Wonderful apartment in the heart of the CBD.
I lived in Zhiyue and Shouline's apartment for 6 months between June and December, 2016. I was an American here to work at the Royal Children's Hospital (about 2 km up the road). Needless to say, this was ABSOLUTELY the right move. Details:
LOCATION: un-beatable. In the literal heart of downtown (the CBD). On a street which is home to some of the best restaurants in Melbourne, which is to say they are some of the best restaurants in the world. Degraves Street is steps away and has some of the best coffee in the city. Flinders St station is meters away. You are at the nerve center of the world's largest tram system, and can get anywhere with ease. My trips to work were simple and efficient. Shopping is unreal. If you are into nightlife (I wasn't), there are clubs coming out of your ears. Less than 1 km from the botanical gardens and the Tan Track (the best jog in town), walkable to Melbourne Cricket Grounds, Rod Laver, anything on the river, all museums, anything, really.
HOSTS: Wonderful, warm retired couple who have homes in several places in Victoria and Tasmania. Met me immediately. Took me out for coffee or meals when they were in town, brought me little gifts from their travels - this was simply a friendly pair of people. They responded immediately to concerns. There was an issue early on with the fridge and the dishwasher - they were entirely replaced within 48 hours. Wireless acted up briefly - they installed a backup line immediately. Everything you could ask for when renting an unknown person's place.
APARTMENT: Clean, medium-sized (probably 550-600 sqft), perfectly efficient 1 BR apartment. Its appearance was exactly as advertised with clean sheets, a diswasher, fridge, clothing washer (no dryer), and all appropriate amenities. Trash/recycling is on the ground floor. It is a corner apartment on a high floor, on the interior of the building, so noise is never an issue. It is a beautiful stone Heritage building and the temperature is very well regulated. There are space heaters and fans, but no central heating.
SECURITY: Keyfob scanning into building and on to each floor. Always felt safe. On a medium foot-traffic street (smaller, one-way), but within 50 m of one of the city's major thoroughfares. So you are never alone in a dark place - but there are people on the street almost 24 hours/day because of the close proximity to nightlife.
SUMMARY: Wonderful place and hosts. On my next trip into Melbourne, I will check to see if this place is available before considering any other option.