Photo Essay: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne was a city I had wanted to visit since I became a conscious being. As a child, I was fascinated by Australia because I think I had some delusion that, due to its geographic placement, everything was opposite there. In Melbourne in particular, what I found when I arrived was not the opposite of Canada, but rather many of the elements that make me adore Toronto so much. It's a clean, vibrant city with a clear identity and seemingly limitless possibility. Like Toronto, it seemed to also be open-minded and welcoming, as evidenced by innumerable thriving sub-cultures in Melbourne, such as the street art scene. Melbourne felt so comfortable and familiar, that coming here was almost like coming home for me.

Also, coming from Istanbul, I was struck by how green the city was. In an urban center I can't ever recall seeing so many trees, public spaces with flowers, parks, and even well maintained beaches. Melbourne just clearly does so many things right when it comes to urban planning. It's no wonder that it regularly tops the charts of any international survey looking at the livability of cities.

I loved this city in February, and I love it now. I would, in a heartbeat, move to Melbourne and start a life there (with Bri's loving approval, of course.) That's the kind of love I developed for this city in such a short time period.

I developed much of this love through wandering, so, in an attempt to replicate that, I'll be framing this post as a photo essay, to allow you to simply see the things that I saw, and decide if it's a place you could love as well.

One day I hope to return to this city, so I can really do it justice. I've catalogued this city in my mind among a few other of my favourites, namely Kyoto, Kuala Lumpur, Vienna and Toronto (I'm biased). And for me, that's some serious company. 

Obviously, this only covers one city, Melbourne, but if you're looking for more info on Australia, don't forget to think about things to do in Brisbane, an often underrated city!

Until next time,

Chris