Localities

Melbourne

The world’s most liveable city

Melbourne's suburbs extend around the huge Port Phillip Bay into the plains to the west and east and out to the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. Meticulously planned, Melbourne was established in 1835 and the City of Melbourne is the home, workplace and leisure centre of one of the world's most harmonious and culturally diverse communities with more than 140 nationalities living side by side.

From 130 cities the EIU (Economist Intelligent Unit) based in London since 1946 has voted Melbourne ‘The Worlds Most Liveable City’ for the past 3 years. The criteria includes political, social, economic and environmental factors. Personal safety, weather, health, education, transport, housing and recreation were also taken into account.

Melbourne is acknowledged as a leading centre for tertiary education with 9 world class universities.

Melbourne is extremely safe with a low crime rate. There are also strict laws in place to restrict crimes from occurring and Melbournians pride themselves on their honesty and friendliness.

Melbourne's drinking water, direct from the tap, is amongst the cleanest in the world as almost all of it comes from wilderness catchments protected from any public access.

Melbourne has a very reliable electricity supply with a consistent non-interrupted service.

The Melbourne weather isn’t as humid as many other cities in Australia. There are four distinct seasons with temperatures ranging from 18-35°C in Summer and Autumn (November and April) and in Winter and Spring (May to October) the temperature range is between 10-18°C.

Melbourne now boasts the countries largest container port and is considered Australia’s business and commercial capital. Australia’s major banks have their head offices based in Melbourne, these are situated close to the Australian Stock Exchange in the CBD.

Not surprisingly, Melbourne is a city built for events and family activities. Its freeways and excellent transport system makes getting around easy. The abundance of parks and gardens make outdoor events simple, while its sporting infrastructure is second to none. Many international events are held annually and exclusively in Melbourne including the Formula One Grand Prix, Australian Tennis Open, Australian Masters Golf, Australia’s most famous horse race, the Melbourne Cup, the Boxing Day Cricket Test at the MCG and in 2006 the Commonwealth Games were also held in Melbourne.

“It is very safe here. I don’t worry about my children when they go off and play at the park. It is also very clean, everything is so beautiful.”