mouth_of_the_watercourse kororoit creek
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria , and the second - most populous city in Australia . The name " Melbourne " refers to an urban agglomeration spanning which comprises the broader metropolitan area , as well as being the common name for its city centre . The metropolis is located on the large natural bay of Port Phillip and expands into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon mountain ranges , Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley . Melbourne consists of 31 municipalities . It has a population of 4 , 529 , 500 , and its inhabitants are called Melburnians . Port Phillip ( also commonly referred to as ___MASK35___ or ( locally ) just The Bay ), is a large bay in southern Victoria , Australia ; it is the location of Melbourne . Geographically , the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for its size , most of the bay is navigable . The deepest portion is only , and half the region is shallower than . The volume of the water in the bay is around . The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south - east of Melbourne , Australia . It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west , ___MASK73___ to the east and ___MASK82___ to the south , and is connected to the mainland in the north . Geographically , the peninsula begins its protrusion from the mainland in the area between Pearcedale and Frankston . The area was originally home to the " Mayone - bulluk " and " Boonwurrung - Balluk " clans and formed part of the Boonwurrung nation ' s territory prior to European settlement . The Kororoit Creek is a watercourse of the Port Phillip catchment , rising in the outer north western suburbs of Melbourne , in the Australian state of Victoria . The Yarra Valley is the name given to the region surrounding the ___MASK62___ in Victoria , Australia . The river originates approximately 90 kilometres east of the Melbourne central business district and flows towards it and out into ___MASK35___ . The name Yarra Valley is used in reference to the upper regions surrounding the ___MASK62___ and generally does not encompass the lower regions including the city and suburban areas , where the topography flattens out , or the upper reaches which are in inaccessible bushland . Included in the Yarra Valley is the sub - region of Upper Yarra ( or the Upper Yarra Valley ) which encompasses the towns of the former Shire of Upper Yarra in the catchment area upstream of and including Woori Yallock . The Yarra Valley is a popular day - trip and tourist area , featuring a range of natural features and agricultural produce , as well as the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail .