Melbourne Attractions - From AFL Finals to Food and Wine Festivals

Melbourne attractions range from spectator sports to gastronomic feasts. The city is the capital of Victoria and runs second to Sydney as the most populous city in Australia. Today, the country takes pride in Melbourne as its seat of arts, entertainment, sports and tourism. Melburnians and tourists never run out of activities to do and places to visit.

Culinary festivals, wine tastings, cooking classes and practically anything and everything that has to do with food and wine you'll find in Melbourne and its nearby areas. Fine restaurants offering superb local and international dishes, cozy cafes and pubs, markets and farms growing top-grade regional produce, and many other feasts await you in the region. But the star of the hospitality and culinary attractions in Melbourne is the winemaking industry.

With just a short drive from the city, you'll be awed by the distinct wine regions of Victoria, including the pinot vineyards of Mornington Peninsula and the cool-climate still wine district of Yarra Valley, among others. Mornington Peninsula opens over 50 boutique cellar doors to locals and tourists who mainly visit for the region's pinot noir and chardonnay. You'll love tasting the different styles of the hinterland villages of Red Hill and Moorooduc and the coastal areas of Merricks and Balnarring.

In the Yarra Valley, you'll delight in the vintage masterpieces of over 70 wineries. Your options would range from the industry masters like DeBortoli, Fergusson and Yerling Station to the charming boutiques of Punt Road and Mandala Wines.

Along the road you won't miss the farms abounding in local produce that have also become one of the attractions in Melbourne and its neighboring towns. You'd think that the trails of food fests, picking farms, gourmet delis, winery restaurants and cafes wouldn't end.

Aside from satisfying your taste buds, the city is also known for its passion for spectator sports. One big obsession of Melburnians is the Australian Football League (AFL), which is also known as Aussie Rules. Played during the winter season, the AFL hogs the limelight for 22 weeks from March to September. Its Grand Final usually packs the Melbourne Cricket Ground and attracts millions of television audience worldwide.

The city is also a cradle for arts, music, theater and other cultural activities. It is the home of the Australian Ballet Company, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and top concert grounds for international artists like the Rod Laver Arena and the Forum Theatre, which is known for its ornate architecture and starry sky ceiling. This Victorian capital is also compared often to New York and Berlin for its street art. Its laneways and alleys showcasing street art has become a top cultural pick in Australia in the recent years.

Locals and tourists, wherever their passions and interests lie, would always have something to do and places to go to in this city. Melbourne attractions are abundant and diverse that you would find something that would interest you anytime of the year.