Confirming what most Melbournians already believed, the Victorian capital of Melbourne is the world's most liveable city in the world according to the annual Global Liveability Survey.
London meanwhile has proved to be a most un-liveable city, languishing at the number 52 spot.
The Australian city pushed Canada’s Vancouver, which has topped the survey since 2002, into third place behind Vienna.
In fact out of the 140 cities surveyed, Australian and Canadian cities scored very highly occupying seven of the top ten slots.
The cities were assessed according to stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
The Economist Intelligence Unit, which conducted the survey said:
"Australia, with a low population density and relatively low crime rates, continues to supply some of the world's most liveable cities."
"Despite the rising cost of living driven by the strong Australian dollar, these cities offer a range of factors to make them highly attractive."
Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle said: ''For the first time in a decade we are now officially ranked number one…'When you think the strong Aussie dollar militates against this, this is even more impressive."
The worst places to live among the destinations surveyd are Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh's Dhaka and Zimbabwe's Harare.
he EIU also observed that European countries' ratings had been affected by the eurozone
crisis, while the Arab Spring had impacted on Middle East and North
African countries.
The Top ten most liveable cities in 2011 are:
1: Melbourne
2: Vienna
3: Vancouver
4: Toronto
5: Calgary
6: Sydney
7: Helsinki
8: Perth
9: Adelaide
10: Auckland
