Melbourne, capital of the Australian State of Victoria, is one of the world's great cities, gracious, spacious and blessed with the lovely Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay.
It is a centre for the arts, culture and cuisine, rich in world-class galleries, theatres and restaurants. Melbourne's wide streets have charm and elegance, and are lined with ultra-modern office towers of steel and glass along with classical Victorian and Edwardian buildings.
Easily accessible from Melbourne is a wide range of spectacular scenery packed into Victoria's compact area: the rugged snow-capped mountains of the Victorian Alps; the rainforested wilderness of the Otway Ranges and the stern rock faces of the Grampians; the lovely lakes and fertile farmlands of South Gippsland; the wave-battered granite headlands and sheltered beaches of Wilsons Promontory; the wild coastal vistas of the Great Ocean Road and the Indented Coast; and the arid lands of the State's north-west, which flower after rains fall.
Here, Steve Parish has gathered together superb photographs depicting the soul of Melbourne, the marvellous natural endowments of Victoria, and its treasured heritage.
