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Robert Hutchinson

My wife and I have, between us, lived as adults in 10 major cities on four continents. 

In various ways, we liked them all.  And we have learned what we like in a city, right now, with our girls aged 8 and 10. 

It is that perspective that led us, once we learned we’d have an Australia assignment, to choose to live in Melbourne.  

Frankly, much of what we might say, about Melbourne, is about what is good about Australia from an outsider’s perspective – good weather, good schools, good food, fabulous natural amenities, an active cultural life, a vast array of social and mixing opportunities with a predominantly friendly and easy-to-understand populace. 

Isolating what we feel about Melbourne is trickier.  But in the end the appeal boils down to three things that Melbourne has, that many others appear to be lacking. 

The first is Melbourne’s enormous pride – the source, I sense, of its interest in constantly playing host, in creating or attracting events, in showing everyone what it has to offer. 

It is not jaded, overrun with visitors attracted by postcard views or lowest-common-denominator attractions.

Melbourne works to earn its visitors, and to get its own citizens out of their houses, out doing something interesting, out eating, out barracking for a team, out meeting others. 

Pride comes from participation – all sectors, private, public, not-for-profit, and not-really-organized-at-all, and from many different people, all contributing something interesting. 

And in the end Pride comes from all the work that is done – hard work, not easy work. 

Melbourne is proud, and wants others to come and share. 

The second is that Melbourne is a great size.  Melbourne, in our experience has enough of everything, without too much. 

Enough highways, enough bike paths, and enough public transport, at least for now. 

Enough variety, without being intimidating in the choice. 

Enough beach not far away, enough accessible beauty spots, enough center city to feel substantial without turning into Gotham, enough suburb without going on forever, at least for now. 

Others of similar size are lacking the variety, lacking the balance, lacking the interesting detail and the frugality with space, lacking the restraint and sense of control and thoughtfulness that pervades here. 

Melbourne not only has something for everyone – it has everything for someone. 

Accessible variety is hard to come by, and Melbourne is the right size to offer it.

The third is that people in Melbourne are connected to the world, in two ways. 

There are people here, from everywhere else. 

And the people from here, have been everywhere else, still go everywhere else, and are interested in everywhere else.  

It’s hard to meet someone here, who does not know someone you know, somewhere else. 

This makes a huge difference to a foreigner – NOT to have to explain yourself or your part of the world, but to engage immediately about that part of the world, or any other part of the world. 

This is unusual.  Some cities are so proud, no one thinks about what else is out there. 

Or so big, they do not really care.  Melbourne’s people keep it well-connected.