Melbourne Profile: the Visitor

If you had asked Daniel Patriksson a year ago whether he ever saw himself living in Melbourne, you would have been met with a blank stare, a thoughtful 'hmm', and a 'probably not'. But that's just what this Swedish-born 23-year-old has done, arriving in Melbourne three weeks ago with plans to stay for at least a year.

'It all began with a hot dog,' says Daniel, who met his Melbourne-based girlfriend Anya earlier this year in Jonkoping, Sweden, where they both studied. 'We shared one on the street after the bars closed, exchanged numbers, and good things have been happening ever since.'

Daniel, who grew up in a small town in southern Sweden ('There were about 250 people,' he says indifferently) moved to Jonkoping for university a few years ago. He has temporarily put off his Masters in Industrial Design to be with Anya in her hometown and explore Melbourne for himself.

'I've always had a dream of going to Australia at some time in my life. But didn't think about Melbourne. Since coming here, it has been a real discovery, it's an awesome city. There is so much to do and see here, so much culture, so much going on. I love that it is a very diverse city, a lot of different cultures coming together. It makes for a good mix.'

And what has he done in Melbourne so far?

'I have felt like a tourist, walking around with a camera,' he says, 'but I've been taking it easy, slowly getting to know the city. I have done some exploring on my own, and Anya has introduced me to some of the fun things to do here.'

In the three weeks since arriving, Daniel has been to gigs (they saw Spinderella @ Ding Dong last Thursday), bars (it didn't take long to find Cookie), restaurants (I may have had a hand in getting him to Shanghai Dumpling House), parties, clubs, festivals ('The High Vibes fest in Northcote was great. So much music, so many diverse people coming together') and other parts of Melbourne life. 

So what next?

'I'm looking forward to doing a lot more of that,' he says. 'This week we are going to Phillip Island, to see the kangaroos, koalas and other stuff. Then it's back to exploring this amazing city.'