Gold bought a huge influx of immigrants from around the world， and the wealth it generated created a city of extravagant proportions. In 30 years the designs of the city，s architects， the skills of its many European tradespeople and the designation of large areas of the city for public parkland had established what was known as“Marvellous Melbourne - the Paris of the Antipodes”. This progress was temporarily halted， however， in 1890 by the first of many devastating financial crashes which have afflicted the economically vulnerable city.
The ethnic mix of Melbourne，s population has always been an important influence on the city，s character： the Chinese and Irish diggers attracted by gold in the 19th century and the postwar arrival of refugees and migrants from all over Europe (particularly Greece， Italy， Yugoslavia， Turkey and Poland) and more recently from Vietnam and Cambodia， have all contributed elements of their cultures to what could otherwise have been a conservative， passionless English society. These migrants have boosted Melbourne，s population to 3.3 million and their influences are witnessed in Melbourne，s robust and varied architecture， restaurants， festivals and entertainment.
After WWII Melbourne went into a long period of stable conservativeconservative adj.保守的， 守旧的 n.保守派 government， until the 80s， when the Labor party took office and the city hit boom times. Land prices just kept going up， and so did buildings， until 1990 when the whole thing fell in a heap. In 1992 radical conservative autocrat Jeff Kennett took the reins， provoking ire and admiration in seemingly equal doses. Under Kennett， Melbourne has waved goodbye to social services and healthcare， and given a hearty hello to the Grand Prix and the Crown Casino.
When to Go
Just about any time of year is a good one to visit. Melbourne，s climate has an unfortunate reputation： wet， windy， unpredictable and liable to extremes - very hot or very cold and often both on the same day！ On the plus side， Melbourne，s multitude of parks makes it a beautiful place to witness the changing seasons： it is rarely unbearablyunbearably adv.不堪忍受地，忍不住地 chilly， the mercury rises above 35°C (95°F) only a few times each year and Melbourne，s soggy reputation outstrips the reality - it receives only half the average rainfall of Sydney or Brisbane. In winter the average temperature ranges between a maximum of 13°C (55°F) and a low of 6°C (43°F).
Orientation
Melbourne，s suburbs extend around the huge Port Phillip Bay， into the plains to the west and east and out to the foothills of the Dandenongs. With a population of over three million to house， this sprawl extends for more than 50km (30mi) from east to west and 70km (43mi) from north to south， covering a massive 1700 sq km (663 sq mi). This huge area of settlement has been necessitatednecessitate v.成为必要 by the dying but intractable goal of the Great Australian Dream - a detached home on a quarteracre block， 2.5 children and two cars.
The city centre is about 3km (1.8mi) inland， on the north bank of the Yarra River. It consists of a mixture of elegant and kitsch 19th century architecture and selfimportant skyscrapers. The main northsouth artery， Swanston St， is mostly a pedestrian mall， while Bourke (also a mall for part of its extent) and Collins Sts， which cross it， are the city，s other two main shopping thoroughfares. The Yarra forms the city area，s southern boundary. Melbourne is notoriously flat， but this lack of definition makes it an easy city to get around. Transport is also assisted by the network of trams - today a mixture of characteristic old greenandyellow rattlers and more modern pneumatic monsters. The city，s airport， Tullamarine， is 22km (14mi) northwest of the city centre. The interstate train station (Spencer St) and the main metropolitan station (Flinders St) are both in the city centre， while the bus station is just to the centre，s north.
Melbourne，s excellent eating opportunities have been a welcome feature in the last few decades. They range from Chinatown in the city and Richmond，s Victoria St (commonly known as “Little Saigon”) to the Italian fare of Carlton，s Lygon St and the numerous cuisines available in Southgate in the city， Fitzroy，s Brunswick St.， Prahran，s Chapel St.， and Fitzroy and Acland Sts in St Kilda.
Melbourne，s accommodation options are almost as varied as its cuisine. Bottomend choices can be found in the city centre and in the nearby suburbs of North Melbourne， Carlton and Fitzroy. However， the beachside suburb of St Kilda is the budget accommodation centre. Good B&Bs， guesthouses and hotels can be found in the centre and in any of the inner suburbs - East Melbourne， Parkville， Carlton， South Yarra and， again， St. Kilda. South Melbourne and South Yarra are the places to look for serviced apartmentsapartment n.<美>公寓住宅， 单元住宅， 房间. Topend hotels are to be found in the city centre. The best entertainment venues tend to be in the city centre， Fitzroy， South Yarra and St. Kilda.
Attractions
City Centre
The city centre consists of a 7 sq km (3 sq mi) rectangular grid of streets bordered by the Yarra to the south， the Spencer St. railway station to the west and the Fitzroy Gardens to the east. Two of Melbourne，s most obvious central landmarks are the recently renovatedrenovate vt.革新， 刷新， 修复 Flinders St. Station and the neoGothic St. Paul，s Cathedral. North of these buildings lies the continuing saga that is the badly planned city square (construction of a hotel/apartment/shopping complex has commenced)， the boomyears， Town Hall， the domed and pillared building containing the State Library and the flamboyant City Baths.