Melbourne insider tips

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Melbourne is the sporting capital of Australia and the birthplace of Australian Rules Football. If you can, you must catch an AFL game at Melbourne Cricket Ground or the Telstra Dome while you're there. Sports fans can also check out cricket at the MCG, the Melbourne Cup (November), the Australian Open (January) and the Formula One Grand Prix.

If sport's really not your thing, Melbourne has a plethora of arts and culture events throughout the year, including the Fringe Festival (September-October), the International Comedy Festival (April), the Fashion Festival (March), the Design Festival (July) and the Stencil Festival (May), which celebrates street art.

To find out what's on, pick up a copy of Melbourne newspaper The Age. There's no better way to spend a Saturday morning than taking the extra-chunky weekend edition to your favorite coffee shop and chilling out for a while...

Melbourne's reputation for experiencing "four seasons in one day" is well-deserved. The weather is changeable -- layer up. Though the city is cooler than Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, the sun is still surprisingly strong if you're used to northern-hemisphere rays: sun block is de rigueur.

It's not compulsory to tip in Australia, though it is becoming more common in the bigger cities. If you would like to express your thanks for good service, 10-15% is about right.

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