-I'm in a destination that is consistently ranked as the most livable city in the world, and what makes it a great place to live makes it a superb place to visit.

It's a destination made for exploring, where grand architecture, old and new, hides secret laneways filled with opportunities to shop, eat and drink, and just outside its limits, a stunning countryside where the most adorable animals live, a city of unstoppable energy.

-[ Cheering ] -Whoo!

I'm in Melbourne, Australia.

[ Upbeat tune plays ] I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world.

And I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my places to love.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Oceania Cruises is a proud sponsor of public TV and "Samantha Brown's Places to Love."

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Oceania Cruises offers gourmet dining and curated travel experiences aboard boutique, hotel-style ships that carry no more than 1,250 guests.

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Your world, your way.

-So we are clearly in the thick of it right now.

This is sort of central Melbourne.

-Absolutely.

We're actually in what we call the Golden Mile.

And these big, wide streets meant that the population could come and move and parade around the city.

But also the smaller lanes were designed that function of business could happen behind the main streets, so the workers would go in from the laneways and side streets, and the customers would parade and shop in the main street.

Melbourne is not an easy city to navigate.

A lot of the best and really heart-singing places are hidden behind doors or down back streets.

I'm Fiona Sweetman and I'm the founder of Hidden Secrets Tours.

-Melbourne was a farming settlement turned small city until the mid 1800s.

-And then somebody said, "There's gold in them thar hills."

And this city exploded.

-The gold rush and the wealth that flooded into Melbourne is evident here.

This is stunning.

-It's pretty lovely, isn't it?

-And the mosaic floor just continues from the outside in.

And it's called the Block.

-It's called the Block.

People on their Sundays or Saturdays would walk around.

The men would walk one way, the women would walk another way.

So it was a parade.

It was showing off your best clothing.

-They were checking each other out.

Okay.

-And so Melbourne's an all-weather city.

So this developer saw that there was an opportunity to have a covered walkway.

So rather than doing the Block outside, you could come and do it inside.

-And therefore maintain your hair, your dress, your look.

-Absolutely.

-While the grandeur of the Block is eye-catching, the laneways is what gives Melbourne a charm that few major cities possess.

There's a whole world tucked away in corners and passages.

These are the secrets of Fiona's tours.

For me, it's interesting because it's so obvious why Melbourne is a great city, but then there's this whole hidden part that people don't know about.

-Yeah.

-That's what you're here for.

-And we feel sad that people miss that side of it.

-Mm-hmm.

Oh, wow.

This is so cool.

-Do Melburnians like their art when they come and visit?

-Uh-huh.

-They do.

And then if you look at this piece of work, this is a dingo.

So that's the native Australian dog here.

An urban lifestyle for the Australian animals.

-Wow.

I mean, and everyone loves Australian animals.

-Yeah.

This is perhaps where you get some of the touristy photos, but they have to find them and that's the fun.

-There are other kinds of artists all over Melbourne, but like Fiona says, you have to know where to look.

-So I'm gonna take you to one of my friend's little tiny corner places called Mork.

-Mm-hmm.

Mork is located in a repurposed elevator shaft, and it specializes in a small luxury called Campfire Hot Chocolate.

-Your drink is just infusing with a little bit of that smoke.

And, of course, no campfire is complete without that marshmallow.

-Oh... -And here it is.

-...my gosh.

-Enjoy.

Please.

-This is childhood right here.

Oh, my gosh.

Melbourne takes its food and drink so seriously that even the hot chocolate is a high-end experience.

-Ohh.

-But a hot chocolate's got to have a little childish element to it, and that's what we do.

You know, we let people enjoy and have fun.

-I've always heard that this city is just, like, sports mad.

-It's not just a sport.

It's where they go every week religiously to watch their team play.

They pass it down from generation to generation.

That's how you make your friends.

That's how you make your community.

I'm Danielle Marshall.

I play for the Essendon Bombers AFLW football club and I'm a back.

The ball itself... um, it's made of real kangaroo leather.

-What?!

-Yeah, real kangaroo leather.

-It's made of kangaroo leather?

-Yeah.

-So it really bounces.

-Yeah.

-Go, Bombers!

-Danielle may not be on the field today, but that's not stopping her from getting into the game.

-Whoo!

Go, Bombers!

-Whoo!

-So I grew up playing soccer and I always did want to play in the NFL, though.

I always loved seeing the tackles and the high-flying catches and just that crunch.

And when I found footy and saw that it was full contact, lots of, like, high-flying marks, everything like that, I was sold.

I was like, "This is the sport that I want to get into."

[ Cheers and applause ] Let's go, Bombers!

And your job is to keep the other team from scoring.

You have to kick the ball through the two center sticks.

-The tallest ones.

-The tallest ones.

But you can get one point if it goes through the sides or any other way that it goes through.

-How many players are gonna be on the field at the same time playing?

-16 v. 16.

So 32 total players.

-32?!

-On the field at one time.

-Do you get confused who's your player, who's your -- on your team?

-Yes.

-Because there's so many of you.

-Absolutely.

Absolutely.

-Oh, my gosh.

Wow.

-Yeah, Clarke!

Get her, Bonn.

-Get it!

That was... -Oh!

And then you try to -- You can hand-ball it.

So you can't throw it.

You can only, like, basically kind of bump it out of your hand, like a fist bump.

-Yeah.

Okay.

-And that's how you hand-pass it.

If you throw it, it's a turnover.

If you get the ball out of bounds, it's a neutral throw-in, and the umpire turns his back so that it can be completely neutral.

-Just like a bride in a -- in a wedding that's throwing the bouquet.

-Exactly.

I never thought of it like that, but that's a pretty good analogy.

And then, um, you can kick it or hand-pass it.

If the player has the ball, you can tackle them.

If they don't have the ball, you can touch them, you can bump them in the side.

[ Cheers and applause ] -I can't believe how fast this game moves.

[ Whistle blows ] -Oh.

Oh!

Yes, Clarke!

Whoo!

[ Screaming indistinctly ] -But you're not an official fan until you're a member of the club.

-So now she's a Bomber, everybody.

-And the crowd went wild.

-For me, Melbourne is the city of food and it's the city of sport and art.

But when it comes to sport, art and food all together, it's just like a melting pot of, like, deliciousness.

I'm Nornie Bero.

I am a Meriam from the Mer Islands of the Torres Strait.

-Nornie is the owner and chef of Big Esso by Mabu Mabu, which specializes in indigenous Australian cuisine, much of which was inspired by where she grew up.

So you are from Torres Strait.

-Torres Strait, yeah.

-Which is a very different part of Australia.

It's north.

-Yes.

-But south of Papua New Guinea.

-It is.

Not many people really know there's these, like, tropical islands all the way up in -- in the tip of Cape York.

And we have all this tropical fruit and tropical, um, spices and seafood is abundant up there.

And I'm grateful that my dad raised me there.

-So could you describe some of these dishes?

-Yes.

-They look fantastic.

-So over here, we've got our wattleseed bread that we make here.

-Wattleseed.

So this is like learning a totally different language for me, and I love it.

-We grind it down into a powder and it becomes, like, this beautiful, almost chocolaty, caffeine, like, you know, um, coffee sort of flavor and hazelnutty at the same time.

It's in my top three of, um... -Like, ingredients you use.

-Yes.

It's even tattooed on my arms.

-Wait.

Wait.

-It's definitely... -It's tattooed on your arm.

-So I've got wattleseed here on my arm.

-That's wattleseed.

-Yeah.

Got our emu here.

-This is emu?

-Yeah.

This is emu.

-May I?

-Yes, please.

Um, emu is a red meat.

So we kind of make sure that we educate people in the fact that if you want to eat the emu here, it's going to be served rare because we don't want to ruin the flavor and waste it, because once somebody has it overcooked, then it's not great anymore.

-That is fantastic.

-Yeah.

On top is a cassava.

-Mm-hmm.

Oh.

Mm-hmm.

-Because I'm a yam girl.

I grew up, you know, digging up my own yams.

-Where is that on your body?

-Yeah.

Everywhere.

Everywhere.

Bit of yam here.

Bit of yam here.

[ Both laughing ] -Next.

-Yeah.

I've got Goolwa pipis here.

So these are our native pipis that come from, um, one of our indigenous, um, growers.

-Goolwa pipis.

-Yeah.

Goolwa pipis.

-It looks like a shellfish.

-Yeah.

It is.

I'm a shell-life girl, so I like to put different types of shells on the menu.

And as a kid walking on the beach, we would just, like, put our feet out and feel for the pipis in the sand.

-Yes.

-And then grab them, put them into the bucket, take them home to cook them, so... -Wow.

-They have a really good nostalgic story for me.

Now as an adult, when you come down to mainland Australia from up in the islands, they've missed out on all this kind of cool stuff.

-Yeah, I'm sure chefs here in Melbourne and all over Australia sort of incorporate those in dishes and just kind of put them as garnishes.

-Yeah.

-That's very different to what you do.

-If you're gonna represent, um, native Australian ingredients, you need to taste it and make that the flavor of your dish because it's unique to us.

You can't get that anywhere else.

-Mm-hmm.

Incidentally, Big Esso is a slang term in the Torres Strait, meaning the biggest "thank you."

So big esso, Nornie.

Just an hour outside of Melbourne is Yarra Valley, known for its rolling farmlands, award-winning vineyards and a sanctuary for Australia's, if not the world's, most beloved animals.

-We are not your typical zoo.

We're a zoo-based conservation organization and we do a lot of threatened-species work, so we have breeding programs for some of our fighting extinction species, and we also have Australian native wildlife living in their beautiful habitat.

I'm Kath Adrians and I'm a veterinarian here at the Australian Wildlife Health Centre, Healesville Sanctuary.

So I have a little bit of -- We've got some mira bush here and we've got some... -The sanctuary offers close-up encounters with the animals as well.

Elise Usher is one of the mammal keepers here.

-So this is Penny.

-Hi, Penny.

How are you?

-Penny is one of our female adults.

-I never thought I'd be this close to a kangaroo, and I still don't see your pouch.

Sorry.

I hope that's not offensive, but... -So basically, it's where you think the belly button is.

-Okay.

-It's just a tiny, little dot.

And when she has a joey, it, of course, expands.

-Being this close allows you to see how strong their tail is, and that it's used as a third limb in what's known as pentapedaling.

Pentapedaling.

-Yeah.

So when they're not in a hurry to get anywhere and they're just moving slowly, otherwise they will hop.

-And this Australian animal I'm about to see next...

I'm gonna level with you.

I'm gonna lose it.

They say you never should meet your heroes.

-This one you can meet.

-Yeah?

-Absolutely.

It'll -- Beyond your expectations.

So if you just want to step to the right for me.

-Well, where are they?

[ Gasps ] Oh, my God.

What did I tell you?

I'm losing it.

-He has that effect on people.

This is Murrindindi.

-Murrindindi.

-Murrindindi.

So he's actually named after an Aboriginal elder who works with us here.

Uh, because we are on the land of the Wurundjeri people, the traditional custodians of this very special place.

He's pausing.

-I was gonna say he's pausing.

-They often do this because, um, koalas, they use a lot of energy to help digest their food.

So what he's doing is he's getting tired, basically.

-Is that right?

-"I'm eating so much.

Now I've got to relax a little bit, slow down."

-And he's back.

-There we go.

They have found a niche in the environment, in the Australian environment, with all those eucalyptus leaves that no other animal has utilized to the same extent.

So these guys have the luxury of not having to compete for their food.

-How, um, able are they to adapt to a new environment?

I'm thinking about a really nice house in New York.

-Ha ha.

Uh, not great.

-Darn it.

-Healesville Sanctuary is a place where we have the Australian Wildlife Health Centre, which is an amazing hospital.

We have four full-time veterinarians, and we have also a number of amazing casual veterinarians that help us out and also a big team of nurses that also help us with all of our procedures.

-My gosh, who's the patient?

-So this is Hank.

-Hank?

-Hank.

Yeah.

He's a beautiful, uh, adult male superb parrot.

And what the vets here are doing is they're just having a look, taking a blood sample.

We're gonna do a health check, make sure that everything is looking good.

-The range of animals and the knowledge that you and your surgical team have has to be immense, right?

You are dealing with birds to large mammals.

-We see around about 2,000 patients that come in, wildlife patients that come in in addition to the animals that live here and the threatened species that we have here.

-So you're doing multiple operations a day.

-Yes.

Yes, definitely.

-And being in Australia, not only are you working on beautiful species, but ones that could be the last of their kind.

-And so that can be really stressful when you have a little mountain pygmy possum that's sick and you know that there's really not that many of them left in the wild.

So it's a pleasure and it's a privilege to work with them.

-It's clove.

-Yeah.

-Oranges?

-Oranges?

Absolutely.

Star anise.

-Cardamom.

-Cardamom.

A lot of juniper.

-Mm.

Oh.

-You just described spiced Negroni gin.

-That's why I'm loving this.

I love a Negroni.

This is Wilma.

-Named after my late mother.

She had five sons, and she could explode at the drop of a hat, so it was actually the perfect name.

My name's Cameron McKenzie.

I'm the head distiller and one of the co-founders of Four Pillars Gin Distillery.

I also have a small side hustle in marmalade, chocolate, salt and waste management.

-And waste management is more delightful than it sounds.

Botanicals used for flavoring gin have another purpose.

-We produce, you know, about probably 3 tons of this a week, and we can't just throw that out.

So we make a salt.

We do a chocolate, which is really, really amazing.

-All with the botanicals that were used and would have just been thrown away?

-We're almost zero waste.

That's the aim is to get to zero waste.

To be Australia's first carbon-neutral gin distillery was a big coup for us.

We've won the green initiative trophy at the IWSC.

We've won the sustainability trophy at the World Gin Awards and fortunately we've won International Gin Producer of the Year a couple of times.

So I think trying to back up, not just making great liquid, but leaving a slightly lighter footprint on the planet is really important to us and the whole team here.

-But making that great liquid is an energy- and water-hungry effort.

For a solution, the owners had to think outside the distillery.

-So what we've set up with this fence, although we call it a copper veil, and that way an architect can charge three times more for it, is the top half of this is a series of copper pipes that act as a natural radiator, so that hot water can come out at about 70 degrees.

It'll go through this natural radiator drop about 35 to 40 degrees in temperature, and then go back into the stills.

So we save about 80,000 liters of water a day, plus around about 20% of our energy bill by not having to chill that water down to reuse it.

-After the learning, it's time for the tasting.

Is this your first?

-This is the first gin we ever had the guts to release.

And since then, 10 years ago, we have never changed anything about this gin.

So there are 10 botanicals that go into this gin.

-I've never done a gin tasting, and there's probably a good reason for that.

-Look at it like wine.

It's crystal clear.

It's a distilled spirit.

Okay?

Smell it, give it a swirl and have a smell.

And when you swallow it, breathe out through your mouth.

Get the alcohol out of your mouth and you'll be left with the oils on your palate.

-Okay.

♪♪ Oh, Wilma.

Good job.

Moms know.

So here's your contemporary style, really based heavily on tradition.

But you go way off.

You really go your own path here.

A Shiraz gin?

-A Shiraz gin.

Yeah.

Look, I think when we started, one of the things we realized early on was gin didn't innovate for 40 years.

The world didn't need another London dry gin made by three bald Australians.

You know, it was time to do something different.

So we just did an experiment by soaking Yarra Valley Shiraz grapes in high-proof rare dry gin for about eight weeks.

And this is where we landed.

It's just beautifully sweet and balanced.

-Oh, whoa.

-Really interesting.

-Oh, that's lovely.

-Isn't it?

-Spicy at the end as well, too.

I like that.

-It's just gin and juice.

Snoopity's finest.

Okay?

-Back in Melbourne, I have one stop to make, which actually involves many stops, many, many delicious stops.

For over 140 years, the Queen Victoria Market has been the epicurean heart of the city.

The scent of this place, just the meat and cheese meld-- you know, sort of mingling in the air, picks you up and has just led me to you.

This is amazing.

-We specialize in cured meats and cured seafood.

I've been here full time for about 23 years, but the legacy really started a good almost 60 years ago with Mum and Dad.

They came in from Greece back in the early '60s, I guess.

-This market really allowed early immigrants arriving to Australia to gain a foothold, right, and really make the city their own?

-Absolutely.

-Kon recommends I try his favorite, the squid ink salami.

-Of course.

-And so what type of meat is this, then, in the end?

-It's a pork salami.

-Alright.

I love that.

Mmm.

So I'm gonna take a quarter-pound of that.

Is that a lot?

Well, I guess, is there metrics here?

I have no idea.

-I suggest it's about 120 grams or so in our speak.

-I'm gonna be meeting a friend who's from Melbourne who I haven't seen in about 15 years.

So it's just gonna be the two of us.

-About 120 would be good.

-120 meters.

That sounds wonderful.

-Not a problem.

-With over 17 acres and 600 vendors, it's tough to see it all.

Queen's Harvest here in the market has been family owned for decades.

-My grandfather started here in 1950.

-1950.

-1950.

-In this market.

-In this market, yeah.

We carry a premium product and there's always a market for that.

Have you seen the finger limes?

-No.

-Have a look at this.

-These are limes?

-Yeah, yeah.

Finger limes.

Yeah.

They're little, like, caviar balls in there.

And they give you a burst of citrus.

You try that there.

And like I said, the skin is a little tough.

You wouldn't eat -- Now, these, they retail at $250 a kilo, which sounds -- -How much do I owe you?

-But, um, something like that is gonna cost you about $2.50.

-Per lime?

-Yeah, per lime.

That lime would cater for a dozen oysters.

-It's amazing.

It just pops.

Each little bubble pops in your mouth.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-The Mussel Pot is a favorite here in the market.

And it may not just be for the mussels.

-Our favorite here is the chili coconut cream.

That's been the favorite for 10 years.

-For 10 -- -10 years.

-How long have you been here?

-Oh, about 12.

-12?

-Yeah.

12 years now.

-So these are farm-fresh mussels.

-Yes, yes.

-And the farmer is here as well?

-Yes, yes.

-So you have the business together?

-Yes.

-Oh, wonderful.

-I first met Alex over in, um... in...Oh, where was it?

Where did I meet you, Alex?

-Oh.

-Where did I meet you?

-On the dance floor.

-That's it.

And you know what?

-You met him on the dance floor?

-He was pole dancing.

-He was pole dancing?

-He was pole dancing.

That's the mussel farmer.

"Hubba, bubba, that's the man for me."

-And the mussels are for me.

-Everyone has that love -- that love in their heart about their product.

Exactly like we do.

-Well, then, I'm gonna take steamed chili and then the grilled half shell.

-Yes.

Okay.

-I think that sounds wonderful.

Thank you.

-Wonderful.

Thank you, darling.

-New families are also finding a spot in this important food scene.

With oysters showcased like the jewels they are, who needs pearls?

Are these all local oysters?

-They're all local oysters.

Yes.

Some are from South Australia, some from Tasmania and Sydney rocks.

-What do you think I should have?

Can I have a little bit of each?

-I can mix up the trays for you if you want, like, some of the South Australian, Tas, and Sydney rocks.

So I mix the dozen.

-That sounds perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

Thank you.

I'm meeting up with a very special friend, Matthew Sheehan, my roommate in New York City in the late '90s.

[ Camera shutter clicks, film whirs ] We haven't seen each other for 15 years.

-Where's the, uh, the portrait of you in -- in the attic?

Because it mustn't be looking -- 'cause you are still looking exactly the same.

-Thank you very, very much.

-When you're visiting Melbourne, what's wonderful is that there's really a different choice for a different day.

There's so much cuisine here.

We also have a fabulous indigenous culture.

You'll find bits and pieces that are made in a brand-new way.

-And I have no idea how you became -- We became roommates.

Do you remember that?

-Yeah, because it was, um, it was pre-Internet.

-It was pre-Internet.

-An ad in "The Village Voice."

-Okay.

-Or one of those sorts of things.

And, um, I turned up and... -We're so lucky in Australia.

We have the most amazing and unique species, and you should definitely come here because it's a great place to see all of them living in natural habitats and being happy.

-First thing I did was I saw an AFLW match.

-Ahh!

-A little footy.

Aussie rules.

-How was it?

-Oh, I loved it.

-Whoo!

You don't get sports like this in America.

You think you do.

But until you come to Melbourne, you haven't experienced it.

-Any visit to Melbourne is incomplete if you don't come out to the Yarra Valley.

It's an hour from Melbourne.

It has world-class wine, I hope world-class gin.

We've got great beer, great coffee, great cheese, great bread.

You know, if we had yum cha, I don't think I would ever leave.

-So did I get a good selection?

I got some meat pies, a shepherd's pie.

-So what are you gonna eat?

I can't eat all this.

-Melbourne is one of those places that I think a singular traveler can always come and make and find a mate.

It feels like there's, like, giant hug that says, "Come and join us and see what we've got here."

-It's so good to see you, Matty.

-It is so nice to see you.

-Favorite people.

When a destination lets you enjoy the best of life... You're so beautiful.

Look at his little nose.

...that is when we share a love of travel.

Nice!

And that's why Melbourne, Australia, is a place to love.

For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

"Samantha Brown's Places to Love" was made possible by... [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Oceania Cruises is a proud sponsor of public TV and "Samantha Brown's Places to Love."

Sailing to more than 600 destinations around the globe, from Europe to Asia and Alaska to the South Pacific.

Oceania Cruises offers gourmet dining and curated travel experiences aboard boutique, hotel-style ships that carry no more than 1,250 guests.

Oceania Cruises.

Your world, your way.

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