A small town feel in the big city

It’s interesting being a traveler in your own city. While Melbourne is not my home, I've been blessed with having dual citizenship between the United States and Australia from birth. While my mom was born in the states, my father was born in Melbourne, Australia before coming to the states as a wide-eyed 20-year-old.  Many family vacations have definitely been spent in the capital of the Victorian state, but my first solo trip to my father’s home has definitely opened my eyes. Melbourne is a big city with a small town feel.

Though in the past I've been surrounded with family and family friends, being a 20-something wandering around Melbourne has given me a chance to explore the city on my own. I've found some great places to sip coffee or cocktails, as well as figured out the world-renowned tram system. I've also, to my dismay, discovered that breaking into a group of friends has been more difficult than I expected. The reason for this? Melbournians meet their friends young, and stick with them until the end.

While I can’t speak for the rest of Australia, what I've seen while branching out in Melbourne is that most social groups meet during their time in primary school (elementary school) and have been friends ever since. People know each other’s families, extended families and pretty much their entire family history. While they are completely welcoming and open, cracking into a group of friends is difficult. Most Australians tend to stay around their hometowns for university, living at home with their parents. While college and university is a time for kids in the states to branch out, meet new people, and essentially break out from the womb, in Australia, this isn't the case.

I’ll be honest in the fact I am absolutely in love with Melbourne, but finding a good group of friends who is actually from the city is tough. Though Melbournians are welcoming, warm and generally great people, breaking into tight knit groups - their tight knit groups - isn't easy. Be prepared when relocating to Melbourne that creating a social network IRL isn't a task for the faint of heart.

Photo courtesy of Moon