Melbourne is Australia’s second largest city, and is the capital of the state of Victoria. It is an important centre of commerce, sport, arts, entertainment and tourism. The original settlement of Melbourne was just north of the Yarra River, and is now the main commercial and business centre of the city. On the opposite bank of the river lies the area known as Southbank. The Southbank area was until recently an industrial area but since the 1990s has been transformed by an urban renewal project. Hotels located in Southbank are conveniently located for travellers wishing to experience the attractions of Melbourne city centre, and this article briefly examines some Melbourne Southbank accommodation options.
One particularly elegant Melbourne hotel is the Langham Hotel, located on the Southbank Promenade overlooking the Yarra river. The Langham is near to many al fresco cafes and restaurants, and many quality boutiques. It is also just a short distance from city centre tourist attractions such as Federation Square, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Arts Centre and the Crown Casino.
The restaurant at the Langham is named in honour of the locally born soprano Dame Nellie Melba. The Melba Restaurant prides itself on its exciting and varied cuisine. Fish from the Tasman Sea, and locally sourced ingredients from the farmlands of Victoria are used wherever possible. The Langham at Melbourne also provides guests with an extensive choice of leisure facilities. There is a fully equipped gymnasium, and a health club, offering yoga and pilates sessions. There is also a sauna and spa, and the heated outdoor pool gives excellent views across Melbourne’s city centre skyline.
Another option, just round the corner from the Langham, is the four star Southbank Travelodge on Riverside Quay. Rooms here are air conditioned, and all have ensuite bathrooms. Rooms also have a small kitchenette, with microwave and tea/coffee facilities, and have cable TV.
Tourists and other visitors staying in Southbank are near to many of the cultural and sporting attractions of Victoria’s capital city. The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is located in Federation Square. It is the first facility of its kind in the world, and is dedicated to the exhibition, promotion and preservation of all kinds of screen content (film, TV, games, digital etc) from Australia, and from around the world.
The ACMI facility at Federation Square is a state-of-the-art building containing the largest screen gallery in the world. ACMI hosts two multi-format cinemas, as well as hand-on zones with educational and interactive content. The large collections of film and other moving image material which are exhibited at ACMI include film posters and publicity shots, and 16mm and 35mm prints. There is no charge for entry to ACMI, but there may be charges for entry to special exhibitions and film showings. Details of special events can be found in the ACMI online calendar.
Melbourne’s Southbank district is also close to the Royal Botanic Gardens, which are widely recognized as the finest botanical gardens in Australia. These landscaped gardens cover an area of 38 hectares on the banks of the Yarra, just to the east of the Southbank district. They contain a mix of native Australian and non-native vegetation, including over 10,000 individual species. One native tree of historic interest is the “Separation Tree”, a 300 year old eucalyptus, under which Victoria was declared a separate colony.
The botanic gardens also contain a discovery area for children. The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden is aimed at children of all ages and abilities.
Having resided his whole lifetime around the inner Melbourne suburbs John Theil has matured with almost everything which is iconically Melbourne. He is a well recognised blogger on a great number of online forums and writes from his Melbourne Accommodation preparing posts for a selection of publishers.