ABOUT MELBOURNE'S MAGNIFICENT DOCKLANDS Melbourne Docklands: Make it your ownMelbourne Docklands is where the city’s beating heart meets the water. This prime waterfront destination showcases the very best of Australia’s most sophisticated city – world-class restaurants and stylish cafés, a subtle fusion of historic and contemporary architecture, the latest in technology and sustainable design and beautiful open spaces lined with urban art. This sophisticated urban environment has something for everyone. It’s already home for thousands of residents, headquarters for some of Australia’s most successful companies and the venue of choice for Melbourne’s premier events. This is how local residents and a worker are already making Melbourne Docklands their own: Docklands already has a dynamic combination of residential, commercial, retail and leisure activities, fast becoming one of the worlds great urban domains. Investors moving now into this area are likley to benefit greatly.  When completed in 2015, the redeveloped area is expected to almost double the size of the city's central business district. With a population primarily living in apartments, its population is expected to reach 20,000 in 2015, and become home to over 25,000 office workers. The precinct is already a major tourist destination and Melbourne's tourist authorities anticipate over 20 million visitors per year in future years. Melbourne Docklands is best known as home to the Telstra Dome, Southern Cross Station and a large number of modern buildings and eccentric public artworks. It has become one of the city's most sought after business addresses, already attracting the national headquarters of the National Australia Bank, ANZ, AXA, Bendigo Bank, Medibank Private and the Bureau of Meteorology in campus style office buildings.  ( Tenants Race for the docklands: http://www.australianpropertyinvestor.com/public/257.cfm ) LOCATION Docklands is located in the heart of Melbourne, at the western edge of the central business district. It comprises the area from Spencer Street to the east and the Bolte Bridge to the west, Footscray Road to the north and Lorimer Street to the south. Docklands comprises the waterways of Victoria Harbour and three kilometres of Yarra River frontage. It is similar in size to Melbourne’s Central Business District, and is just a short walk away. Docklands' central location makes it easy to get to by car, train, tram, ferry, and bike or on foot. 
Key features include: - Southern Cross Station at the gateway to Docklands, providing easy access for metropolitan commuters and regional visitors
- Five city trams as well as the free City Circle Tram travelling regularly to Docklands via Flinders, Collins, Bourke and Latrobe Streets
- Four major bike trails converging in Docklands
- Easy access to the CBD via the Bourke Street Pedestrian Bridge, Flinders, Collins and Latrobe Streets
- Water taxis, ferries, charter boat services and corporate cruising vessels dropping off and picking up in Victoria Harbour
- 20 minute drive to Melbourne Airport
- 11 minute tram ride to Bourke Street Mall
- 25 minute walk to Melbourne Town Hall
- Over 5,000 public car parking spaces
Why Invest or live in Docklands?Docklands is a great place to invest,or to live, whatever your age or interests. Residents can enjoy: 
A dynamic inner city lifestyle: - Proximity to the city for work, shopping and entertainment
- Spectacular views of the city or the water
- High quality public amenities
- Easy access to Melbourne’s public transport system, major freeways and arterial roads
- A variety of leisure activities with an active waterfront environment
- A range of quality local retail and general services
- Modern community infrastructure purpose built for the future
- Proximity to inner city tertiary institutions and private schools
Docklands AttributesDocklands offers many attributes that make it an ideal place to work or run a business. Docklands offers: HARBOURSIDE DINING. With breathtaking city, harbour and river views, and more than 55 restaurants, cafes and bars to choose from, dining at Docklnads will have you spoilt for choice. 
- Esay access and very close proximity to Melbourne's CBD
- Access to public transport and major road networks
- A stunning environment with an active blue park, harbourside views, well designed public open soaces, promenades featuring public art, heritage listed wharves and modern marinas
- New, state-of-the-art, environmentally sustainable award- winning buildings alongside historically significant warehouses and goods sheds on the waterfront
- Carefully devised building design to provide a new style of workplace that offers opportunities to boost morale, motivation and efficiency
- Variety of campus-style buildings, landmark towers and historically significant buildings
- Premium commercial addresses including Collins Street and Bourke Street
- A place that offers a diverse mix of innovative commercial, residential, retail and tourism offerings, with more retail, boutique, specialty, dining and retail stores opening all the time
- An exciting entertainment hub with a busy year round events program
Who lives in Docklands?Since the first residents moved into Docklands in 2002, there has been great demand for this new inner city lifestyle and now close to 4,000 people are calling Docklands home. By 2015, it is expected that 20,000 people will live in this waterfront precinct. Melbourne Docklands is a place for all people. This is represented in its current demographic mix comprising children and young adults, tertiary students, singles and couples, families and empty nesters, who are enjoying inner urban apartment living. In the 2006 Census (held on 8 August 2006), there were 3,939 persons living in Docklands, of which 55.6% were males and 44.4% were females. 
The population comprises 4% of children aged between 0-14 years, 23.9% persons aged 15 – 24 years, 60.4% persons aged 25 – 54 years and 11.6% were persons aged 55 years and over. The median age of persons in Docklands was 30 years, compared with 37 years for persons in Australia (2006 census). In the 2006 Census, 56.6% of persons usually resident in Docklands were Australian citizens, 36.1% were born overseas and 8.1% were overseas visitors. In the 2006 Census, there were 906 families in Docklands.
Nearby Schools include: Port Melbourne Primary School - Walter Street Carlton Gardens Primary School - Rathdowne Street Sacred Heart Primary School - Young Street, Fitzroy
 Victoria Harbour The Victoria Harbour Precinct is the centrepiece of Melbourne Docklands. The precinct includes a proposed extension of Collins and Bourke Streets to meet at the water's edge. It has an area of 280,000 square metres with 3.7 kilometres of waterfront; the 12-year construction plans for Victoria Harbour include residential apartments, commercial office space, retail space, community facilities and the development of public spaces such as Grand Plaza, Harbour Esplanade, Docklands Park and Central Pier. Victoria Harbour features the colourful National Australia Bank headquarters, which accommodates approximately 3,600 staff. The building features large, open flexible floor plates, sunny atria in the heart of the building, a campus-style workplace and a four-star energy rating. In September 2006, plans were unveiled for ANZ's new world headquarters to be located at Victoria Harbour. The complex will feature a vast low rise office building, shops, car parking facilities and a childcare centre. The new complex will enable 5500 ANZ staff to work in one integrated area, however ANZ will maintain its flagship building, 100 Queen Street Melbourne. The new ANZ headquarters will be the largest office complex in Australia. Construction is set to commence late 2006 with completion expected in late 2008. The building will have a Collins Street address after the extension of Collins Street to meet Bourke Street is completed. With its distinctive peninsula in the heart of the Docklands, the Victoria Harbour precinct comprises contemporary commercial buildings, residential developments, retail outlets, community facilities, Docklands Park, local parks and waterfront promenades. 
The brightly coloured National Australia Bank headquarters, with around 4,000 employees, is located at 800 Bourke Street, Docklands. Construction is underway on the 10-storey ANZ headquarters located at 833 Collins Street, on the extension of Melbourne’s premium street overlooking the Yarra River and Docklands Park. When completed in late 2009 it will be Australia’s largest single tenant office building providing accommodation for 5,500 ANZ employees. It is being designed to achieve a 6 Star Green Star environmental rating. Telecommunications giant, Ericsson’s new headquarters is under construction at 818 Bourke Street, overlooking the harbour. The Gauge is a 7-storey commercial building under construction at 825 Bourke Street. It will be the Victorian headquarters of Victoria Harbour developer Lend Lease and has been designed to achieve a 6 Star Green Star environmental rating. Victoria Harbour will also feature new retail strip. The development of Merchant Street will see a full line Safeway supermarket and specialty retail stores in the heart of the precinct. The precinct will also feature the historic meeting of Collins Street and Bourke Street when they are extended to the water’s edge. Victoria Harbour will be a modern residential neighbourhood and will ultimately contain in excess of 2,200 apartments. The first stage of the Victoria Harbour Marina, operated by d’Albora Marinas and comprising a total of 72 private and public berths, was completed in late 2006. When completed d'Albora Marinas will provide 178 visitor and private berths for vessels of all sizes WATERFRONT CITY Waterfront City is a shopping and entertainment area that will include the planned observation wheel. Shops and cafes will be centred around this area. The precinct on Victoria Harbour features an integration of retail, waterfront entertainment, tourism, dining, commercial and urban community. It has an area of 193,000 square metres. Stage One was completed in December 2005 in time for the Melbourne Stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race in January – February 2006 and the Commonwealth Games in March 2006.
The precinct currently features a large circus tent which hosts the International Circus Spectacular. Waterfront City will also feature Australia's Olympic Winter Institute, a $60 million ice sports centre scheduled to begin construction in 2006. Stage Two includes plans for a public entertainment area incorporating the 120 metre high Southern Star Observation Wheel and a brand direct outlet centre, Harbour Town. 
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