The 1956 Olympic Games were held in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. It 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 is a major centre for sport, and the 1956 Olympic Games were the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere.