The cities of Melbourne, Australia, and Thessaloniki, Greece have had a formal sister-city relationship since March 19, 1984, and celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of this sistership have taken place in both cities.

On this occasion, the mayor of Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris visited the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne to outline future cultural endeavours between the two cities.

During his visit, the mayor made an effort to specify new objectives and set a joint planning with the delegates of the Greek Australian community to instigate more substantial communication and actions to strengthen bilateral ties.

As part of this endeavour, Australia will be the honoured country at the next Thessaloniki International Exhibition, Melbourne will be the Thessaloniki will join Melbourne's food festival, while a students' exchange program is set to be launched between the two cities.

Plans also include the promotion of trakemark Macedonian locations as ideal destinations for historical and environmental tourism: Mount Olympus, the ancient site of Vergina, the beaches of Chalkidiki and the very city of Thessaloniki carry a rich history from multiple aspects, which goes back thousands of years.