Everything I love about Melbourne

I moved to Melbourne 8 years ago, which seems unbelievably long ago and also like it was just yesterday. I wanted to move here for so long, but if asked I couldn’t have told you why. I’m sure it’s all neatly wrapped up in some Freudian theory of attachment (my parents are both from Melbourne, but moved to Perth just before I was born), or perhaps it’s just a symptom of being from the world’s most isolated capital that had me itching to be able to say I was from somewhere else.

This anniversary of moving here has got me reflecting on my life here, and all the things I love about Melbourne. The things that make Melbourne, Melbourne.

INDEPENDANT THEATRE

Melbourne has got strong theatre game. The big main stage and musical shows might draw the interstate and international crowds, but you haven’t really experienced Melbourne theatre until you’ve wandered down a dark alley in a back street in Brunswick, and entered the “foyer” through someone’s living room, before taking a seat on a milk crate in their “theatre” in the garage.

MELBOURNE COFFEE SCENE

Melbourne has got the best coffee scene in all of Australia, no question. We take coffee seriously. So seriously local roasting houses beans can be found on the shelves at Coles. My faves include Padre Coffee and Allpress who do an air roasting process that results in rich, chocolately vibes. Locally, Preston Market is home to what I think is Melbourne’s Best Croissant and you can wash it down with a Duke’s coffee from Publique. And my absolute new favourite is Preston’s Red Bean, where you can pick up coffee for home from a selection of single origins and blends from around the world.

HEART OF ACTIVISM

Melbourne is the heart of activism in Australia. The first recorded protests in Melbourne took place in the 1840s, as Melburnians expressed their disapproval that the British Government were sending convicts to POrt Phillip Bay. The 8-hour work day was fought for and won first in Melbourne, and there are tributes to this all over Trades Hall, where you can see some great independent theatre these days – especially during Fringe Festival time! These days we take to the streets over myriad issues, and since moving here I’ve stood on the steps of the State Library more times than I can count, to march for marriage equality, gender equality, climate change, in support of Palestine and so much more.

SUNRISE HOT AIR BALLOONS

I love the hot air balloons, gracefully floating along at sunrise on a frosty autumn morning. They often take flight from Yarra Bend Park, which is not too far from where I live, and while I’ll never wake up early enough to see them actually taking off, just the sight of them floating overhead as I’m waiting for my morning train to work is enough to make me smile.

THE FITZROY CARROT MAN

There is a man who wanders the streets of Fitzroy, a suburb just north of Melbourne’s city centre, and he carries a giant carrot. In all my years of living here, including a few years of working in Fitzroy and nearby Collingwood I’ve only seen him once. He’s like a mythical creature, the stuff of urban legend. You’ll look for him for so long, and you’ll give up hope of ever spotting him. And then one day you’ll just see him wandering down Smith St carrying his carrot. And he just does this to make people smile. He’s the most wholesome thing Melbourne’s got, and I love him.