It was named the world's most livable city  throughout the 2010s. Backed by its strong infrastructure, low crime rate, relatively clean downtown, its no wonder why.

Welcome to Melbourne.

As the capital city of the state of  Victoria, Melbourne is a fast-developing metropolis that's simple to explore on foot. It's a city that's full of fantastic live music, signature grafitti-laced alleyways,  and an exceptional waterfront to tie it all together. The main way I got around was  by an above-ground train, which operates on a reloadable funds travel card called a MyKi. All trains outside the CBD converge on Flinders Street station. Opened in  1854, this station stretches for more than 2 city blocks and is one of the most recognized  landmarks in Melbourne. Once in the central business district, it's simple to just walk around for some shopping or hop on a free tram service that can  take you around the confines of the city. Once outside the perimeter of downtown tho, you must pay to ride the trams.

The Melbourian skyline is pretty sweet.  There's a lot of blue and yellow which I think is the two main colors of the city. I've gone up some of the buildings to get a better look and there are even helicopter rides  available to see the city from high above.

The Southbank river walk is great to take in the  sights but food and drinks are quite expensive.

I'm just not a fan of the doo doo brown color of the Yarra River which runs through the city and into the harbor.

Melbourne's definitely got an  eclectic food scene with all sorts of eateries located within its  hidden alleyways. As well as streetside where you can find lots of amazing  local and international cuisine.

Also worth noting that Melbourne  is a progressive city that is passionate about global issues like  climate change, women's rights, and migrant refugees. Often times, there are  several protests happening outside Parliament and it's a good step towards addressing climate which set off the Australian bushfires.

Some of my favorite neighborhoods were St Kilda, which is southeast of the CBD and is  built through a bohemian lifestyle.

Fitzroy and Collingwood are both northeast of  the city and is popular with young professionals, backpackers, and students. It's got more street art than I've seen anywhere else and it's almost encouraged to tag the entire  suburb. It's definitely in a theme of its own and that's what makes it stand out. There  is nothing overly flashy here and it brought me back to the college  days of laid back living. There is a ton of Victorian era architecture,  green natural space, and of course plenty of local bars to grab a cold one and watch some Australian rules football.

But why not just attend a live game instead?

We went to Marvel stadium, the famed comic  book giant company, for an exhibition game.

Walking in is similar to attending an NFL game back home, except that the playing field is a  giant oval, or a modified cricket ground. It's often referred to as footy where two teams of 18 players engage in a physical contest.

We ended up rooting for the Dogs.

The games are always  high-pace/high score, and even if I didn't always understand whats  happening, it was fun to follow.

After the game, Darth Vader rocked  out some AC/DC for the fans, which was both legendary and  the most Australian thing ever.

At night, the city of Melbourne comes alive  with vibrant lights and reflective streets.

The street art also shifts with the time of day with melancholy lighting and even  some interactive art on full display.

We set off to the Dandenong Ranges, which are  roughly an hour and a half drive east from the city to do a little hiking and also get to view some native Australian wildlife.

Most notably, the wild grey kangaroos and  wallabies that like to hang out in the area.

Seeing these animals outside of a zoo doing their thing and hopping around was amazing. Always a good  idea to watch from a distance and not approach without warning. The laughing sound of the  kookaburra bird though was slightly terrifying..

I traveled several hours north to  live the farmlife on a horse farm, visit sites like Organ Pipes  National Park and Hanging Rock.

This was a former volcano where the magma cooled and contracted  to split into large pinnacles. These pinnacles shoot straight up around the natural phenomenon and it's a great place to discover and summit as you overlook  Australia's famous wine countryside.

I took another train to go even further north  to the town of Bendigo, which goes by the beat of its own drum. It's the most northern large city in Victoria and is a former gold rush boom town during the 19th century. One of the prominent  landmarks there is Sacred Heart Cathedral and is one of Australia's largest churches.  It's ceiling stretches on for 24 meters, while the main spire is close to 88 meters high. An architectural marvel worthy of checking out.

I wrapped up my travels in Victoria  at the beginning of September where Spring was on the horizon in the  southern hemisphere. After getting to the airport and walking through the gnarliest  Duty Free of all time, I loaded onto the plane.

Any idea of where I'm headed  next? See you next time.