The Melbourne Cricket Ground
Known as "the MCG" or simply the "G". From April to September, there are typically one or two Australian rules football matches there per week; the game can be spectacular, it is unique to Australia, relatively inexpensive to attend, and is safe and enjoyable for all, including children. It has also hosted two Bledisloe Cup rugby matches. During the summer, cricket matches are played there - the most important being the Boxing Day test match between December 26th and December 30th, and several one-day international games in January and February which are perhaps more enjoyable for the casual spectator. The MCG was renovated in preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, creating a maximum capacity of 103,000.
The Melbourne Observation Deck
Located some 237 metres above the city streets on the 55th floor of the Rialto Towers, offers spectacular views of the central business district and beyond. The Rialto Towers is the second tallest building in Melbourne after the newly constructed Eureka Tower.
Melbourne Park
Home of the Australian Open tennis tournament, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments (held in January each year).
The Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre
Is located in Southbank and was built in the 1990s as a replacement for the Royal Exhibition Building. It has hosted thousands of conventions and exhibitions since its opening.
The Melbourne Museum
The Melbourne Museum is located on the north-eastern fringe of the CBD, next to the Royal Exhibition Building. To many Melburnians, the most significant exhibit is the preserved body of Phar Lap, the famous racehorse of the Depression era. For those who cannot visit the nearby forested ranges, the Forest Gallery is a living internal facsimile. Technically-inclined visitors may be more interested in CSIRAC, the fifth electronic computer built and the only one of its generation to survive intact. The Museum complex is also home to Melbourne's IMAX cinema.
The Royal Melbourne Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building located in the Carlton Gardens was built in the 1880s for the World's Fair and is only one of a few such buildings that still exist. The building and gardens was granted World Heritage listing on 2 July 2004. It is the first building in Australia to be granted this status. The building also held the first sitting of the Australian Parliament on 9 May 1901. Subsequent federal parliamentary sittings were then moved to the Victorian Parliament building located in Spring Street and the Victorian government moved to the Exhibition Building.
The State Library of Victoria - Melbourne
The State Library of Victoriaon Swanston Street, with its massive Domed Reading Room and statue-filled front lawn.
The National Gallery of Victoria - Melbourne
The National Gallery of Victoria (not to be confused with the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra), has recently been renovated, and is the largest art collection in Australia. The gallery is split over two sites, the Australian collection at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square (notably featuring key works from the Heidelberg School), and the NGV International collection housed in the recently renovated St Kilda Road building.
The Victorian Arts Centre - Melbourne
The Victorian Arts Centre at Southgate (on the southern banks of the Yarra River is a Melbourne landmark with its enormous skyward spire. It hosts Opera Australia's Melbourne season, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Australian Ballet Company, Chunky Move (one of Australia's best-known contemporary dance companies), and other touring productions. The centre consists of two separate buildings: the State Theatre; and Hamer Hall (this was recently re-named in honour of the late former premier Sir Rupert Hamer; it was previously known as the Melbourne Concert Hall). The acoustics of the Centre are often favourably compared with those of its interstate rival, the opera theatre in the Sydney Opera House. There are also typically several musicals playing in theatres around the CBD, mostly several years after their production on Broadway or the West End, but usually of good quality and at quite reasonable cost.
Crown Casino Melbourne
A short walk along the Yarra River from the Arts Centre, the Crown Casino is a truly gargantuan gambling palace, also containing restaurants, upmarket boutiques, several nightclubs, two hotel towers, a cinema complex, and regular floorshows. Very much Las Vegas in miniature, it is either loved or hated by residents and tourists. The Crown Entertainment Complex also encompasses one of Melbourne's best hotels the Crown Towers, situated above the Grand Atrium. During March the hotel is favoured by many Formula One drivers in town for the Australian Grand Prix. Crown also has the Palladium Ballroom which is home to some of Melbourne's biggest events, such as the Logies (the Australian equivalent of the Emmys) and the Brownlow Medal AFL award.
Docklands Melbourne
Melbourne's newest precinct and largest infrastructure development to date, is also becoming a major attraction, with many restaurants there having won awards and recognition, even though they have only been open since January 2003. The Docklands area opens up the waterfront to the CBD (also nearly doubling its size) and will attract millions of visitors every year.
Life in Australia 
