To The City That Will Always Have My Heart: Melbourne

Dear Melbourne,

It’s true, when they say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

You have raised me from the ground up, in the most spectacular of ways. You gave me your cultured streets and your quiet suburban neighbourhoods, a chance at a small glance out a window into the great wide world beyond — and I took it and flew away from you.

Wanderlust is what they call it, it means “a strong desire to travel” and I am unashamed to say that I am suffering from it. I am unashamed to say that I enjoy travelling away from you because every time I leave you and the miraculous nature you hold so close to me, I return to see those very same gardens, those gum trees that grow outside my bedroom window and those wildflowers that I passed by at my primary school; I see them with new eyes.

They are more beautiful since before I left, and Melbourne, you must know that your natural beauty is already magnificent — my wanderlust only makes you all the more important and magnificent to return to. I see all these little things again, and I smile, because I truly see you again.

Your city streets, set on a grid that makes me so relieved when I return, because nowhere else I’ve been has been so easy to navigate as you. You play games with me and take me on my own adventures, whether it be through a reservation forest walk that spans three suburbs or the city laneways to find a good coffee.

You feed me, and well, with foods from all over the world — I think it’s somehow your way of trying to hold onto me, Melbourne, and I understand that you don’t want me to go. But you are uniquely you, Melbourne, as any other city is uniquely their own; you are young, and vibrant and a never-ending maze of your very own brand of adventure that is cherished by all.

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You celebrate with me, because you accept the diversity of people who live here. I get to enjoy the cultures far older than me or you, to learn about what they celebrate and you don’t hinder that. You know what I like and always have the perfect place for me to read quietly or explore adventurously, safely alone or with the friends you’ve raised next to me. You give me beauty in you buildings, old and new, and cultures that create every suburb to be unique and share joy with everyone who become friends in places you’d never think to look.

You appreciate the art of all those here, showcasing work on the sides of buildings and along fences, a public gallery space that gives others a voice for you. You cherish your history and take nothing for granted, with views from an 88th floor, through the passages to a dome room or along sand-softened piers, you teach me of those who came before me and the importance of their contribution to making you who you are. And you let me admire the beauty that you create, with your ever-changing weather and a breathtaking view of sun against clouds that I watch on your horizon.

It’s true, when they say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone — I never knew I would miss you so much when I was gone, Melbourne, but you are always with me wherever I go. And these are the very reasons why I will always come back to you, because every time I leave you, I leave you with my heart — Melbourne, you are my heart — and with that, I hope you know that I love you Melbourne.

Love,

The one who will always return