'It will always be home': Why I love Melbourne

Melbourne is my home, I absolutely love the place, and make no secret of it. However, listing the reasons why is not so easy!

Without doubt Melbourne is beautiful, with its tree lined boulevards, parks and gardens and the MCG.

When I first came here I couldn’t get over the elegance of Royal Parade. Parkville or St Kilda Road, and it is always an enjoyable walk along Beaconsfield Parade to St Kilda.

High end shopping at the Paris end of Collins Street, so European! And not forgetting the much admired street art and coffee culture of the CBD’s trendy laneways, like Degraves Place.

Unlike Sydney, another of my favourite destinations, there’s no Harbour Bridge or Opera House, but here you will find other, not so obvious attractions.

You are seldom stuck for things to do. The Australian Open tennis attracted record crowds this year, next it’s the Albert Park Grand Prix, the AFL season kicks off soon, the Spring Racing Carnival brought more than $400 million to Victoria’s economy last year. Oh, and I forgot to mention the Boxing Day Test!

And it's not just sport.

The National Gallery's Van Gogh exhibition broke all records, and they sold hundreds of thousands of tickets to the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2017.

Plenty of theatre and live music, there's usually a queue of tourists taking in the street art in Hosier Lane, and whatever your favourite cuisine, you’ll find it.

The Queen Vic market and other institutions, like our trams and hook turns, are still going strong. We should be forever grateful that the transport chiefs did not join the rest of the country in doing away with trams when it was the fashion to do so in the 1960s.

Of course there are issues to deal with, as Melbourne is a victim of its own success.

A rapidly expanding population needing somewhere to live, is forcing up the property prices. Also there’s no denying we’ve recently experienced a spike in crime, assaults, aggravated burglaries and car-jackings.

But for me, the city still feels safe. Most people are friendly, inclusive and welcoming. Melbourne is reassuringly familiar.

The trams, Flinders Street Station,  laneways, street art, restaurants, theatres, and our love of sport - it’s our way of life - and I haven’t even mentioned the Zoos, sandbelt golf courses, our proximity to surf and snow.

And don’t forget Melbourne gave the world Shane Warne, Kylie Minogue, Chopper Read,  Dame Elizabeth Murdoch and Dame Edna!

Yes, we still need a rail link to the airport, we could do with more trams and trains to help us get around, but overall, it’s sensational.

There are great cities around the world, but for me, Melbourne will always be home.