DbF

Living in the CBD is a totally different thing to just visiting it or working there. You are always surrounded by the excitement, noise, bustle and stimulation of the city - good and bad. Interestingly, though, Melbourne is a CBD that has a lot of quieter laneways and streets that feel a little more suburban. And there are more families living in the area than you'd expect. That said, after 18 months we are tired of the city and it's time to move somewhere a little further out. We are sick of the smokers on the street everywhere and people slow-walking while absorbed in their phones. And the footpaths, increasingly, are far too narrow to deal with the volume of pedestrian traffic.

PROS: Just a block back from busy Punt Rd, Walsh St joins Toorak Rd (with shops, transport and trendy cafes around the corner) with Domain Rd (with the botanical gardens, more shops and even trendier cafes around that corner) and Alexandra Ave (the river). The river end is a little more high-end (think millionaires driving sportscars), the Toorak Rd end is a little younger in feeling (think dual income no kids professionals living the dream.) It's a place we loved living for the sheer convenience - you always feel like you're in the centre of things.

CONS: Parking can be difficult on the street at times. And being in South Yarra, everything is pretty expensive (except for Krakatoa cafe down Toorak Rd; they're cheap and cheerful!)