As any Melburnian will proudly tell you, our city is famed for being one of the most liveable cities across the globe. We even cracked the top three on the worldwide Global Liveability Index earlier this year. To back up our city pride, a new report has named two Melbourne municipalities as the most liveable in the whole entire country.
Research company Place Score conducted its annual Australian Liveability Census and revealed the most liveable suburbs across the nation, with some interesting and unexpected results unveiled. The list of the most liveable Aussie suburbs was the product of a survey earlier this year that asked people across the country to rate their own neighbourhood and share what they think makes a good suburb to live in. More than 50,000 Aussies gave their two cents, with the data compiled to give each area a place experience score.
Topping the list of most liveable suburbs in Australia was the small, trendy suburb of Subiaco in Perth, followed by the Sydney riverside ‘burbs of Lane Cove and Hunters Hill. The municipality of Boroondara in Melbourne’s east came in fourth on the list, which takes in the suburbs of Kew, Hawthorn and Camberwell. They’re not usually the spots in Melbourne that get a shout out, but it’s great to see the love being shared around.
According to the State of Place report that analyses the survey data, the places that generally achieved a higher score were older, more established locales. These ‘hoods are known for having plenty of green, leafy areas and top-notch amenities. So to put it plainly, more affluent suburbs. The Port Phillip (Elwood, St Kilda) and Surf Coast Shire (Lorne, Torquay) municipalities also cracked the top ten on the list, so it seems like this correlation more or less checks out.
But in good news for all of us, Victoria was rated as the most liveable area in all of Australia. That’s a nice bonus for everyone, no matter where you live in our great state.
According to the survey results, the factors that people value most when considering liveability are that the area has accessible neighbourhood amenities, clean and safe public spaces, local businesses that cater to daily needs, elements of natural environment and access to walking and cycling paths as well as public transport. We’re pretty lucky that most areas in Melbourne have got this covered and it’s safe to say that the standard is high. But hey, maybe we’ll have to catch a flight west to check out what all this Subiaco fuss is about.
The top ten most liveable suburbs in Australia:
- Subiaco, WA – 81
- Lane Cove, NSW – 79
- Hunters Hill, NSW – 78
- Boroondara, Victoria – 77
- Surf Coast Shire – 77
- Vincent, WA – 77
- North Sydney, NSW – 76
- Cambridge, WA – 76
- Port Phillip, Victoria – 76
- Noosa, QLD – 76