OzTennis

http://www.theage.com.au/news/new-so...e#contentSwap1

Article published by a Melbourne newspaper it must be said but there must be a grain of truth in there!

OzTennis

northerner

The biggest city in Australia has traffic problems. No shit sherlock... I'd be amazed if it didn't.

Graham

mbike

I spent five days there on a shoot and got shown around some of the best and worst parts. I must say I loved it, but then I'm from London. The road system is a shocker.

Mark

OzTennis

Ignoring your facetious inanity Dr Watson, the geography of the city rather than the sheer size of the population is one of it's major problems. As any sleuth would know a city built either side of a bay with a circuitous shoreline and hemmed in by mountains to the distant west and sea to the east is going to have transport issues as it grows.

I might add that Melbourne with it's horseshoe bay and Dandenong Ranges faces similar issues but to a lesser extent. Many of the BE's Melburnians live > 1 hour commute from CBD.

Likening Sydney or Melbourne to London has it's limitations as well. London is very much more geographically concentrated, even with it's larger population. One side of Melbourne to the other for instance is further than Glasgow to Edinburgh and The Heads, Sydney, let alone Martin Place, to the western burbs is like London to Eastbourne!

OzTennis

Bordy

Who did you shoot ??

I LOVE Sydney. For a long weekend. Its always so nice to get back to Melbourne though after being there.

NickyC

Yep, the roads and traffic are a problem - that's because they've evolved over the years and the roads have had to weave in, around and over all those little bays, rivers and inlets that make the place so interesting.

Sure, we may not have the designer grid system of roads that Melbourne's boring CBD has, but then we don't have a boring city... it's bloody gorgeous.

BadgeIsBack

I'm not a massive fan of Melbourne's grid CBD other than for shere convenience where I work - but for me its the inner suburbs that are the best bits of 'city living' Melbourne. Places like Malvern, Glenferrie Road, Kew, Glen Iris, Canterbury are fantastic for families...a bit like the very best bits of N London and SW London.

Take away the Harbour, beaches and some of the North Shore, and much of Sydney is completely lost.

NickyC

Of course you're right. I like Melbourne really and would live there happily (if I couldn't live here, of course).

Sure the best bits of Sydney are around the harbour, beaches and rivers - but that's where I am and that's why I like it.....

OzTennis

Different development of course because one just grew up as a penal colony and the other started as a free settlement (but did have convicts for a while) and benefitted if you like from the CBD being set out as part of a plan in the form of a grid. Later generations have been thankful for the wide streets (trams could fit in) and the predictable names - Queen Elizabeth, King William, early explorers (Flinders, Lonsdale) and governors (Bourke) etc.

Ironically (for me) the CBD was originally going to be at Williamstown which had the best harbour but a lack of adequate fresh water forced the new settlement up the Freshwater (later Yarra) River as opposed to the Saltwater (later Maribyrnong) River.

OzTennis

BadgeIsBack

Indeed! 2 things - I would only live in Sydney if I could afford to live on the water.....but - and here's the thing - I'm not actually into 'water' anyhow (and I wonder why they tell me I don't tub) - so it would all be a bit lost on me(!)

thebears

We love Melbourne (Malvern) and prefer it to Bondi Junction where I lived back in the 80's for a short time.

It does come down to a personal choice. To me Sydney is still a rat race and for that I would prefer staying in New York or London, others will see it differently....I accept that they have a disjointed view of the world but good luck to them

BadgeIsBack

Mate I used to drive in Glenferrie Rd (N of Toorak) to go to work when I first started - er working - in Melbourne (Richmond). It was the first glimpse I had of inner-suburban living, then my wife got a job in a dance studio there too (S of Toorak) so for us Glenferrie Road will always jar memories and Melbourne.

Although Chief is up the duff, she will be going back to help out New Year.
I'll buy you a beer (or a coffee one day).

cheers

B

thebears

I think the dance studio you mention is at the end of my street I can see the Coles at the end of my road. Your more than welcome to pop over for a coffee in the New Year

BadgeIsBack

Jesus! That would be the road I used to park my old rusty ute in - warning - house prices to fall etc etc... when I picked her up.

It certainly does overlook Coles...there's a great little secondhand record shop with a book section at the back of it too.

cheers

B

thebears

You may be familar with Louies and Browns then?