At Global Alliance, we take the “Worldwide” in our company name very seriously. We pride ourselves in offering premium limousine services to our clientele not only in our home base of Toronto but around the globe. Through our sophisticated network of trusted worldwide affiliates, Global Alliance can provide professional chauffeured services in hundreds of international cities. We will discuss many of the major worldwide destinations served via our affiliate network on this blog. Today we travel down under once again and visit the second largest city in Australia, Melbourne.

With 4.3 million inhabitants, Melbourne is second only to its rival Sydney in urban population in Australia and, at current growth levels, is expected to surpass it by the 2050s. Founded by free settlers in 1835, Melbourne (originally called Batmania, after an early explorer and land purchaser in the area) was incorporated as a city by 1847 and became capital of the new colony of Victoria in 1851. That same year, the commencement of the Victorian gold rush transformed Melbourne into a exponentially expanding boom town, soon the largest in Australia. Many of Melbourne’s historic public buildings were built in the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s on the back of the gold rush expansion.

Melbourne was Australia’s first capital city upon Federation in 1901, a role it maintained until the current national capital of Canberra was built in 1927. Melbourne continued to expand after the Second World War up to today, and although Sydney displaced it as the country’s primary business centre, Melbourne has balanced urban density with livable green spaces and progressive transit development and remains one of the country’s most attractive cities to live.

Melbourne is particularly known as an active, youthful city, home to numerous cultural festivals and sporting events; it was the host city of the 1956 Summer Olympic Games (a role which it may bid to repeat in the 2020s), and annual venue for tennis’ prestigious Australian Open and Formula One’s Australian Grand Prix. Melbourne is also a culturally rich city, known for its harmonious mixture of Victorian-era architecture alongside contemporary skyscrapers (Eureka Tower is the tallest of these) as well as popular cultural institutions: the State Library of Victoria, the National Gallery of Victoria (both among the oldest such institutions in the country), and the historic East End Theatre District.

Transportation-wise, the Port of Melbourne is Australia’s busiest cargo and container port. The automobile-dependent city boasts one of Australia’s most extensive freeway and arterial road networks, but also the world’s largest tram network on the public transit side of the equation. Melbourne is also served by four airports, with Melbourne Airport (sometimes called Tullamarine Airport) as the main international air travel hub.

Please feel free to contact Global Alliance Worldwide Chauffeured Services for all of your transportation needs in Melbourne, Australia.