Port Melbourne is the nearest bayside suburb to the central Melbourne city area. A diverse and historic area, featuring industrial and port areas along the Yarra to open parklands, bayside beaches, exclusive apartments and Beach Road's restaurants and cafes. The suburb also forms a major transport link from east to west, home to one end of the West Gate Bridge. A stylish blend of the old and the new – once a concentration of transport and manufacturing industry, today it’s a buzzing bayside suburb transformed by striking residential developments alongside restored public buildings and workers’ cottages. Tree-lined Bay Street has a fascinating collection of old fashioned pubs, hotels and historic buildings housing specialist retailers, boutiques and contemporary eateries. You’ll also find a large number of film and recording studios, as well as publishers and production houses in the area.

One of the most sought-after parts of Melbourne in which to live, both because of its closeness to the city and also because of its sheltered bay beaches. It is also situated in a "beach belt" that includes Albert Park, Middle park and St Kilda, some of Melbourne's most fashionable bayside suburbs. Like most inner bayside suburbs, the area is big on cafes and restaurants. Melbourne's main passenger shipping departure terminal, Station Pier, is Port Melbourne's most significant landmark and it is now enjoying a new lease of life as the hub of a new lifestyle precinct that boasts high-rise apartment blocks and up market restaurants.

Port Melbourne resides within the City of Port Phillip, located on the northern shore of Port Phillip Bay, south of the Melbourne Central Business District, Victoria.

Port Phillip is well served by a number of varied and substantial retail, entertainment and leisure precincts. These include Bay Street (Port Melbourne), Clarendon Street (South Melbourne), Fitzroy and Acland Streets (St Kilda) and Carlisle Street (Balaclava).

A number of significant employment areas sit within Port Phillip, including the St Kilda Road office district and industrial, warehousing and manufacturing districts in South Melbourne and Port Melbourne.

The city has experienced a significant amount of residential development in the 1990s, particularly in areas close to the foreshore. One of the oldest areas of European settlement in Melbourne, Port Phillip is known for its many dynamic urban villages, a foreshore which stretches for over 11km, cultural diversity, magnificent heritage buildings, artistic expressions and beautiful parks and gardens.

Port Phillip is well served by public transport with a substantial tram network, the St Kilda and Port Melbourne light rail lines and two stations on the Sandringham rail line.

Port Phillip’s proximity to both the bay and the city, its vibrant street life and cultural diversity are attractive to Melbourne’s young professionals. As such, the main demographic group in the city consists of young adults aged 25 to 44, working in professional, knowledge-based industries, with relatively high incomes. Many spend more than fifty hours a week at work, usually not in Port Phillip. A very large number of our residents haven’t been living in the area for more than a handful of years they live alone, and probably don’t have family in the area.

Houses in Port Melbourne range from single-fronted Victorian timber worker's cottages to new apartments and housing developments. Port Melbourne has undergone a major demographic shift in the past twenty years, from one of the cheapest and poorest suburbs in the city to one of the most expensive and wealthiest. Many large apartment developments in Port Melbourne occupy large blocks of land, taking over large factories and warehouses.

A number of residential developments have attracted many new residents to the area, largely with quite different demographic profiles to the existing, traditionally working class residents of Port Melbourne. Much of the population growth has occurred among people earning high incomes in the 25-54 year old age brackets. Although there was very large growth in the number of flats, units and apartments between 1996 and 2001, nearly half of the dwellings in Port Melbourne are semi-detached houses.The area has a relatively low number of rented dwellings, compared to Port Phillip, but of these there are high proportions of both low rent and high rent households, and a high number of couple families, both with and without children.The area has a high proportion of English only speakers, and a relatively low number of people born overseas.