A Day in Pictures
Melbourne, Australia

In 1825 John Batman was sailing a skiff up the Yarra River when he hit a sandbar. Rather than admit his mistake, he announced to his crew that he had found the “ideal place for a village.”

And so Melbourne (say: Mel-bun) was born. Actually, Batman first named it Batmania (thankfully cooler heads prevailed and the name was later changed).

Today Melbourne is Australia’s second largest city – and many consider it the country’s best kept secret.

It is an impressive, cosmopolitan city with an active arts community, a fierce love of sports, and according to one recent report, 30% more restaurants than the city’s population can support.

Shopping is plentiful in the city’s central business district. Buskers provide entertainment along the Bourke Street Mall, a pedestrian shopping street. You haven’t really lived until you’ve heard techno-pop played on the didgeridoo.

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