Melbourne, Austrália

Melbourne is one of Australia’s most multicultural cities as well as its cultural capital. It is the birthplace of the country’s film industry, a center for dance and a hotbed of art. Its street art scene is especially vibrant and internationally renowned to the point that a Graffiti Management Plan exists to govern it. Legal street art can be identified by a permit number that must be publicly displayed on site of the artwork. 

The city’s rich cultural offerings are a reason why Melbourne has aced top honors as the world’s most livable city since 2011. The ranking, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Survey, is also based on such factors as stability, healthcare, environment, education and infrastructure. Melburnians will also tell you how much they love their gardens, al fresco cafes and hidden backstreets and arcades. 

Melbourne is situated on the southeast corner of Australia, sheltered by Port Phillip Bay, although it is the Yarra River flowing through the heart of the city that is one of its most distinguishing features.

Here suburbs are located both within and outside city limits. Inner suburbs specifically refer to the denser, more established urban areas within a short train ride of the central business district. East Melbourne is an established community of Victorian homes and “terrace houses” with cast iron ornamentation. Toorak is an elite suburb known for its fashionable boutiques, highly rated schools and standout examples of Italianate and colonial mansions.

Australia’s second largest city is also Australia’s largest market for residential real estate auctions, according to APM PriceFinder, a Sydney-based supplier of property data.  Buying and selling homes at auction is a popular alternative to traditional sales transactions for all property types.