Melbourne has it all as a top tourist destination

A slew of international sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games, has seen Melbourne power past Sydney as Australia's premier tourist destination this year.

Tourism Victoria is undoubtedly hoping that the city will keep its engines running at full throttle for this weekend's Formula One Australian Grand Prix.

Once the dust has settled, Melbournians will continue their love affair with God's own game, Australian Rules Football.

Melbourne is the undisputed home of sport in Australia and, as the recent Games showed, few cities in the world are better at organising high-calibre sporting events. But as the cooler months approach, the city offers its visitors much more than the spectacle of big men in tight shorts chasing a ball in the rain.

For starters, there are women in tights, too, hundreds of them, hanging out in the cafes and bars that proliferate in this sophisticated, stylish and cosmopolitan city located on the banks of the

Yarra River.