It was named the world's most livable city , throughout the 2010s. Backed by its strong infrastructure, low crime rate, relatively, clean downtown, its no wonder why. Welcome to Melbourne. As the capital city of the state of Victoria, Melbourne is a fast-developing metropolis that's simple to explore on foot., It's a city that's full of fantastic live music, signature grafitti-laced alleyways, and an exceptional waterfront to tie it all together. The main way I got around was . by an above-ground train, which operates on a reloadable funds travel card called. a MyKi. All trains outside the CBD converge on Flinders Street station. Opened in 1854, this station stretches for more than 2 city blocks and is one of the most recognized landmarks in Melbourne. Once in the central business district, it's simple to just walk. around for some shopping or hop on a free tram service that can , take you around the confines of the city. Once outside the perimeter of downtown tho, you must pay to ride the trams. The Melbourian skyline is pretty sweet. , There's a lot of blue and yellow which I think is the two main colors of the city. I've. gone up some of the buildings to get a better look and there are even helicopter rides , available to see the city from high above. The Southbank river walk is great to take in the . sights but food and drinks are quite expensive. I'm just not a fan of the doo doo brown, color of the Yarra River which runs through the city and into the harbor. Melbourne's definitely got an , eclectic food scene with all sorts of eateries located within its , hidden alleyways. As well as streetside where you can find lots of amazing . local and international cuisine. Also worth noting that Melbourne

is a progressive city that is passionate about global issues like . climate change, women's rights, and migrant refugees. Often times, there are , several protests happening outside Parliament and it's a good step towards addressing climate which set off the Australian bushfires. Some of my favorite neighborhoods were St Kilda, which is southeast of the CBD and is , built through a bohemian lifestyle. Fitzroy and Collingwood are both northeast of , the city and is popular with young professionals, backpackers, and students. It's got more street art than I've seen anywhere else and it's almost encouraged to tag the entire . suburb. It's definitely in a theme of its own and that's what makes it stand out. There . is nothing overly flashy here and it brought me back to the college , days of laid back living. There is a ton of Victorian era architecture, , green natural space, and of course plenty of local bars to grab a cold one and, watch some Australian rules football. But why not just attend a live game instead? We went to Marvel stadium, the famed comic book giant company, for an exhibition game. Walking in is similar to attending an NFL game back home, except that the playing field is a . giant oval, or a modified cricket ground. It's often referred to as footy where two teams. of 18 players engage in a physical contest. We ended up rooting for the Dogs. The games are always , high-pace/high score, and even if I didn't always understand whats . happening, it was fun to follow. After the game, Darth Vader rocked . out some AC/DC for the fans, which was both legendary and the most Australian thing ever. At night, the city of Melbourne comes alive , with vibrant lights and reflective streets. The street art also shifts with the time of day with melancholy lighting and even , some interactive art on full display. We set off to the Dandenong Ranges, which are

roughly an hour and a half drive east from the city to do a little hiking and also get to view some native Australian wildlife. Most notably, the wild grey kangaroos and , wallabies that like to hang out in the area. Seeing these, animals outside of a zoo doing their thing and hopping around was amazing. Always a good , idea to watch from a distance and not approach without warning. The laughing sound of the kookaburra bird though was slightly terrifying.. I traveled several hours north to . live the farmlife on a horse farm, visit sites like Organ Pipes National Park and Hanging Rock. This was a former volcano where the magma cooled and contracted to split into large pinnacles. These pinnacles shoot straight up around the natural. phenomenon and it's a great place to discover and summit as you overlook Australia's famous wine countryside. I took another train to go even further north to the town of Bendigo, which goes by the beat of its own drum. It's the most northern large city in Victoria and is a former gold rush boom town during the 19th century. One of the prominent . landmarks there is Sacred Heart Cathedral and is one of Australia's largest churches. It's ceiling stretches on for 24 meters, while the main spire is close to 88 meters high. An, architectural marvel worthy of checking out. I wrapped up my travels in Victoria . at the beginning of September where Spring was on the horizon in the . southern hemisphere. After getting to the airport and walking through the gnarliest Duty Free of all time, I loaded onto the plane. Any idea of where I'm headed , next? See you next time..

Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺 - The Most Livable City in the World? | Victoria, Australia Travel Guide