An impressive sporting calendar, a thriving design scene and an irrepressible cultural energy mean Melbourne consistently exceeds expectations, writes Mandi Keighran
Southbank, Melbourne | Peninsula Sotheby’s International Realty
Melbourne has long been known as Australia’s cultural capital, but that’s not the only side to the city—its sporting credentials are just as strong. Every year, headline events such as the Australian Open, the Spring Racing Carnival and the upcoming Australian Grand Prix, which kicks off a new Formula One season on March 8, draw global attention.
While people might visit for the sporting spectacle, they tend to stay for everything else, from laneway galleries and hidden cocktail bars to blockbuster exhibitions and luxury boutiques. Oh, and the world-beating coffee. “Melbourne is known as one of the world’s most liveable cities,” says Max Ruttner, managing director of Melbourne Sotheby’s International Realty. “It offers an exceptional lifestyle alongside an incredible cultural and entertainment scene.”
“I see Melbourne as the cultural heart of Australia’s creative industries,” agrees Alice Blackwood, a Melbourne-based design editor and strategic storyteller. “Creativity here never exists in isolation, nor does any discipline remain confined to its own practice. The cross-pollination between art, theatre, music, design, architecture and our world-class hospitality scene, too, generates a steady exchange of ideas and new experiences.”
Southbank is the heart of Melbourne’s arts precinct, home not only to the National Gallery of Victoria—currently hosting the world premiere of landmark fashion exhibition “Westwood | Kawakubo”—but also the Arts Centre Melbourne and the Melbourne Theatre Company. Joining them will be The Fox: NGV Contemporary, which is set to open in 2028.
Southbank, Melbourne | Peninsula Sotheby’s International Realty
Rising above it all, on the banks of the Yarra River, is Eureka Tower, and at its summit, a penthouse occupying the entire 82nd floor. This is the ideal home for a Melburnian who thrives on city living. Full-height glazing frames dramatic 360-degree views of the skyline, while the building’s features include a 25-meter pool, gymnasium, sauna and cinema.
“The penthouse is ideally located on the edge of the Melbourne CBD [Central Business District], with the city’s best restaurants at your doorstep,” says Ruttner. “It’s also only 100 meters from world-class lifestyle amenities.” However, with a dining area for 20 guests, chef’s kitchen, cigar lounge and 1,358-bottle wine cellar, residents might be tempted to stay in. There’s also the Alessi spa bath that looks over the water through the 24-carat-gold-plated windows that adorn the top 10 floors of the building.
Malvern East, Melbourne | Melbourne Sotheby’s International Realty
A different dimension unfolds in Melbourne’s suburbs. In leafy Malvern East, The Gables offers luxury of an earlier era—and the opportunity to own this property, says Ruttner, is “a rare and generational offering.” Designed in 1902 by Beverley Ussher and Henry Kemp, pioneers of Australia’s Federation architecture style, and set within gardens laid out by William Guilfoyle of Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens fame, this Queen Anne mansion sits across three street frontages.
Himalayan cedars planted more than 120 years ago still shade the grounds while four grand reception rooms—including a ballroom—evoke its storied history. In the early 20th century, during prohibition, it was used as a speakeasy by notorious Melbourne gangster Joseph “Squizzy” Taylor, and it went on to host weddings for celebrities and sports stars.
Toorak, Melbourne | Melbourne Sotheby’s International Realty
That sense of scale continues in Toorak, one of Melbourne’s most prestigious suburbs. Here, a 1920 Mediterranean Revival mansion on a coveted boulevard has recently come onto the market after being held by a single family for more than half a century. The home features formal and informal entertaining spaces that recall the glamour of its original decade, as well as a Hollywood Hills-style pool set in manicured gardens.
If these homes represent Melbourne’s architectural past, a reimagined Victorian residence in the vibrant inner-city suburb of Prahran captures how the city weaves together old and new. Renovated by Corr Projects with LSA Architects and designer Nick Kelly, the property retains its period bones—think four-meter-high ceilings and double-fronted proportions—while a boldly geometric rear pavilion gives it distinctive contemporary character.
Prahran, Melbourne | Melbourne Sotheby’s International Realty
The style of each of these homes is unique, but the ambition and focus on the good life in all its guises is a constant, which, in many ways, is the most Melbourne quality of all. From its sports calendar and restaurant scene to its galleries and coffee, whatever Melbourne turns its hand to, it does so with world-class style.
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