Melbourne, Victoria’s coastal capital, is a city of stately 19th-century buildings and tree-lined boulevards. Yet at its centre is the strikingly modern Federation Square development, with plazas, bars, restaurants and cultural events along the Yarra River. In Southbank, the Melbourne Arts Precinct is site of Arts Centre Melbourne – a performing arts complex – and National Gallery of Victoria, displaying Australian and Indigenous art.

Artful, energetic and stylish: life in Melbourne’s city centre is a glorious whirl of renowned restaurants, epic gardens, stadiums, bars and hidden delights. The beating heart of the city and a magnet for everyone who surrounds it, Melbourne’s CBD is a cultural wonderland to call home. If you’ve got an insatiable appetite for street art, great restaurants, rooftop bars, tiny cafes, film festivals, Victorian architecture, historic markets, department stores and designer boutiques, you’ll never go hungry in Melbourne.

With its proximity to universities and every business in town, the people who choose to live in the CBD are, by and large, an independent bunch who love the unbeatable convenience of a city pad for getting to work or lectures. Melbourne’s easy grid layout and its plethora of beautiful gardens means living and working in the city can be an easy, liveable blend. Get your fresh produce at Queen Victoria Market, picnic in the Royal Botanic Gardens, swim at the City Baths – city life can still have that neighbourly feel when you’re not at the theatre, gallery, Etihad Stadium or the latest restaurant or bar. Being the bullseye of the transport system means getting to and from town is incredibly convenient, and being home to Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne University and RMIT makes living in the city perfect for students.

Apartment living is the name of the game in Melbourne’s CBD – it’s just a matter of picking the style you like.