In the 1950s and 60s, the Victorian government established hastily built public housing estates in what were seen as 'empty paddocks' at Broadmeadows on the edge of Melbourne. A strong community spirit evolved among people who lived in an area with inadequate infrastructure and facilities, yet extraordinary media attention on the activities of 'gangs' of young people in the area meant that, by the 1970s, most people outside the area thought of it as a bad place to live. This was partly because Broadmeadows was at the end of an urban railway line and was seen as being at the edge of the city. Few people knew that area was once described by the 'explorers' Hume and Hovell as being the most attractive they had seen on their long walk from Sydney to the site of what would become Melbourne and that one of the first settlements outside Melbourne was built around a point where the old road to Sydney crossed the Moonee Ponds Creek at 'old Broadmeadows' (now called Westmeadows). Although the city has grown to engulf the area, it still contains areas of delightful grassland, groves of river redgums that can be up to 800 years old, and a series of creeks that were once degraded but are now being lovingly rehabilitated by community volunteers.

St Kilda is an inner-urban Melbourne suburb on the shores of Port Phillip Bay. Its mixed history following white settlement and the role it has played in the wider context of Melbourne have led to its status as an iconic urban community. Like many urban communities, St Kilda has experienced much change over time: it has been both the most exclusive address in town and one of the least salubrious. Currently, wealthier residents are buying into this bayside suburb, forcing longer-term, often disadvantaged, residents out. At this point it remains a socially diverse community due to the presence of public housing and rooming houses. But what is the future for the low-income housing options in the area? Furthermore, as an icon St Kilda belongs to the broader Melbourne community, and residents have to put up - as they have since the late 1800s - with a regular influx of visitors, especially on weekends. This vibrant local community with its colourful history faces new challenges in keeping alive the diversity that has made it so appealing to residents and visitors alike.

Built around the delightful Wombat Hill in Victoria's central highlands, just over an hour by car from Melbourne, Daylesford has become a popular destination for daytrippers and weekend visitors. Together with the twin town Hepburn Springs, it is probably best known for its natural mineral springs and some historic guest-houses and Bed and Breakfast places built to accommodate those lured to the area by the springs.

The south-west corner of Victoria was a prosperous area for the indigenous people before the Europeans arrived in the 1840s. It is bountiful country.