a city in the Commonwealth of Australia; capital of the state of Victoria. Located on the shore of Port Phillip Bay at the mouth of the Yarra River. Founded in the 1830’s, the city was named after the prime minister of Great Britain, Lord Melbourne. It is the largest city in the country after Sydney. In 1971 the population was 2,389,000 (suburbs included).
From the early 19th century until 1927, Melbourne developed as a business and financial as well as an administrative center. It was the capital of the Commonwealth of Australia from 1901 to 1927. After 1927 the city became a major industrial center because of its advantageous location for transportation. Melbourne is a junction for railroad and aviation routes. In addition, it is Australia’s most important port. At high tide it is accessible to ocean-going vessels. Its freight turnover is 6.5 million tons. Grain, flour, canned and frozen meat, fruit, and wool (35 percent of the total exports) are exported from Melbourne, and phosphorites, oil, and spare automobile parts are the main imports. The port is equipped with loading and unloading machinery. Each dock and wharf serves a particular type of ship. Thus, North Side accommodates coastal vessels; the Victoria Docks, trans-Atlantic ships; and Williamstown, the heavy tankers. Appleton Dock specializes in the transshipment of coal and phosphates.
Melbourne’s industry accounts for about two-thirds of the industrial output of the state of Victoria. The city’s principal industries are shipbuilding and ship repair, motor-vehicle manufacture and assembly, machine tools, agricultural machinery, food-processing, textiles, footwear, artillery, and aviation. Brown coal is mined near Melbourne, in the vicinity of Yallourn. Electrical energy for the city is supplied by the steam power plant in Morwell and the hydroelectric power plant on the Murray River.
Melbourne is the cultural center of Australia. A university, conservatory, observatory, botanical garden, and various museums are located in the city. The Sixteenth Summer Olympic Games were held in Melbourne in 1956. The business district is located on the right bank of the Yarra. On the left bank there are residential quarters, gardens, and parks. The industrial district borders on Port Phillip Bay.
Melbourne has developed according to a plan since 1837 (original architect, R. Hoddle). Enormous areas have been set aside as parks. Among the many examples of 19th-century eclecticism and the Gothic revival are the cathedrals of St. James (1841; architect, R. Russel) and St. Paul (1880; architect, W. Butterfly). Many of the residential buildings of the second half of the 19th century have balustrades, overhangs, and other wrought-iron details. For Melbourne, the 20th century has been a period of intensive growth. Buildings designed in the spirit of contemporary architecture include the Royal Melbourne Hospital, various residential and community buildings by H. Seidler and R. Boyd, and the Olympic complex (architect, Seidler), including its indoor pool (1956; architects, J. Murphy and P. Murphy, R. P. Mclntyre, and C. Borland; engineer, W. Irwin). Located in Melbourne are a number of museums, including the National Gallery of Victoria (art from Europe, Asia, and Australia), the National Museum of Victoria (aboriginal art), and the Museum of Modern Art and Design of Australia.