American Reacts to Melbourne Australia, Interesting Things/Landmarks

[@Mirrorgirl492]

Such perfect relaxed pronunciation of the name 'Melbourne'. You truly are an Aussie now Ian.

[@TheMelbournelad]

Yep really got the “bin” part down

[@travelsolo2677]

I was thinking the same 😅

[@Stonezster]

It's hard to even call someone from Woke Melbourne an Aussie let alone an American...We call Victorians Kiwis in WA

[@TheMelbournelad]

@@Stonezster I thought people from Perth where Indonesian

[@Stonezster]

@@TheMelbournelad I'm in the Pilbara, not Perth. Where real Aussie live...How many times have you been mistaken for a Kiwi ;)

[@mjb7015]

A couple of things the video missed that are absolutely worth your time: Yarra Bend park just a little bit east of the central business district. Royal Botanic Gardens, and also Fitzroy Gardens, which has Cook's Cottage, a conservatory, fairy tree and a scarred tree (where the Indigenous people removed a layer of bark on one section to make a canoe). The animatronic fob watch and shot tower museum at Melbourne Central, you have to watch it at least once, it plays on the hour every hour. The Block Arcade and Royal Arcade are great , and of course there are all the art galleries, boutiques, and buskers.

[@jenniferharrison8915]

Seen them, done that! 🤔

[@top40researcher31]

@@jenniferharrison8915 ian has over looked them

[@triarb5790]

Cook's parent's house. Like mistakenly naming a festival 'Up Ya Bum' ( Moomba), we also acquired a cottage that Cook himself never lived in. 😅

[@jacquelenebennett4028]

The Shrine of Remembrance is also worth a tour. Also, you would have to visit The Dandenong Ranges and take a walk through at the Grant's Picnic area. Good chance of hearing/seeing a Lyrebird.

[@top40researcher31]

@@triarb5790 it was his parents house

[@theghost6412]

When you were speaking about your time working on the Jeeps on the production line, you reminded me of an English guy I met. He worked at Triumph in England all those years ago, his job was fitting the door cards and rear side cards into all the cars. Every car he ever did, he would sign his name on the inside right rear panel before fitting. Jump 30 years he moved to Australia. Was talking to a few guys and one pointed out he had an old Triumph. He jokingly said it could be one of his. The guys wanted to check for the hell of it, so they opened the back and gently pried off the card.... and there it was, his signature right there on the back of the card. He was floored to be on the opposite side of the world and looking at one of the cars he helped put together in a completely different country.

[@Mirrorgirl492]

What a great story, thanks for sharing.

[@eddykate3700]

And that shows how small this world is! A male friend of mine was in London, started talking to a Spanish woman, who had done her uni degree in Melbourne with a woman who worked in Mildura with my friend's sister. A few months later the Spanish lady came to Mildura to catch up with her friend. I was blown away that my friend remembered his sister's work colleague's MAIDEN name!

[@professornuke7562]

Interesting. Australian Triumphs were all assembled from knock down kits at the AMI assembly works in Port Melbourne. My Dad worked at Lanes Motors and used to do all the after market service for AMI.

[@karenstrong8887]

Okay! I never noticed how freaky clean we were until reactor’s started saying it. Most of us do not litter and if we see litter we pick it and take it to a bin. Once a year we have a clean up Australia Day. All of our coastline gets special attention, just about everywhere does and thousands come out to clean. I was born and raised in Sydney but Melbourne will always be where my heart is. Most of my children too. Not shopping Mall’s. Shopping Centres.

[@darianistead2239]

When I first moved to Melbourne from Auckland I kinda thought the opposite. I was shocked at the litter on the sides of the freeway, this was 10 years ago and it has improved or I just don't notice anymore. And the heat😮 to me I'd never fealt anything like it.. When I took my partner to New Zealand for her first time she was blown away, she kept remarking how very green everything is and about the cleanliness. On the other end of the scale though, Ian's from the U.S sooo.. Perspective I guess🤷‍♂️

[@norm70]

I am 53 now and for all of time that i can remember there was always prompting through advertising to "Keep Australia Beautiful" which encouraged people to take their rubbish home or use a street rubbish bin. Which also coincides with us being an "outdoors" kind of people. The objective was to make everyone responsible for the tidiness of our country. It's obviously worked as i have seen so many reactors comment on how clean our streets look. We also pay higher taxes so as to be able to employ cleaners in councils that constantly go around the streets emptying bins and cleaning trash from gutters and sidewalks. The responsibility of a clean neighborhood really is our own, and as nature loving Australian's, i think we own it pretty well. I have even seen disputes between campers in camp grounds over people not respecting the place and leaving a mess where they've camped. If you really love your country, there's no sense in expecting someone else to do the dirty work. It all starts at the home and what is instilled into you as a child. At least that's my thoughts.

[@top40researcher31]

They are different organisations these days. Originally KMart Australia was a joint venture between Kresges, the US KMart owners, and one of our biggest retailers, Coles, first opened in 1969. But over the years, Coles bought out Kresges shares, and it has now been simply an Australian company for many years.

[@FionaEm]

I've lived in 4 cities in Oz, but Melbourne is my favourite. It has everything you could want in a city, except predictable weather 😅 The colourful huts on Brighton Beach are called bathing boxes. They're not residential. Many are more than 100 years old (back when ppl were too modest to get changed in the open!) and are heritage-protected, so they can't be changed substantially. They're highly prized for their historical value, and don't come up for sale very often. The Palais Theatre shown later in the video is a gorgeous old theatre full of period features. Some of the best Aussie and overseas bands play there!

[@lynwill65]

About our weather.... it is predictable, everyone knows to be prepared/dress accordingly for all the 4 seasons in the day :)

[@aussiebornandbred]

@@lynwill65 predictably unpredictable 🤣🤣🤣

[@cgkennedy]

The souvenir shops seem to be in Swanston Street.

[@darianistead2239]

​@@lynwill65 100%.. When you walk outside and there's not a single cloud in the sky, you'd better grab a jacket and umbrella😂

[@lynwill65]

@@darianistead2239 Bwhahahaha so true

[@sBloke3580]

Great video - I'm a very proud Australian and Melburnian (yes, that's how you spell the term for someone from Melbourne 😊) so love to see you appreciating our city. Couple of random facts for you: 1) Melbourne has the largest operational tram network in the world; 2) Chadstone is not just the biggest shopping centre in Australia, but one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere; 3) The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG or "The G") is one of the largest sporting stadiums in the world and holds attendance world records for AFL, Cricket, Rugby League, Rugby Union and Baseball; 4) Melbourne is expected to overtake Sydney as the biggest city in Australia in about 2031; 5) If either Melbourne or Sydney were in the USA they'd be the second largest city (by population) after New York; and finally... 6) Melbourne is better than Sydney and the Collingwood Magpies are the greatest sporting club in the world 🤣. Just joking - Sydney is also a lovely city that Australians are and should be proud of. Not joking about the Collingwood Magpies though 😊.

[@Mirrorgirl492]

Can confirm about the Pies and Melbourne

[@inacioyokota5000]

Melbourne is now officially the biggest city in the Australia overtaking Sydney last year.

[@grandmothergoose]

I never fail to giggle when I hear of someone saying how chill and relaxed Sydney and Melbourne are. All I can think is if they perceive those cities are chill and relaxed, what would they think of the town I live in?! 😴😴😴

[@boblouden6663]

The town I live in has 360 people.

[@HeiwaTori]

I think its just Australia in general is pretty chill, so rural areas are just EVEN chiller 🤣

[@boblouden6663]

@@HeiwaTori rural areas are more judgemental, sit at a rural pub and see. It goes like this. Look he has long hair he must be a drug addict. Oh he keeps to himself he must be a queer. Or the best I've heard was, it's not my business but did you hear Karen left Frank really? Yes I'm going to make a move on Frank, but isn't Frank your cousin? Yeah but we're 2 nd cousins.!!!! True.

[@HeiwaTori]

@@boblouden6663 I mean yeah, any rural area in any country is gonna be more judgemental & oldfashioned, I guess what I meant was more sleepy than a city, like you just walk around a rural town & its so quiet

[@xxillicitxx]

I'm from a small town living in Melb now and I'm far more relaxed, I can just be without worrying about town gossip

[@fathom6424]

Your videos have made me appreciate my wonderful and beautiful Australian home. I've always taken it for granted. I have lived in Melbourne for 60 years and have only ever taken it for granted - never really realizing how great it is here. I 'do' recommend Melbourne for tourists. Melbourne has color, culture, and history. It's a big beautiful and vibrant place. Hope to see you here one day.

[@peterhoz]

One thing about the Melbourne skyline which a lot of people don't know is that the planning regulations require buildings to be built in a way that does not cast shadows on the river during the main daylight hours. You'll notice at 2:25 how they're stepped back and get taller as you get further from the river, which runs basically E-W here (the vehicle is travelling north into the main CBD), and remember we're in the southern hemisphere so shadows are to the south).

[@jennidhue2216]

I think you hit the nail on the head with 'Fast paced city for Aussies ... Not so much for everyone else'. As this Singaporean tourist showed us here. She did a brilliant job with her video. I'm an Aussie and Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are all too much for me. Then again, I live in the Chill and Beautiful Perth, Western Australia. I must also say that when you commented a couple of times on the cleanliness of Melbourne's shopping centre and other areas, that is what I'm used to here in Perth, all the shops and places I go I would consider clean and even picturesque. I would call it good business for one thing. Who wants to visit a grotty old dirty centre, even just to get their weekly groceries. Thankfully, I don't have to. It is my experience that is what it's like everywhere in Australia. 😀

[@kimsherlock8969]

Well an Ostrich is an Ostrich It is difficult to migrate with others.

[@MICHELLE-gu2qc]

Australia has never had large shopping centres or malls close down on mass like in USA. We didn't have many of them. We have west fields, and some others. We also don't have Walmart, we don't have many Costco, there's 14 in total. Luna Park are small amusement parks there is one in Melbourne and Sydney. They are the same company as Coney Island, bought the conspect here and built them. . Melbourne opened in 1912 and Sydney opened in 1935. Both locations are protected by heritage ratings

[@Eccentric_Villain]

As an Aussie, who’s been to a lot of Aussie capitals (mainly Perth) I can confirm Melbourne’s Goddam beautiful! I want to go back someday.

[@stopbunsen]

I"m glad Melbourne is so chill, because I am a very chill person. It's still a large city, has everything, major events, huge arts and music scenes, exceptionally good coffee. I don't want to live anywhere else

[@paul.kristoff]

That Hosier Lane mural you noticed was painted in early 2022. It's to commemorate the lives of women and children lost to violence in Australia, and raise awareness of domestic violence as part of a wider campaign called "Red Heart". The artwork, painted by local artist Dans Bains, lists the names of more than 900 women and children who have lost their lives to male violence from 2008. Each red for represents one of these women. It's a very powerful mural. Given the mural and the hot cross buns in the video, I'd say it was filmed around March/April 2022.

[@DwDiablo3]

i saw that the other night while waiting outside The Forum Theater

[@withelmuswubbin3321]

Of course no one cares about men lost to violence in this misandrist shithole we live in.

[@luciebatt]

I live in Melbourne and love it. Fun fact-the roller coaster at Luna Park in Melbourne (there is one in Sydney, too) is the oldest continuously running roller coaster in the world. Completed in 1912, it has a track made of wood and is heritage listed.

[@sandygalbraith9491]

Thanks, Ian. Did you know that if Sydney and Melbourne were in the USA, they would be the 2nd and 3rd largest cities, behind New York and ahead of LA?

[@sharonnichols8285]

Hi Ian and family. I'm born and bred in Melbourne and have lived here all my life, and very proud of it too. I think the only bad thing about Melbourne is our weather, we can have 35 degrees Celsius one day and 15 degrees Celsius the next or both in one day!!!

[@behemothsbaby]

Melburnian here and every capital city has many wonderful things to offer. 😉

[@zaccat693]

Great work Ian. This is my home town, I live in the eastern suburbs and family members have lived here for 135 years. The eastern suburbs are the best in my opinion. The weather constantly changes and you can experience different seasons in the one day. Regards Ian

[@markb3146]

As an Aussie who visits Sydney and Melbourne regularly, I find Melbourne is more civilised. Wider streets, better food and friendlier people. I come from Brisbane but Melbourne is the other place I'd live. All Aussie cities boast excellent cuisine now, we take a dish from another country and add an Aussie touch. I love it.

[@davidwilson8114]

thank you sir. I love how you are American, but you still use Australian terms like shopping centre. Well done sir. Keep up the good work. I don’t like how some Americans don’t get other countries, but you get our country. I am Australian and have always lived in Victoria. I was born in Victoria, and you seem to understand a lot about Australia. Thank you very much.

[@professornuke7562]

At 3mins in you can hear the sound our paedestrian crossings make so the blind know that it is safe to cross. It was made famous all over the world when Billie Eilish's brother used a sample of it in Bad Guy. She said in an interview that their Father went on tour with them, and one day in Melbourne he went for a walk and came back very excited. He wanted them to hear the weird sound the crosswalks make. She had to very patiently explain to Dad that they knew all about that sound, and had won a grammy with it........ At 13:46 you can see the entrance of Luna Park, called "Mr Moon". The palm trees next to it are in "O'Donnell Gardens", which is named and dedicated to my Great Great Uncle, who was Town Alderman in the late 1800's. My Great Grandfather Jeremiah used to look after his brother's extensive gardens around his big, flash house, but my Grandfather, and his brothers did not know where he worked. One day (probably 1910 or so) the O'Donnell children climbed the fence of the big house, in order to steal the ripe quinces growing there. Their Father caught them and administered the sort of beatings that Irish parents were known for!

[@Alpha_7227]

You pronounced Melbourne perfectly. You must have spent time here. The thing about Melbourne is it's class. The architecture, gardens, sport and art. Best time to visit is around March April, weather is still warm; the footy starts, grand prix, Comedy Festival. Heaps of stuff to do.

[@michelleclark79709]

I’m a Melbourne girl and have lived here my whole life (except for 13 months I lived in Georgia as an au pair) and I love everything about Melbourne. I actually grew up in St Kilda (I wouldn’t be able to afford it now) and although I miss different aspects of the area (mainly the easy access to the beach) I’m glad I don’t live there anymore because the traffic is ridiculous. St Kilda will always have a special place in my heart but I love where I live now just as much.

[@JesusManera]

I live in St Kilda and love it. I don't really notice the traffic mostly because the upside of St Kilda is that you rarely have to drive. We probably drive once every 1-2 weeks and just walk everywhere else (or tram to work). Barkly St and of course St Kilda Rd have heavy traffic but I don't notice it much anywhere else.

[@senno9910]

That Luna Park is actually a small, free to enter amusement park just outside the CBD, (10 minutes via tram) that has been part of the city for over a century. Another thing to note - the city was founded by John Batman and was originally to be named Batmania. Instead, the name Melbourne was chosen (though many city sites feature Batman in the name)

[@bernadettelanders7306]

Prior to being named "Melbourne", the city had several other names. It was called Batmania, Bearport and Bearbrass. It was named Melbourne by Sir Richard Bourke the Governor of NSW after the British Prime Minister William Lamb the second viscount of Melbourne.

[@esmeraldagreengate4354]

​@@bonnie7898 I read that as bearass 🤦‍♀️🤣now that's a name.

[@tomwareham7944]

As a NSW resident I obviously think Sydney is a better city but I absolutely love Melbourne . During my career it was necessary to visit Melbourne 60+times for usually a week at a time so I got to know the city the hotels the restaurants and the night-life pretty well the people are terrific and freindly but they're Australians so it would be expected, unfortunately my days were committed to business so except for the odd lay day I didn't get to see much of the outer areas of the city but what I did see was fantastic . The city has a positive vibe to it and being in the fashion retail industry it was my observation that the people were more business like and dressed accordingly whereas Sydney gives off a more layback casually dressed vibe . I notice in your comments you used the word clean quite a lot and you are correct , Melbourne is , its something , I think we Aussies take for granted because although we obviously have run-down spots in every city and town we are an extremly clean country compared to some countries I've visited in 50+yrs of overseas travel ,we frown apon littering and polluters and are pretty big on recycling . It would be great if you react to other cities and towns in Australia but don't forget to have a look at my home city of Newcastle

[@noddy8607]

I'm a NSW resident too. But in my opinion Melbourne is much more desirable a place to visit and to live in than Sydney.

[@markosgage283]

I consider Naarm/Melbourne my home. I'm so proud of it and grateful to live here. You really should come visit, it's such a vibrant, diverse and beautiful city. ❤

[@harrygoldun5779]

Shopping malls are still big business here in Melbourne, my local is busy 7 days a week. The difference between malls here and the US is that they offer everything under the one roof. Supermarkets, bakeries, liquor stores, greengrocers, butchers, barbers, banks etc. Whereas the US scene is just purely retail.

[@archie1299]

That tall building with the yellow you pointed out, is the Eureka Skydeck. 3rd tallest in Australia, and 15th tallest in the world. Check out a video if you have time!

[@AT-st5dr]

The Victorian State library is also spectacular that was missing in this video. And also the Eureka Tower observation deck.

[@robynelancaster7858]

Don’t forget Perth Western Australia. I’ve lived here most of my life and it’s a beautiful city 😄

[@georgecurrenti]

Born and raised in Melbourne… Live in the burbs, about 20km out. The city can get very busy during the working week, I go in about one day per week. Love the variety of food and coffee. Next week Melbourne will be hosting the F1 Grand Prix.

[@marieosborne1519]

The best sunsets and a lot of the gorgeous beaches are in West Australia.

[@elizabethle221]

This is what I look at everyday from my apartment. I love Melbourne. Beautiful and very clean and not too fast.

[@RickyisSwan]

Those bathing boxes start in value from around $500,000 to $1 million each.

[@peterhoz]

About $300-$350K in Brighton. They can be more expensive elsewhere as you mentioned. You musr be a resident of the council area to buy one so that restriction reduces the potential market and therefore the price.

[@Skyhawker420]

Cereal boxes are allowed to be big. It is a bulk purchase. When we say things in USA are big it is relating to portion sizes, etc...

[@shaz464]

Ian, I’m so impressed that you said “lollies”🍭🍬🍡🍬

[@WatchingDude]

Shopping malls are definitely still a thing in Australia but in many of them you can see a few empty stores as the recent years have taken a pounding on local businesses. Chadstone is where all the High Fashion labels can be found along with all sorts of quirky shops and is well worth a visit. It was moderately large when I last visited 25 years ago and has been gradually growing ever since.

[@RoamingwithRoges]

Finally an American who pronounces melbourne correctly

[@WatchingDude]

Choice consumer awards has declared that Woolworths have the best hot cross buns in the country. You can get traditional hot cross buns with or without fruit as well as chocolate hot cross buns and there are lots of other places as well as Woolworths that make all sorts of unusual flavours like cherry chocolate and coconut mimicking a Cherry Ripe.

[@sumosprojects]

Melbourne has a lot going for it mate but it’s biggest asset is sports, you’ve got the MCG for AFL, Tennis centre for Australian Open & many more facilities within a close CBD Proximity. Then there’s all the other stuff like arts, food etc, worth you visiting Ian 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺Oi Oi Oi

[@jecos1966]

Don't forget the MCG is for Cricket as well

[@esmeraldagreengate4354]

​@@jecos1966and concerts. I saw Guns N Roses at the MCG a few years back. They thought they were in Sydney 😂😂

[@jecos1966]

@@esmeraldagreengate4354 Tell Sumo's projects that. I told him it is for Cricket as well since the Stadium is called the Melbourne ' CRICKET' Ground

[@JesusManera]

That tall building you pointed out, the 2 tall buildings next to each other in that same shot are 2 of the 3 tallest buildings in Australia: 'Australia 108' which as the name implies is 108 storeys tall, and 'Eureka Tower' which is 95 storeys with an observation deck on the 88th floor.

[@GavinSouthern]

Melbourne proud. Chadstone is a 5 min drive for me. Go Pies!! 🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍

[@ethanHEART1]

The tall building with the gold on it is called the Eureka Tower, it has one of the worlds highest observation decks that slides out of the side of the building and is completely transparent. This building was at one time the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere as far as I know.

[@andreagriffiths3512]

Oooooh I rode that Ferris wheel in St Kilda when I hiked the solar system - that art instillation runs from St Kilda to just beyond Station Pier! It’s an awesome walk, but just remember to go a bit beyond the sun for a little extra. I missed that and really couldn’t schlep all the way back.

[@Wandafulofit]

Born and bred in Melbourne Best city in Aussie

[@WhiskeyFiend]

Live about 40m away from Melbourne still my favourite capital city in Australia

[@Ron-uq2hg]

Australian Sunsets. At certain times of the year you will see the shy all different shades from Horizon to horizon at sunset. A really incredible and beautiful sight. Unfortunately it usually means that somewhere there is a massive bush fire burning and the sunset it the light reflecting off the ash in the air. As a footnote. In New Zealand when you see the same red sunset most people take their washing of the clothes line. (The preferred method of drying clothes.). Because the Ash from Australian fires at least 2000 kilometres away is falling and the clothes all get dirty again.

[@xymonau2468]

Brisbane is a lot larger than Perth, and almost twice the size of Adelaide. It is an excellent city, as cities go (I hate them). I have lived in Sydney and Brisbane, as well as large regional centres, and been to both Adelaide and Melbourne (the latter, a number of times). Sydney is too violent, and so is Melbourne, but the latter is also boring and has weird weather. There are strict laws against littering in Australia, and there are bins literally everywhere. We also have "Clean up Australia Day" annually, when people go out and collect any rubbish from public areas, beaches and national parks. Most Australians wouldn't dream of dropping litter on the street. There is always someone, but we are taught from childhood to take rubbish with us if there is no bin. It is rare to see litter, and on the odd occasions when we do, a small amount looks like an eyesore. If we see anyone dropping things, we are likely to tell them to pick them up.

[@patrickburke8888]

Chadstone Shopping Centre is the biggest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere. Macquarie Shopping Centre did hold the record for a number of years until Chadstone Shopping Centre took over.

[@jackiebadcock6504]

Melbourne’s a really vibrant city. The weather’s the downside though. A lot of Melburnians come up to the Gold Coast for a holiday. Also, a lot of people from Melbourne and Sydney choose to live here. Many years ago the Gold Coast was known as a place for retirees, but not anymore. When we came here in 2000 the population was about 350,000, now it’s over 700,000. Some people think of the Gold Coast as being Surfers Paradise alone but Surfers is just a small part of the city. If you’ve not already seen them I’m sure you’d love Burleigh, Coolangatta and Currumbin, to name just a few of the beautiful places south of Surfers. We love it here. It would be wonderful if you could show a video one day please. Thanks for all your great videos 👍👏

[@mattjns]

I have a beach box. (We call them boat-sheds a few beaches down) My dad built it in the -1960’s. They’re awesome.

[@michaelclough8218]

Luna Park is a ride theme park. The walls are a big roller coaster. It's right on the beach, and next too all the stuff in the video in St Kilda. The big face / mouth is the iconic entrance. It's been there for 110 years

[@harpermcalpineblack8573]

Overlooking Melbourne to the east are the Dandenong Ranges. Temperate rainforest right on the edge of the city. That's an important part of Melbourne.

[@nicoleferlazzo6591]

We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful City and thank you for noticing how clean it is. Ian, you really must come to Melbourne, there is so so much to see and do. Not just in the City itself, but along the coastal towns and beaches, the Wineries, Yarra Valley, The Dandenong ranges, snow fields and high country, The Murray River, and shopping! It's a pity they didn't show Chapel Street South Yarra, a pretty famous shopping precinct. BTW Chadstone shopping Centre hasn't always been that glam. It is a very multicultural city with some of the world's best restaurants and we can pretty much choose almost any cuisine. Sydney (5.5 million) is larger than Melbourne (5.2 million), but Melbourne is growing at a faster rate and the gap is closing. Melbourne's population is set to overtake Sydney's by 2030. I have been to most of the cities in Australia, and yes the weather here is very changeable, but I am a Melbourne girl at heart, and I bloody love it.

[@barbararowley6077]

I used to live in Malvern East (suburb of Melbourne) and Chadstone (Chaddie) was literally my corner store! The transparent ceiling was part of the latest renovation, and the new food hall is under it. Very pretty, but the acoustics are uncomfortable. The view from the cinema level is worth it though! I adore Melbourne, but our big Achilles heel is the traffic. It’s considered roughly on par with LA. Even though public transport is brilliant. Hopefully the new train lines will reduce congestion, when they’re fully completed (expected in the 2030’s - simply because interconnecting train lines was neglected for so long). For a US metric: we’ve nearly a million more people than LA whilst covering 7 times the area. The city centre itself is extremely green, with extensive parklands and a large Botanical Gardens. By the time you’ve reached the lake at the lowest part of the Gardens (they’re built on hills) the traffic noises are pretty much gone and you can just quietly sit and watch the ducks, forgetting you’re in a large, sprawling, city. It’s a fairly steep hike from the Lich Gate, near the Sydney Myer Music Bowl, which is where I’d often enter the Gardens, but just a gentle descent from the main entrance, the Observatory Gate. That also puts you near the Children’s Garden, which is lovely. That entrance is just near the Shrine of Remembrance, so it’s very easily found as that’s clearly visible down St Kilda Road.

[@kathrynmcintosh2726]

Hello from Perth Western Australia. My sister and I went to Melbourne for a holiday most of the holiday we easily walked around the city and take trams.

[@cgkennedy]

Hosier Lane is where the graffiti is. St Kilda Pier has a breakwater at the end of it. There are nesting little penguins there. The tall building with gold is the Eureka Tower. That building going south along Swanston Street is the Melbourne Town Hall.

[@theiceprince8376]

4:10 the building with the gold on top is the Eureka Sky Deck, the view from the 88th floor is great, it's not really a must see in my opinion, but it's definitely worth it if you have the time.

[@megsybond]

Melbourne was ranked "The World's Most Liveable City" for seven years straight, from 2011-2017, and was ranked 2nd in 2018 & 2019. There's a good reason for that - it's a brilliant city!

[@alliegal45]

Melbourne over Sydney any day for me ….uh oh…lol … can’t remember if you’ve done it or not but the penguin parade at Philip Island is pretty awesome…or check out the moto GP race there..awesome views of the ocean from the track..

[@nataliemay415]

2:50 where they're standing is on the church and to the left is Fed Square. Fun fact where the information centre is currently was where the original Melbourne morgue was back in the day.

[@charlesemerson6763]

Melbourne is nice, great place to eat, fantastic to walk around, great museums, the Royal Botanical gardens is an absolutely chill place to visit, but the weather can be unpredictable depending what time of year your there.

[@Mirrorgirl492]

It's all about layering clothes 😉

[@kennethdodemaide8678]

They are the original bathing boxes and are privately owned. They are extremely expensive, hundreds of thousand dollars each. This only touched on a few of the sights in Melbourne. The most livable city in the world for 7 years in a row. About to overtake Sydney as Australia's biggest city. Public transport in the Central Business District is free.

[@aussiegirl1166]

We lived on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria for 3 years, beautiful place and we would go to the city quite often. So many great things to see and do, we took a boat trip down the Yarra River to Williamstown, a great way to see the city from a different view. The bathing boxes were in our area too, all the way down that way they have them. St Kilda is clean on the water front but if you venture a few streets in its not so much, well when we went anyway.

[@jenniferharrison8915]

Yes, not clean I know what you mean, my niece had a flat near there, scary!

[@JesusManera]

I've lived in St Kilda for 17 years (and grew up only a few suburbs away) and can concur. I absolutely love the place because it's quirky, diverse and let's say "colourful" and I'd never want it to become like Brighton, but you're spot on that beyond the palm tree lined Esplanade and stunning sunsets over the bay, there's absolutely a grittier underbelly to the area.

[@stephaniebell4272]

It is enormous! I got lost in it 20 years ago, when it was half the size

[@stonedcold5172]

G'day IWrocker , I just finished watching the NPK street outlaw's Vs the Aussies on their KZbin channels and couldn't believe it, the whole time they were saying how bad the food was and that they couldn't find anything to do when they had some free time and they just wanted to get back home. I was shocked and a little disappointed that they didn't have a good experience, the one good thing they mentioned was how awesome the Australian fans/people are.

[@5lcalais1]

That's cause they were living on hjs, kfc n maccas lol And they're probably not used to having food that isn't over processed n packed full of salt n sugar , a lot of American food is absolute garbage from what I've heard. Their just not familiar with what real/good food tastes like lol And tbh car enthusiasts aren't usually interested in the touristy crap ,I've lived in Melbourne (western suburbs) 7 yrs and all I've seen of Melbourne is MotorX lol Unless it's to do with cars I'm not really interested tbh like most car enthusiasts. The prices they wanted was disgusting though, I saw the ticket prices and went yeah nah lol It doesn't cost near that to see a top fueler of doorslammer event and tbh is way more exciting.

[@kimsherlock8969]

The boat huts at Brighton beach have an interesting narrative historically until today. They to me look like cheerful tiny homes for one to have shelter.

[@whymeeveryone]

don't forget shopping malls here in Australia have supermarkets.

[@petertrezise4545]

Melbourne has the largest tram network in the world. It’s free in the CBD. The laneways have many hidden bars and eateries.

[@judileeming1589]

When I was born, most of the inner suburbs of Melbourne were considered the outer suburbs, but today Melbourne has over 1,000 suburbs. Malls like Chadstone have shopping, theatres, dining, gyms, banks, supermarkets, independent butchers, fish mongers, fresh fruit and vegetable grocers, hotels and apartments. Melbourne is situated at the head of Port Phillip Bay. Technically it is too big to be called a bay it is more the size of a small sea with many Melbourne suburbs having a beach and outer suburbs being within a 40 minute drive from sand and sea. The city of Geelong is another gem situated around the bay from Melbourne. There are over 5 Million residents in Melbourne which is known as the coffee, sporting and cultural capital of Australia. Not as photogenically scenic or busy as Sydney but will surpass Sydney in population in the next 30 odd years. The Sydney/Melbourne “which is better” has never been something I subscribed to, as each has things I love and I always say visit them both and keep going and check out other towns and cities all over Australia.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Even though I dislike graffiti, I do like that graffiti wall. It is stunning. Of the smaller cities, among my favourites is Bendigo, about two hours from Melbourne. Very gold rush Victorian era and so beautiful. Highly recommended. Thank you for the video!

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

Shopping centres are what we call shopping malls, we used to have strip shops of 6 to 8 shops on main suburban roads and several corner shops in most suburbs. Still have them but they struggle against the shopping centres.

[@jenniferharrison8915]

I've spent 72 hours in Melbourne twice, looks like I missed a few things! 😄 Highlights a Cake shop at St Kilda, and the Crown! My sister and niece live in Melbourne, in very different places. It's not for me, it's now a city for youth! It's not really chilled now, it's quite aggressive! 😟 In Sydney we have beautiful old historic malls and many modern shopping centres! Yes, most of Australia is clean? 👍

[@5lcalais1]

I live an hr away in the west, been into Melbourne 3 times in the 7 yrs I've lived and tbh it's a hell hole 😬 And the governments a joke here too ,states like 370 billion $ in debt 🙄

[@macdac9861]

@@5lcalais1 everything west of Melbourne is tumble weeds and f**kwits

[@jenniferharrison8915]

@@5lcalais1 Yes, pictures don't always show the real picture!

[@barnowl5774]

@@macdac9861 liar!

[@bogged2theeyeballs695]

I've visited Both Sydney and Melbourne many times over the years and would choose Melbourne any time if I had to live in another city other than where I live now. Perth. Melbourne has a much more relaxed and friendly vibe and the best restaurants across all price ranges of any Australian city, vibrant arts and culture and is the sporting capital of Australia with almost all the major national and international sporting events such as Formula 1, Moto GP, Australian tennis open (Grand Slam) Melbourne Cup, etc. Sydney people are far more stressed out, smile less and always in a hurry. The traffic is diabolical and let's not mention South West Sydney perpetual stabbings, shootings and gang violence murders. Don't get me wrong, there is lots to like about Sydney, but for me personally, it's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to stay.

[@101steel4]

Everything looks so modern, even the older buildings.

[@kapusocials]

Chadstone Shopping Centre (Mall) is the biggest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere and home to many world class luxury brands.

[@kazdean]

St Kilda's Luna Park is the oldest continuously run theme park in the world, it is also the only one in the world completely enclosed by a roller coaster. It opened in 1912 and has ties to the first Luna Park that opened in Coney Island.

[@michaelfink64]

Great that you finally got to the best place on Earth, Ian. The tall building with the gold bits sticking out is Australia 108, a 316 m (1,039') tall residential tower and the tallest building by floor height (Q1 on the Gold Coast is taller if you include the spire) in Australia. No, you can't drive on St Kilda Beach. I think this was referring to vehicles on St Kilda Pier. I have never seen one there but I guess there might occasionally be vehicles to load and offload boats. There are also penguins at St Kilda Pier.

[@Wadayatalkinaboot]

The beach boxes are privately owned for storage and average costs are 2-3x the price of the average home

[@PiersDJackson]

Ian, Melbourne is quite good and all... but what she seems to have missed is that there's two types of Tram (really nine distinct classes) in Melbourne... the metal ones in most shots are E class, with low floors and three segments, there were also shots of a Z class near St Kilda (I think) with a single piece body, raised floor and a coffin nose on each end - they're minimum 47 years old now. Then there's the B class with two segments and raised floor... absent was the A class, which is a single segment version of the B class, the two C and two D classes, the C1 and D1 are three segment low floors, the C2 and D2 are stretched versions at five segments..... and the missing iconic class is the catch all W class of wooden framed single segmented raised floor... that are minimum 65 years old... they operate primarily the Free city-circle route, and two other short inner-city routes, due to their complete lack of speed. Also that building with the gold top, is the Eureka Tower, with the skydeck. There's an observation level at the near penultimate floor, and a room that you can stand in that firstly can be extended out 12' from the side of the building, and then has a glass floor with an electric opacity impeded... looks solid marble floor tiles, then 5 seconds later looking straight down 300 '+ at the ground, uninterrupted.

[@bernadettelanders7306]

Been there, done that lol. I live in Melbourne. Saw street I worked in and where husband worked at Melbourne Town hall. Too much too comment on as spent so much time in the city. Shame they didn’t show the Botanical Gardens, and so many other beautiful old buildings and arcades. I loved Block Arcade, even appreciated it’s stunning old beauty when I walked through it as a teenager. Yes it is quite clean, bins everywhere, you get find throwing rubbish on ground, which is a great idea. Found this on City of Melbourne site re keeping the city clean. *We clean streets, public spaces and parks regularly, with those in the central city area cleaned every day and high usage areas cleaned many times a day.* Must be some rubbish, I’ve never seen much at all.

[@adamparker9765]

Food in Melbourne is some of the worlds best . Check out the video of Grazelands . They missed out on the Melbourne Cricket ground and the gardens . The zoo is also one of the best around , Museum and Under water world. So much to see in Melbourne .

[@osocool1too]

Great video review of my home city ❤...KMart in Australia has nothing to do with Kmart USA and is owned by a conglomerate Wesfarmers who also own Coles and Bunnings to name a few..👍🤗 PS Melbournes tram network is the largest in the world, Chadstone SC is the largest in OZ and SC's in general are doing well and thriving. 🥳

[@Scuppun]

I'm from Melbourne and the best sunsets are in Broome Western Australia

[@jonsant7232]

I'm a proud Sydneysider but I love Melbourne it's a totally different type of city to Sydney, to me Melbourne has a more European feel and the trams make it really easy to get around. I love Sydney and we have the icons like the beautiful harbour the Opera house the bridge, Bondi Beach but it is crazy busy and hectic and very expensive if you want to live here the 2nd most expensive place in the world after Hong Kong A common saying in Sydney is "the best thing to come out of Melbourne is the road heading north to Sydney" (the Hume Hwy)

[@timothybogle1461]

Melbourne's streets are on a grid. Sydney's are not.

[@barnowl5774]

Yes, uneducated and uncultured people of Sydney are jealous of Melbourne because of it being a marvellous city, so try to rubbish it with quotes like this.

[@jonsant7232]

@@timothybogle1461 Melbourne was designed and Sydney just evolved (badly) Melbourne is nice and easy to navigate. I did deliveries around Sydney CBD for more than 10 years so it's easy for me but for none locals good luck

[@cypherglitch]

Impressed he pronounced Palais theatre correctly on his first try

[@loumac]

In Brisbane, at Indooroopilly shopping centre, we have a floor that is dedicated to selling expensive cars.

[@grandmasmagic3858]

recently Melbourne, Australia, was voted THE friendliest city...also, St Kilda Pier..you can go there dusk & dawn to see a colony of Farey Penguins for FREE..

[@lindylufromoz5111]

For me, Melbourne is number ONE. I'm a Melbournian even though I live 50 minutes north in stunning rural surrounds. On December 13th 1912, Mr Moon opened his giant mouth to St Kilda and welcomed thousands of people into Melbourne’s Luna Park for the first time. It's worth looking at photos of the transformation over the years. It was vintage & the big mouth of Mr Moon has always been there albeit renovated over the decades. Melbourne CBD has always been special for me. The world's best coffee & cafes, Arts Centre, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Museums & Galleries, stunning greenery & botanic Gardens, lush fresh food, magic restarants, markets, beaches, Street art alleys,streets & buildings, Moomba festival, F1 grand prix, trams, Theatres, live entertainment, Flinders St station, glorius skylines, a cultured but gentle vibe & more brilliant things. Sydney is too hectic & cut throat for me. Brisbane ( is accurately dubbed BrisVegas but still more laidback than most other capitals. Wherever you go in Australia people are generally friendly & it has a very low crime rate. Adelaide; gorgeous, super friendly, cultured, slow paced with very slooow drivers. Perth also gorgeous. Lotsa great things. Darwin - don't know, never been. Inland smaller cities away from capital cities are wonderfully historic & a pleasure to visit; ie in Victoria it would be Ballarat & Bendigo for example. I feel very very lucky to have been born in the earth's sweetest paradise, Australia. x L

[@timothybogle1461]

Spent 18 months there in 2011 and 2012. I have memories of every place here. I think it's sister city in the US is Boston. It's very chill compared to Sydney and is the sports and art capital of Australia. They are in T-shirts and shorts today, tomorrow it will be 16 degrees and raining. Some points. - Myki is their transit pass. Melbourne is evidence you don't need to bury transit to make it work. - if you look at the shot of the moon it's upside down to what we would see. This makes sense when you think about it. - I'm from Canada and we have Tesla stores in some malls and I'm pretty sure I have seen a couple in Florida as well. There are a lot of American chains taking hold in Australia. There are a couple Costco's in Melbourne. What failed miserably is Starbucks as the coffee culture is the best I have experienced and that included being to France and Italy. - The alleyways are anything but creepy, they are where some of the best restaurants and bars are. - Make no mistake, that water is freezing no matter the time of year. Some places missing as 3 days is a lot. - Carlton - Lygon st. - Chapel St. - Fitzroy and Brunswick. - The MCG and Melbourne park (home of the Australian Open) - Queen Victoria market. - Camberwell (which is great for shopping) - Albert Park. For someone getting into F1 that's where they will be this weekend. Seriously a spectacular city!! May I suggest Auckland, Perth or Wellington if you want to stay in the same region.

[@JesusManera]

Great comment and glad you enjoyed your time in Melbourne! Spot on about the coffee culture and fantastic alleyways too, and mostly, your recommendations for the inner suburbs. I think they are often overlooked by travellers but are what actually makes Melbourne what it is.. That whole ring of inner suburbs around South Melbourne, Albert Park, St Kilda, Balaclava, Windsor & Prahran, South Yarra, Hawthorn, Richmond, Abbotsford, Collingwood & Fitzroy, Northcote, Thornbury, Brunswick, Carlton, Footscray, Williamstown. They have their own unique vibes but are all so well connected, so vibrant, and with so much to do. I feel like that's where the best of Melbourne is found, even moreso than the CBD.

[@radarvictory1]

Most Australians take pride in keeping the streets and transport clean.

[@WatchingDude]

Every state in Australia has for sometime had keep Australia beautiful campaigns. These campaigns went to primary schools when I was in school in the 70s. Along with this were introduced penalties for littering which initially started at $300 and in South Australia has now risen to $1,000 on the spot fine if you are caught littering. However if your case is a serious case of littering or you refuse to pay the on the spot fine you can go to court where the penalty can be increased up to $100,000. Although your average litre if they go to court will pay the minimum fine of $5,000 which is why most people will pay the on the spot fine. Also you will generally find a bin fairly frequently so you don't have to look too hard. If you find any rubbish dumped in your area you can report it through an app and it will usually be gone in about 2 to 3 days.

[@Skipychic]

Brighton Beach bathing boxes were originally for changing into your bathing suit. Nobody arrived at the beach in their bathers. And before you leave you had to get changed back into your street clothes. Today, those bathing boxes are privately owned and to buy one, they cost almost as much as a house.

[@popcornshiner3937]

Melbourne Is my home town from my childhood, as I grew to 16 years old it was my go to place for fun, the Melbourne skyline has changed so much in the last 6 years that I have noticed as I am now living in a country town.

[@KittyKatpurr]

Oh and Tim tams our our national emblem now 😂

[@adrianmclean9195]

The little beach "shacks", are world wide - and there are thousands of paintings/pictures of them everywhere - iconic beach scene, even videos on them and their history and ownership. Remember the "love shack", from the awesome B-52's

[@mCblue79]

Love the vid of my hometown 😊 Did you know Melbourne, Florida was named after us? It's true! 👍😁🇦🇺

[@irkorpus]

Queen Victoria Market is a sight to see in Melbourne, it has been there for 140 years