39 facts about Melbourne that will surprise you
My Vivid Melbourne
Captured by:Â My Vivid Melbourne
What is Melbourne known for, and is Melbourne worth visiting? Melbourne is one of the most liveable cities on earth and is Australis’s best-known landmark city; and also known for its glorious dining options fitting for all budgets, its cultural diversity, and the hip and vibrant, dynamic metropolis. We are listing out facts about Melbourne you probably did not know, and trust us, they are some interesting facts you would want to check out in person all over again!
01. The first ever traffic lights in Australia were installed in 1912 at the corner of Collins and Swanton Street
02. Melbourne’s CBD is considered to have the highest ratio of street furniture in the world. (Benches to rest your weary legs)
03. Did you know Fisherman’s Bend, Port Melbourne, is the only place in the world making Vegemite?
04. In 1961, Toto’s Pizza House, located in Little Italy, Lygon street, opened its doors as the First Pizza restaurant in Melbourne, serving some great pizzas to date
05. My Vivid Melbourne is the only place in Melbourne that converts its captures to beautiful Melbourne art pieces with unique styles to the world
Captured by:Â My Vivid Melbourne
06. Have you heard of the train station mix-up in Mumbai and Melbourne? Well, the story goes that when the Mumbai and Flinders Street stations were designed in the UK, the shipments were labelled wrong. So, Melbourne got Mumbai’s intended Rail station
07. The modern-day city of Melbourne in Australia was briefly named 'Batmania' after John Batman, who claimed to have found the city in 1835. It has nothing to do with Bruce Wayne.Â
08. Melbournian James Freeland Lealock invented and built the first Ute in 1929
09. The first compulsory seat belt law was put in place in 1970 by the State of Victoria, Australia
10. ACMI's Gallery 1 was originally the Princes Bridge railway station and acted as the terminal for the Epping and Hurstbridge lines
11. Melbourne is the fox capital of the world, with a startling 6 – 23 foxes per square kilometer in central Melbourne as per RSPCA
12. The world's first feature film, The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), was filmed in Melbourne and had a real length of about 1,200 meters and a running time of over an hour. Making it the longest narrative film yet seen in the world
13. The world's largest stained-glass ceiling at The National Gallery of Victoria's Great Hall, measuring 51 meters long and 15 meters wide, is a masterpiece created by the Australian artist Leonard French
14. In 1956, Melbourne was put on the map for becoming the first city outside North America or Europe to hold the Olympics
15. Melbournian Dr. David Warren of the Aeronautical Research Centre invented the Black Box flight recorder in 1958, which is now used in aircrafts worldwide. The invention came after his father died in a plane crash in 1934
16. Melbourne was Australia's capital city between 1901 and 1927
17. Melbourne is renowned for being the sporting capital of the world as we host the Australian Open, Formula 1 Grand Prix, the AFL Grand Final, The MotoGP, and Spring Racing Carnival. It is the sporting fans' paradise
18. We hold the title as the only city in the world with five international standard sporting facilities on the fringes of the CBD: the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Docklands Stadium (Marvel), Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, and Olympic Park in Melbourne Park
Captured by:Â My Vivid Melbourne
19. Joy 94.9, Australia's first and only LGBT community radio station, has been broadcasting since 1993 from Melbourne
20. How many of you know that in the 1880s, Melbourne was the richest city in the world? Definitely after the Victorian Gold Rush
21. It was illegal for pubs in Melbourne to be open after 6 pm until 1966, and It was also known as the 'six o'clock swill’
22. The ACMI's 87m-long Gallery One, the Flinder's Street Station's underground platform, now hosts paramount exhibitions
23. A special private bathroom was created for Prince Charles and Lady Diana when the Hamer Hall opened in 1982
24. Swanston Street has more pedestrians per day than Regent Street, London
25. The Royal Melbourne Hotel is home to the oldest pear tree in Victoria. The tree is estimated to be around 160 years old and is on the National Trust's Register of significant trees of Victoria
26. Melbourne is home to the largest operating tram network in the whole world, 75 percent of which is shared with general road traffic with 250km of double track. 200+ million trips are completed annually, 5000+ services daily
27. Aboriginal Australians have lived in the area of Melbourne for around 40,000 years
28. It was reported at -2.8 degrees on 21st July 1869, which is considered the lowest temperature to date hottest temperature was 46.4 degrees in the CBD that took place on 7th February 2009
29. The highest skyscrapers are in Melbourne than any other city in Australia
30. The NGV is the most visited museum in the southern hemisphere. It's the 19th most visited museum in the world!
31. Out of 1,700 tram stops in Melbourne, only around 420 are considered to be accessible
Captured by:Â My Vivid Melbourne
32. Melbourne won the award for "most liveable city in the world" for seven years in a row (2011-2017)
33. Streets in Melbourne CBD have royal names
34. According to the census, over a third of Melbournians were born outside of Australia
35. Out population is made up of people from over 140 nations
36. The oldest theme park in Australia is Luna Park in St Kilda
37. You can find wild penguins in their natural habitat in Melbourne. What?! Yes, you just read that right!
38. Over 22 million jars of Vegemite are every year, produced in Melbourne
39. Queen Victoria Market, a major landmark of CBD in Melbourne, is the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere
How many did you score from this list? Melbourne is fascinating and full of interesting facts; it is surely a city of dreams of the explorers. Now, don’t forget to share this on your socials.