My wife is from Melbourne and Sydney. I visited Melbourne with her and my son about 5 years ago, when Jack was 2. There was a transportation strike and we had to hitch-hike around town.
By coincidence, we saw a great band live at the big casino downtown one night, and the next day got picked up by the lead singer while we were hitch hiking! Small world!
I often think I'll retire to Melbourne, I liked the vibe of the city so much. It's safe, too. When I was there, the big story on the news was of a robbery of a convenience store by 2 guys with knives. The surveillance camera captured footage of the clerk chasing them out with a baseball bat! Here in the States, I've been car-jacked at gunpoint by a convicted (and released) murderer in North Carolina and had a fistfight on the NYC subway!