Why I ♥ Port Melbourne

I'm a newbie to the Garden City area of Port Melbourne. By "new", I mean I have lived here for 2 years. And by local standards, that is very new, considering multiple generations have grown up to live on the same street or a few streets apart.

I love Port for it's the people.
Port Melbourne is a jumble of young, old, monied-up, without-money, family oriented, swinging single, been here 90 years, just moved to Australia, the list goes on, BUT the bit that makes it a great place to live is the down-to-earth friendliness of each person. For example, an elderly guy down the road sprained his ankle and is housebound temporarily, voluntarily his neighbours bring in his newspaper, tidy his garden and bring him his groceries.

15 years ago, the Beacon Cove area of Port Melbourne was swamp land, separating the Garden City area from the city. Port was a dwindling population as families moved out of the area to more gentrified areas. Over the past 10 years the area has undergone rapid transformation from a backwater to in-vogue affluence. This change has resulted in the best of both world - a community spirit from the old and improved amenities from the new.

The other major draw cards for this area are the proximity to the water and the city. If its a hot day, take a dip in our great port or sunbake on its freshly groomed beaches. Watch the leading lights of the bay turn on as the sun sets. Dust yourself off and hop on the 109 tram for a meal in the city. Alternatively wander down Bay street and it's many restaurants.

A lesser known attraction are it's many little parks. If you have a canine friend, this is the best place to live closest to the city! Lots of friendly well behaved dogs and their owners catch up on the park or by the doggie beach. Big or small, mixed or pedigreed, it's a happy place for them to romp about.

On the weekend we celebrated the multicultural nature of Melbourne on the newly restored Princes Pier. It was a fantastic day/night with music, dancing, food and fireworks.