Southbank fronts the southern bank of the Yarra River, just opposite the Melbourne's central business district, and bounded by St Kilda Road in the east and Montague Street in the west.

Southbank has 2 kilometres of absolute Yarra River frontage which is lined by wide pedestrian promenades offering scenic views of the river and city skyline. At the suburb's eastern riverfront end is Princes Bridge which leads directly to Melbourne's CBD and was the site of Melbourne's first crossing of the Yarra River. Adjacent to the bridge is The Arts Centre which includes a concert hall and several theatres dominated by a distinctive white spire which soars into the sky. Heading westwards along Southbank Promenade is the multi-level Southgate shopping centre which features a host of retail outlets, restaurants and cafes that overlook the river. At Queensbridge Square is the historic Sandridge Bridge which was constructed in 1888 for the railway line linking the city with Port Melbourne and St Kilda, but was later redeveloped into a pedestrian bridge lined with public art sculptures. Further westwards the riverfront walkway is known as Yarra Promenade which is home to the Crown Entertainment Complex, featuring the acclaimed Crown Casino, the 5-star Crown Towers Hotel, scores of restaurants, and a large cinema complex. At Spencer Street is the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, often referred to by locals as "Jeff's Shed", which hosts a large number of exhibitions and events. The riverfront walkway extends westwards into the South Wharf precinct, past the lawns at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, and onto the Melbourne Convention Centre where the Seafarers pedestrian bridge provides a link over the Yarra River to Northbank (part of Docklands) which includes a mixture of apartments, restaurants and the World Trade Centre. Further west is the Charles Grimes Bridge at Montague Street and the pedestrian Webb Bridge which both provide gateways to Docklands.

Southbank is noted for its cultural facilities including Melbourne's leading contemporary art gallery, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, located at the corner of Sturt Street and Grant Street next to the Malthouse Theatre. Outside the gallery is a street art sculpture known as "Vault", also nick-named the "Yellow Peril", which first stood in Melbourne's City Square in 1980. The National Gallery of Victoria, Australian Ballet Centre, Melbourne Recital Centre and Victorian College of the Arts, just to name a few, all have their home at Southbank.

One of Southbank's drawcards is the convenience of being just across the river from the heart of Melbourne and opposite some of Melbourne's best gardens and parklands to the east of St Kilda Road. It is also a modern high-density residential precinct with most people living in multi-level apartment buildings.

Melbourne's tallest building, the Eureka Tower, is located in Southbank. This residential tower features Skydeck 88 which is Australia's highest viewing platform and provides stunning views of the city, bay and surroundings both day and night.

	Crown Casino Entertainment complex with casino, restaurants, cinema, hotel and shopping
	Eureka Skydeck Located on the 88th floor of Eureka Tower (Melbourne's tallest building and the world's tallest residential building), the observation deck offers unparalleled views of the city and surrounds and includes "The Edge" - a glass viewing cube which projects 3 metres out of the building

	Australian Centre for Contemporary Art With its distinctive rusty steel facade, this gallery showcases artworks by major local and international artists
	Melbourne Recital Centre One of the finest acoustic spaces in the country, it hosts a range of Australian and international professional performing artists
	National Gallery of Victoria Housing an Australian art collection at Federation Square and international exhibitions at the St Kilda Road gallery building
	The Arts Centre The home of performing arts in Melbourne with theatres, a concert hall and a gallery which tells the story of Australia's performing arts history and traditions

Southgate The Southgate Arts & Leisure Precinct is situated water front with stunning views of the Yarra River and Melbourne city skyline, offering a shopping complex and a collection of fine restaurants and bars

Melbourne International Jazz Festival Melbourne's streets, concert halls, clubs, bars and galleries host the world's leading modern masters of jazz with performances and displays of visual art

Yarra River Precinct Information on Melbourne's Yarra River and the attractions along it, including history, maps, cruises, dining and events

* All the above links are external and open up in a new window