Melbourne: The Most Liveable City In The World?

August 30, 2015

Last week, Melbourne was crowned the most liveable city in the world for a fifth consecutive year. I lived in Melbourne for a total of 12 months. Although Melbourne is the first and only proper city I’ve lived in (sorry Griffith), I always thought my love for Melbourne was slightly biased, but maybe not after all!

In This Post I’ve Outlined Everything That Makes Melbourne Marvellous!

Why Visit Melbourne?

Melbourne has an amazing lifestyle, there is something for everyone. Depending if your into sport, fashion or everything in between, your taste buds will have something to natter about. Often you will experience all four seasons in one day, but during the summer you’ll lose count of the sunnier days and that makes up for the bad weather during the winter.
It’s all about the culture. Melbourne may not have the Aussie iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach and the Harbour Bridge but Melbourne has an amazing lifestyle. Yes there are many things to do, but be sure to explore a little deeper to find the amazing hidden gems (keep on reading and I’ll tell you)!

What to Do in Melbourne

There are many things to do in Melbourne. If it’s a short or long stay in the city, planned right, you can pack your days full of adventure and come out the other end with some fantastic memories and experiences. To get an escaping view of the city (like a true tourist) you can pick between the Eureka Skydeck or the Melbourne Star.. or do both! I did both and enjoyed the Eureka tower best as there was a 360 view of the city.

Go see a movie in luxury with Gold Class. This was new to me, a luxury cinema? Sure you can do this in many other countries, but while were in Melbourne let’s go to Crown Casino and do it all! In Gold Class you experience state of the art cinema technology, reclining seats, gourmet food and drinks, and a personal waiter service. Whats not to love? alternatively you could go to the IMAX, the third largest screen in the world! Your mind will be blown, garnered!

Melbourne is notorious for street art. Hosier Lane is the best street for the art and is a major tourist attraction. The best time to go is early and you might get to see some artist at work. There are many other spots around the city to capture good graffiti art, especially around the Brunswick area so be sure to venture out there for all things hip and cool..

As mentioned above, Melbourne may not have many iconic landmarks but we have the huts in Brighton. Look familiar?

Melbourne has some lovely beaches including St. Kilda, Brighton and Sandringham. In the sunny weather the beaches are absolutely packed! Sandringham is the place to go if you want a quieter beach to relax on as it is the furthest away but easy to get there by public transport.

Sport in Melbourne

I’m not into sport at all but the city prospers and thrives on the mention of any form of sporting action. there are a few huge stadiums in Melbourne including the Rod Laver, AMII, Etihad and the MCG-which holds a capacity of just over 100,000 people! The main sports are AFL, rugby league, rugby union, soccer and cricket. I ~~got dragged~~ went to a few games and the atmosphere is electric. A definite must do while your here, even if you hate sports!
Be sure to check out nearby bars and cafes in Richmond before or after a game. It can get a little busy in the area but there are some fantastic coffee spots along Swan Street.

Best Areas to Visit

I got to live near St. Kilda for the first six months of my Melbourne stay. As well as Acland Street, and the beach, the best thing to do in St. Kilda is to go and see the penguins.. yes, penguins in Australia! And there are so many of them freely waddling around the pier! They are super cute and best of all there is no charge to go see them! They are wild and free and hopefully it will stay that way for the foreseeable future. St. Kilda is packed full of great shops, cafes and restaurants. It is hugely popular in the summer months for the beach and skate park. St. Kilda also boasts a prominent Irish settlement and is quite well-known for that fact!

Brunswick is a very cool area. Think vintage. Think grungy. Think hipster. Brunswick is that suburb you have to go and experience it for yourself. I remember walking along with my friend Megan (who lived in the area at the time), across the road looking at, what I thought was a dilapidated semi-detached house. The paint was peeling, the corners of the building were cracking and some windows were boarded up.. Then with Megan’s guide she said we must try that place across the road for lunch.. I followed her aimlessly, wondering where this place was.. it was that run-down house! It’s supposed to be like that!! Step inside the doors of the restaurant and you are brought to a different perspective -and the food and cider was amazing! If you get a thrill from little things like this, quaint and vintage/ modern and funky, Brunswick is the place to visit. Even Beyoncé took a visit to Brunswick and liked it so much she used some footage in a music video!

Chapel Street is a brilliant street for shopping, eating and drinking. At one end of the street you have Windsor, fantastic for charity shops and finding a bargain. Then you have Prahran which is most famous for amazing eateries and lively bars and at the top end you have South Yarra, upmarket fashion designers and high street shoppers reside here. It’s a street that has everything you need and more.

And of course, not to forget the CBD itself! Its pretty self-explanatory. Lots of shopping and sight-seeing. The good thing about Melbourne is that the CBD is very easy to navigate and there are always ‘City Ambassadors” working, offering tourists help and directions. It can get very busy in the CBD so make sure to always try to walk on the right-hand side of the sidewalk, or you may get several dirty looks!

Where to Eat in Melbourne

Cheap Eat- Lentil as Anything
Lentil as Anything is a “pay as you feel” vegan restaurant. The food is amazing, yes its vegan but it is worth a try! Then afterwards you can donate into the box, nobody will see what you pay, even if sometimes you can’t pay much or anything at all, that’s ok too. You can even pay with card!
I Recommend trying the Okonomiyaki dish.

Middle of The Road- Newmarket
My favourite restaurant in St. Kilda. Definitely worth a visit. I had some amazing meals here and tried a diversity of foods I had never tried before. Bonus- also excellent for cocktails!
I Recommend trying the SoCal Spread $55. Perfect if you are like me and up for trying anything!

Splurge- Vue De Monde
Vue De Monde was at the top of my eating list but sadly I never got the opportunity to go. Hopefully someday I will get there! Click this link to check out the amazing menu and to book a table at Vue De Monde: https://www.opentable.com.au/r/vue-de-monde-melbourne

Getting Around Melbourne

I think Melbourne has won ‘Most Livable City’ because of its well structured and reliable public transport system. There are several options that you can take- trams, busses and trains. If you miss a train, you can literally walk five minutes down street to find a tram or bus that will bring you to the same destination- its that easy! All you need to do is buy a MyKi Card at any train station or 7eleven and top it up- ‘Touch on” with every trip and sometimes there might be an inspector to make sure you are paying. Maps come with the Myki cards to outline all the adventures you can take with the transport available throughout the city.

Shopping in Melbourne

Southland and Chadstone shopping centres are the biggest shopping centres in Melbourne. Prepare yourself to get lost. You will find everything you need in the one spot! As mentioned above, Chapel Street and the CBD are also brilliant for picking up all your bits and pieces.
An absolute must do while you are in Melbourne, weather your a shopaholic or not, a place for everyone, the heart and soul of Melbourne, is the famous Queen Victoria Market. There are quite a few markets around Melbourne where you can buy food, clothes, cosmetics, souvenirs and lots of other market nick-nacks, be sure to visit a few! There are also the Camberwell markets for finding second-hand designer clothes, The Lost and Found Market for all the vintage lovers out there and the South Melbourne that is also worth a visit.

Events & Festivals in Melbourne

Melbourne will have something for you to do every day of the week but there are a few big highlights throughout the year..

-Racing Carnival running from mid September to early November get out your best dress and be seen to impress! It’s not only about the horse racing, I love the style and buzz in the air. Everyone is looking forward to summer and this marks the start of it.
-Tennis the Australian Open takes place in the Rod Laver Arena every January. A must do for tennis fanatics and celeb-spotters.
-Grand Prix takes place around March every year and is a pretty big deal.
-Future Music Festival takes place in March and is one of Melbourne’s biggest music festivals of the year.

There are many other festivals that take place throughout the year. When you’re in Melbourne there’s no escaping it. And each festival has its own theme and feel. It truly is a great city to live in.

City Escape

Need to get away for a weekend? check out my posts on The Great Ocean Road and Clyde Park Vineyard.

My Top Tip for Visiting Melbourne

Buy the Entertainment Book. This is a book full of coupons! You will save what you spend on the book within a week. There are some fantastic bargains and the book offers great inspiration and may bring you on many unknown city exploits.

When I lived in Melbourne, I got the opportunity to guest blog for a website called Really Melbourne. Be sure to check out that site for everything Melbourne related!

In other news, I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been long listed for the Blog Awards Ireland under best travel blog. The ‘long list’ is cut down to a ‘short list’ and then open to public vote! Keep an ear out on my social media accounts to see if I’ve made the cut! Thank you to everyone who nominated me for the award, I’m extremely flattered. Thank you for your ongoing support.