“Ask any Melburnian and they’ll tell you they live in the best city in the world,” says local travel website AWOL, “but sometimes it’s nice to have some validation.” Not only because Melbourne beat all other cities in the world, but because it outranked its local rivals – Adelaide tied with Calgary for fifth, while Sydney and Perth came in at seventh and eighth and Brisbane 18th. Melbourne held that mantle for seven consecutive years, but in mid-2018 news came through that it had been usurped by Vienna. Which makes Melbourne, in the eyes of The Economist Intelligence Unit, the world’s second most livable city. Aw shucks.