Melbourne has recently been named THE place to live in Australia so lets dive in to discover the distinct fortes and flavors of a few Melbourne destinations.

Spend some time in the city center and you’ll discover it’s neatly divided into little pockets for you to explore. Find art, bars and restaurants up and down in the laneways, retail therapy for any budget in Bourke and Collins streets, and creative outlets on show in Flinders Quarter. St Kilda Road means galleries and gardens, while neighboring Yarra Precinct and Docklands deliver waterside views by the boatload.

Get started within the striking design of Federation Square. More than just a public space, it’s the city’s creative hub, boasting Australian art par excellence at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, and homages to film and TV at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

Get all the information you need at the Melbourne Visitor Centre then recharge at one of the many eateries and bars peppering the square.

Whatever your mode of transport you’ll find all roads lead south in Melbourne – to Southbank and South Wharf, that is, Melbourne’s waterside dining, drinking and shopping hubs.

Roll up to Southbank’s restaurants and bars on two wheels, as numerous cycling trails converge amid the riverside hotspot’s public art installations. Southbank and South Wharf are also easily accessible by tram and train and even boat, with water taxis stopping regularly outside Southgate.

There’s always something new to discover in Melbourne‘s hive of bustling, creative laneways, with their covert boutiques, famed restaurants, hole-in-the-wall cafes and astonishing bars. Hardware Lane, Degraves Street and Centre Place are vying to feed you and ensure you look the part.

Take a deep breath and dive into the bustling hive of commerce that is the Bourke Street Mall, emerging hours later, arms laden with shopping bags and head reverberating with the sounds of the street’s lively buskers.

Melbourne’s retail heart links Swanston and Elizabeth streets and is only open to trams and pedestrians. Listen out for the bells of approaching trams as you drift between department stores and the flagships of fashion retailers.

Head to St. Kilda and join locals who walk, cycle and skate under the palms on the foreshore or sail, windsurf or kitesurf on the bay.

Keep an eye out for little penguins at the St Kilda Breakwater and if visiting on a Sunday, check out St Kilda Esplanade Arts and Craft Market.

Enjoy fine dining at Donovans, Stokehouse and Circa, Asian flavours at Uncle and tasty Mexican at Radio Mexico. Catch live music at the Palais Theatre and the Prince Bandroom, and get a thrill on a ride at the iconic Luna Park.

Whatever your indulgence, you will love every piece of Melbourne!