Postcard from Melbourne

After an almost 24-hour journey, which featured an endless transit at the Hong Kong airport, I finally touched down at Melbourne's Tullamarine International Airport. When most people in Pakistan think of Australia, few things come to mind. World renowned cricket grounds, kangaroos, cattle farming and big open spaces. The city of Melbourne and the state of Victoria in particular is known nationwide for a very well integrated and multicultural society, where most communities live in complete harmony.

Melbourne is Australia's second largest city and is home to about 3.8 million people. It may not have the glamourous breathtaking harbour and world renowned icons that Sydney boasts of, but it is certainly one of the most modern and happening cities in the world. It has just about everything to make it an outstanding city, with a world-class range of options for all kinds of travellers and visitors to the city. Melbourne is popularly known as the cultural capital of Australia, as a result of which it plays host to world renowned theatrical productions.

The city also has the reputation of being Australia's sporting capital and plays host to international sporting events, which include the Australian Open (tennis), Australian Grand Prix and for cricket lovers, the Melbourne Cricket Ground hosts the Boxing Day Test match. If one happens to ever be in Melbourne, one may have the opportunity to watch world-class sporting events live. Alongside the art and the sporting world, Melbourne has some of the best food in the world, especially if one has a taste for Greek cuisine. It has a large thriving Greek community; only second to the Greek capital Athens and one will find an array of fantastic restaurants and eateries to suit all budgets in Melbourne's Greek district. For those with a passion for history or Victorian architecture, Melbourne has plenty. Amongst all cities in Australia, it boasts by far the best contrast of new and old architecture; 19th century Victorian architecture side by side with mega modern high rises.

Some of the best examples of these Victorian era buildings include the Royal Exhibition Centre and the iconic Flinders Street Station, which is one of the busiest train stations in all of Australia.

To experience the beauty of this great southern land, one needs to hop on a tour bus and step outside of Melbourne on a tour of the Great Ocean Road which is a 243-kilometre road running parallel to the great southern ocean (The Antarctic Ocean), which boasts breathtaking views along the way. The inspiration behind this road was the famous coastal highway in California and majority of the construction work on it was done by Australian soldiers returning home after having served in World War I. It is also home to the world famous 12 Apostles’ National Park where one can take in views of the natural limestone formation stacks on the tip of the continent. These limestone formations are the second most photographed Australian landmark, only second to the Sydney opera house.

I, for one, certainly enjoyed my trip and can not wait for my next trip not only to Melbourne, but to this great and fascinating country.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2010.