Physical Geography of Melbourne

Melbourne is located on the Yarra River. The Yarra River flows into Port Philip Bay. The city was originally founded on the Northern side of the Yarra River. The river flows on the southern side of the city. The local terrain is flat and Melbourne is located 390 feet above sea level. To the east of Melbourne is the Great Dividing Mountain Range. This mountain range runs along the southeast coast of Australia.

The city expanded to the east and south because of the physical geography of the area. West of the city during the Tertiary period (between 1.6 and 66.4 million years ago) basalt flowed. This basalt filled in the valleys and left plains to the west. The basalt is not very good for agriculture because the soil and drainage is poor. The city expanded to the east because during the Silurian and Devonian periods beds of sandstones, shales and conglomerates were laid down. This has created thicker soil in the east so agriculture and tree cover is better there.

The weather of Melbourne is very temperamental. The weather can go through all four seasons in one day. The weather patterns of Melbourne are effected by eastward moving low pressure systems. These cause rain and cold weather to regularly move across southern Australia during the winter.

To check the current weather in Melbourne, Australia click here: Current Weather

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