INTRODUCING MELBOURNE Melbourne is cosmopolitan Australia at its finest. With a rich history and a thriving multicultural population, its residents have largely defined the character of the city since European settlement. Indigenous, colonial and immigrant stories blend together and today the city’s food, culture and streetscapes are a reflection of Melbourne’s diverse past and present. Metropolitan Melbourne is home to roughly 4.2 million people and welcomes almost a million visitors from across the globe each year. It has a mild climate and beautiful natural surroundings with bays and beaches on its southern edge, mountains and forest to the north and plenty of rivers and parklands in between. Australia’s economic strength and low population density have partially contributed to Melbourne being named ‘World’s Most Liveable City’ by The Economist’s Intelligence Unit for the 5th consecutive year. Other factors contributing to the listing have been the city’s healthy employment figures, quality housing and health services and strong and diverse educational and cultural opportunities. Melbourne offers world-class health and research facilities with a dedication to innovative development and has an international reputation for academic excellence. The city is committed to preserving its character whilst seamlessly reinventing itself with world-class infrastructure and design strategies. Melbourne is known globally for its world-class food, fashion, arts and cultural scenes and its passion for sport of all kinds. Italians admit defeat with tourists in New York and Berlin ordering a ‘Melbourne style’ coffee at their local café and the best chefs of the world have opened restaurants in Melbourne in recent years wanting to be part of its innovative and diverse food scene. Global touring exhibitions and acts run back to back, with locals and tourists alike queuing around the block for tickets - from Warhol to Scorsese, Rembrandt to the Rolling Stones. Award winning musicals pack up their Broadway season to head to Melbourne and the city’s theatre scene is a dazzling feast of local and foreign talent. Meanwhile the Melbourne International Comedy festival is considered as prestigious an event on the comedy circuit as Edinburgh and Montreal’s festivals. Fans from India to Italy and England to America tune in across time zones to watch internationally renowned events such as the Australian Open Tennis competition, the Ashes Test Cricket series and the Formula One Grand Prix. Much of the nation stops for the Melbourne Cup and Melbourne’s commitment to Australian Rules football is more than just a phase - the AFL grand final is one of the biggest events of the year. Soccer is We put you first City Guide | MELBOURNE also widely played - Melbourne’s European population are amongst the most passionate soccer players and supporters in the world. Melbourne city’s grid layout makes it very easy to navigate and great public transport, including a free tram zone in the CBD, offers easy transit around to enjoy some of the great attractions and stunning architecture such as Federation Square. Melbourne boasts fantastic cafés and restaurants, cool rooftop bars and beautiful tree lined boulevards. Its top attractions are its laneways, arcades, street art and bay side villages. But the greatest attraction of all are its people, who love Melbourne more than anyone and always offer visitors a warm welcome. SUBURBAN LIFE Where you live has a direct impact on your everyday quality of life. Melbourne has a rich and diverse population and a closer look reveals the finer details of its neighbourhoods for singles, the elderly and everybody in between. Singles, Young People and Students Younger people represent over a quarter of Melbourne’s population and more than half of them are students. It’s a highly educated city and almost a third of its residents live in single or group households. Of course people in this demographic generally want to be where the action is, so inner city and beachside suburbs with great bars, restaurants and entertainment are key, as well as good public transport and low cost of living. Fitzroy, St Kilda and Richmond have these in spades – cool bars, classic pubs and great venues for comedy, music and sport as well as decent tram services for city access. For those with a little less disposable cash, Yarraville and Brunswick in the west and Northcote and Collingwood in the north offer similar advantage but with a little more parkland and larger living spaces – less apartments and bigger houses. Melbourne has more than its share of young urban professionals and those in the higher income bracket who are not yet ready to enter the property market as buyers tend to favour apartment living. Areas like Docklands, Port Melbourne and the CBD are the places to be with modern high rise apartment buildings, excellent leisure facilities and fabulous views of the city skyline or the bay. Family Life The days of Mum, Dad and 1.2 kids are long gone and today’s families are anything but clichéd. Melbourne is home to a broad range of families and though they live all over the city from big houses to tiny apartments, there is of course a natural inclination for the ‘average family’ to gravitate to specific areas. Generally, families want the same things – a backyard or nearby park or beach for the kids to run around, good neighbourhood facilities such as cafés, libraries and playgrounds and a safe environment. Being able to pop out to the local shops for essentials is important, as is feeling comfortable walking the dog around their neighbourhood and good proximity to schools, health and leisure facilities. Suburbs such as North Fitzroy, Malvern, Elsternwick and Yarraville are attractive to families, with all of the requirements outlined above plus reasonable access to the city centre for work, school holiday activities and nights out. We put you first City Guide | MELBOURNE Of course the cost of living in these areas may not suit the average family income so heading just a few kilometres further out is a better choice for many. Coburg has a great family vibe and is still only 10 kilometres from the city centre. The same can be said for Glen Iris and Caulfield. For those in the higher income bracket, family life is at its best in large houses with big backyards, close to the sea or the river, in coveted areas such as Williamstown and Sandringham or the leafy private school belt between Toorak and Hawthorn. Retirees Roughly ten percent of the city of Melbourne’s residents are over 60 and just under half of them were born outside of Australia. Dozens of countries of origins are represented in the older age bracket and it’s these members of the community who have retained their cultural heritage, passed it down to their Australian born descendants and ensured their culture is woven strongly into the fabric of modern Australian society. The older age group is diverse in that older migrants may prefer to live in areas where other migrants like them live, where as baby boomers are now in the position to live a more luxurious lifestyle in inner city or waterfront apartments. Having had children young, worked hard and retired early they are now in a good position to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Older people’s residential choices are influenced by a number of unique factors such as where their family live, whether they need assistance with daily activities, what their transportation needs are and what local community support and services they need close by. Some retirees may have a less of a need to be close to the city and if they help out with grandchildren then living close to their children and grandchildren makes sense. Clifton Hill in the northeast is well positioned for this, as is Preston, or maybe apartment life in Parkville. A beachside or inner city address has become more attainable in recent years and complexes in Port Melbourne, Docklands and East Melbourne accommodate for the lifestyle many in this age bracket desire. First Time Buyers There is never an ideal time to get into the market, other than when you have the financial means and when you feel the time is right for you. Having said that, the time of life when this happens to you and the budget you have available at the time, will dictate exactly where you choose to buy your first home and what kind of property it will be. Singles may struggle to pay for a 3-bedroom house alone in anticipation of a family ‘one day’ where families may buy within their budget, though sadly having underestimated the space they might need for a growing family. Having said that, there are certain areas in Melbourne that accommodate for your personal situation and take the guess work somewhat out of location hunting. Ideally suburbs just out of the inner metropolitan area with a high density of apartments offer the lifestyle a first home buyer may want but still within budget. Northcote, Abbotsford, St Kilda West and Port Melbourne are good examples for those looking for 1 or 2 bedroom apartments, or pre-war terrace housing with big renovation plans in mind. The more bang you want for your buck, the further away you need to go, so heading away from the city but staying in the metropolitan transit zone will help those looking for more rooms and maybe a patch of grass. We put you first City Guide | MELBOURNE Areas between Hawthorn East and Surrey Hills are worth a look, as are suburbs in the south such as Elwood and Caulfield. Best Investment Areas The best areas to invest in change every year and obviously there are windows of opportunity resulting in great buys for the lucky few.