Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. In the wake of the 1850s Victorian gold rush, the city entered a lengthy boom period that, by the late 1880s, had transformed it into one of the world’s largest and wealthiest metropolises. Today, it is a leading financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region and ranks 15th in the Global Financial Centres Index.