What is the capital of Victoria?

Melbourne is the capital of Victoria and Australia's second-largest city, with a metropolitan population of about 5.2 million in 2024 and projected to overtake Sydney later this decade. It sits on Port Phillip Bay in the south-east, where the Yarra River reaches the sea.

The city was founded in 1835 by John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner on land of the Wurundjeri people, and it grew explosively during the Victorian gold rushes from 1851 onwards. By the 1880s it was one of the wealthiest cities in the British Empire, leaving a legacy of grand Victorian-era buildings, wide boulevards, and the Royal Exhibition Building (Australia's first World Heritage listed building, 2004). Melbourne served as the temporary national capital from Federation in 1901 until Parliament moved to Canberra in 1927.

Today Melbourne is widely regarded as Australia's cultural capital. It hosts the Australian Open tennis grand slam, the Australian Football League grand final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Melbourne Cup horse race on the first Tuesday of November, and the Formula One Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. The city is home to the National Gallery of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria, and a thriving live-music and laneway cafe scene.

Economically, Melbourne anchors Victorian manufacturing, finance, and higher education, with the universities of Melbourne and Monash both ranked among the top in the country. Around 35 per cent of residents were born overseas, with particularly large Italian, Greek, Chinese, and Indian heritage communities. The city has been ranked among the world's most liveable cities for decades.