Living in Melbourne

Melbourne is known for the abundance of parks scattered throughout the city. It is situated along a protected bay with several beaches only a few kilometers from the city centre.

There are many scenic natural areas that make an easy day or weekend trip, including the Dandenong Ranges, Grampians, Hanging Rock, Great Ocean Road and Daylesford. Several zoos and wild life sanctuaries housing animals from Australia and the world.

Contrary to what you may have seen on TV, you're extremely unlikely to encounter any kind of dangerous animal in an urban area such as Melbourne. It's true that Australia has some extremely venomous animals, but most city-dwelling Australians never encounter them. Because of its cooler climate and location far to the south of the equator, Melbourne also has far fewer insects than more northern areas of Australia. And no, there are no kangaroos in the streets!

All photos from Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons for commercial work. Credits top (left to right): Nelson Minar, ubg43, Reilly, aussiegall, edwin.11, aussiegall, Tostie14. Credits bottom (left to right): jurek d., Newhaircut, deep_schismic, Percita