Thursday, July 5, 2007

An overview

is the second largest city in Australia, the capital of the southern state of Victoria. You can see where it is on this map.
Although few countries in the world are larger than Australia, its population is only about 2% that of India. Of the 20.4 million people who live in Australia, almost a quarter live in Victoria. 3.6 million people live in Melbourne alone.
Multicultural Melbourne. Melbourne is home to people from over 230 nations, who speak a total of 180 languages. Indeed, a quarter of all Victorians were born outside Australia, and about 20% of those born here have at least one parent who was born overseas. So it doesn’t matter that you come from another continent, you will feel at home in Melbourne.
Sharpen your networking skills here. As a major financial and industrial hub, Melbourne has close business links to Europe, America and Asia. Many businesses are headquartered here. Around 600 financial institutions, 38 banks, 340 superannuation funds, 70 fund management companies, 90 venture capital funds and around 50 brokers and investment banks are based in Melbourne.
At home with diversity. Melbourne is a city that embraces diversity of every kind. You will meet Indian people almost everywhere you go. The official Australian Government culture and recreation website has more information about the Australia way of life.
Visit the website and you’ll see how easy living in Melbourne can be.
Climate: Since Melbourne is in the southern hemisphere, weather patterns are different from those in India. November, December, January and February are the summer months in this city. The cold season sets in during the middle of the year. Having said that, you’ll find that Melbourne has mild weather and is green, compared to the rest of Australia. Victorians surf in summer and ski in winter, when the mountains of the Great Divide are covered in snow. Melbourne has been described as the world’s most liveable city, and once you’re studying here you’ll understand why. Visit the Australian Bureau of Meteorology – Victoria Section to see what the weather’s doing right now. Or go to the Visit Victoria website to see what’s going on around the state.