A relatively new city, Melbourne was one of the largest cities of the British Empire in the 1880s. Fueled by the prosperity the Victorian gold rush, Melbourne was the capital of Australia from 1901-1927. Displaced when the artificial city of Canberra was built as the new capital to house the seat of Australian government, Melbourne is still the capital of Victoria Province. But more importantly, as the second largest city in Australia and its cultural and sporting capital, Melbourne has a distinctive economic and tourism identity that distinguishes it as a global city on the forefront of design, fashion, and  international festivals.