I actually can’t count the ways in which I love this town. I just can’t. It’s a vibrant, gorgeous city with a small-town feel. This is the first time I’ve lived in a place where I felt like I was on the inside, rather than on the outside looking in.

Falling in love with Melbourne was a slow burn. It was like falling for a guy who initially seemed like a hipster douche. A bit too trendy for his own good, nonchalant and cliquey. Ray-Ban wearing, hair styled to within an inch of his life, boat shoes so shiny you could see your face in them. But then as you got to know him, you noticed his wicked sense of humour. His eclectic taste in music. His amazing foodie ways. His incredible friends from every corner of the globe.

Once you realised all those things, you never stood a goddamn chance.

I write this surrounded by boxes, as I pack up my life to head back to the UK. It’s hard to describe how blessed I feel to have had this love affair with the world’s most liveable city (BACK OFF, SYDNEY)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes.

The Melbourne skyline at dusk

 

A pair of… I want to say cockatoos (?) having a chinwag

 

The view at Lavandula Farm, Daylesford. Paradise just an hour outside the city

 

High tea at the beautiful Chateau Yering winery in the Yarra Valley

 

Sunset over the Twelve Apostles, along the Great Ocean Road

 

Tennis fans watching the Australian Open on the big screen at Federation Square