted among around 130 cities around the world, and hasparameters covering five diverse fields: stability, healthcare,culture & environment, education, and infrastructure. Withterrorism being a creeping worldwide threat, safety and securitywas also a consideration. Melbourne's numero uno position is areflection on the ideal living conditions it offers not just tothe citizens, but also tourists and expatriates.The state capital of Victoria, Melbourne was the first FederalCapital of Australia, from 1901 to 1927. It derives its namefrom 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Willam Lamb, the former PM of UK.European settlement of Melbourne started in 1835 when settlersarrived from Tasmania who had trouble finding land there.Indigenous Kulin people have been living here for thousands ofyears, however. Melbourne grew quickly after the Victorian goldrush of the 1850s, when it became the chief port a...

...nd servicearea for south Victoria. During the 1880s, it was the secondlargest city of the English Empire, called 'MarvellousMelbourne' those days. Today, the city has the largest number ofsurviving Victorian era buildings, after London. Till veryrecently, Melbourne was the largest city in Australia (Sydneynow holds the title). Melbourne is a haven for tourists. It has something foreveryone. Called Australia's 'Garden City', it is home tonumerous parks and gardens. One of the oldest gardens is theFlagstaff Garden. Royal Botanic Gardens and King's Domain arehighly regarded. There is also the Queen Victoria Gardens andthe Alexandra Gardens. The Carlton Gardens and the RoyalExhibition Building are listed as a World Heritage Site. Inthese verdant spaces one can find the varied hues of nature,from English Oaks, White poplars, plane trees, to elm, conifers,cedars, Turkey oaks, Araucarias. Melbourne hosts a disproportionately large number of spectatorsports, and every year thousands of sports fans visit the cityto witness the very best in sporting. The Melbourne CricketGround, regarded as the best cricket stadium in the world, ...

...shost to sports besides cricket, like Australian football andrugby. Scheduled to host the 2006 Commonwealth Games, it isundergoing renovation. Melbourne also hosts the Australian Opentennis tournament. Melbourne has many architectural wonders, like the Rialto andEureka towers. Other spaces of tourist interest include theMelbourne Museum, Royal Exhibition Building, National Gallery ofVictoria, Hamer Hall (now Melbourne Concert Hall), and muchmore. Melbourne has moderate climate throughout the year attractingtourists round the year. Situated near numerous suburbanattractions, it has many wonderful beaches within its citylimits, and many outside. The nearby Mornington Peninsula is acharming village with both sheltered and open sea beaches. Farfrom the crowd of Melbourne, it offers easy access to the bestcity of the world, as well as its own handsome charms.VerveBeachside offers various accommodation solutions for alltypes of needs, from private beach-side retreats, bayside beachhouses to villas and self-contained service apartments at various places in the MorningtonPeninsula. The peninsula is situated very near Melbourne.