Oh what I'd give to be in Melbourne now.

I suppose I am a lucky fellow because I have so many hometowns. Adelaide is the city of my birth and I will forever be a Croweater, but I spent 14 years in Melbourne, four in Hong Kong, eight in Kingston, Jamaica, and now 2 in wonderful Beijing. Toss in my love affair with the Greek islands - Paros, Ios, Crete and Santorini - and I have a plethora of places in which I would love to reside and enjoy in my declining years.

But, right, now, send me to Melbourne. Let me off at Tullamarine and allow me to smell the wonderful scent of an Australian summer - fresh-cut grass enhanced by a dry sun.

Take me to Lygon St or Brunswick St or anywhere in South Yarra or Richmond and allow me to eat the finest Indian, Chinese, Greek, Lebanese, Thai or Malaysian food that can be found anywhere in the world - and within only a short tram ride of each other.

Let me wash that fare down with a fine white or red wine (albeit from South Australia).

Then, put me on one of those rattling but quaint trams and carry me down to the Melbourne Tennis Centre, the best tennis complex in the world, which is nestled between the Yarra River and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

There I shall see the world's greatest racquet swingers ply there trade under a scorching sun as they combine sublime skill with earnest survival against the searing heat (I hate eggs with a passion, but you can fry one on center court, if you so desire, when that big, hot orb in the sky gets particularly ornery).

Allow me to sit in Rod Laver Arena the last two days of the tournament and watch special people play a special game in front of an appreciative and colorful crowd. I'll eat my Four 'N' Twenty pie (if they are still served there) and drink my VB.

I think, looking into my crystal ball, that I could be watching Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova holding up the major silverware that weekend, but that's not what would stick in mind; just the smell, taste and vibes of a marvelous city.

Tym Glaser is a senior sports copy editor who is prone to a tad of homesickness every now and then. He can be contacted at tymothyg@hotmail.com

(China Daily 01/15/2012 page8)