jasonK944

Having lived in Sydney for past three months I ventured to Melbourne at the weekend. Was extremely disapponted - I expected more. The place is not very pretty and has massive industrial areas and soulless housing estates that lead off the main roads. The city centre is ok but not a patch on Sydney. Didn`t actually make it to St Kilda which I here is the jewel in the crown and so the comparison may not be fair.

The only good point was the friendliness of the people - Victorians core above Sydneysidiers here.

With worse weather, less work and an uglier looking city why do people consider Melbourne above Sydney?

MikeStanton

Maybe because it's cheaper to live in an nicer area in Melbourne?

But I'm with you. I always lived in Sydney - but had to spend time in Melbourne, mainly for work. Melbourne is a European city wannabee - more conservative than 'raffish', sexier Sydney.

If you can afford it, Sydney leaves all the other Oz cities for dead. And which city staged the best Olympics ever? Was it Melbourne in '56 or Sydney in 2000? Mmmm...

(What do you mean I'm biased? )

elbow

Comparing Melbourne in '56 with Sydney in 2000 is hardly fair is it? I like Sydney a lot but got the impression it was all style and no substance. Just my opinion!

bundy

I've not spent more than a couple of weeks in either, so I really can't talk from anything more than a visitor's perspective, but I've always preferred Sydney to Melbourne or Adelaide. I'm not a city person at all - we live a 45 min train ride from London and I go about once every 2 years! But I feel at ease in Sydney, love to be able to get about on the ferries as well as the trains andfind it a very friendly place. Idon't like the quasi-European atmosphere in Melbourne and I find it less attractive.

Personally I'd take Nundle over either of them, but that's just my opinion!

OzTennis

Gee, I'm really impressed by the opinion of someone who has spent a weekend in Melbourne (you went everywhere in that time of course and experienced a year's weather, goodness you've only had 3 months in Sydney anyway). To come up with 'Sydney ran a better games in 2000 than Melbourne in 1956' is so laughable (even if it is true which is irrelevant but using this as a criteria to judge the relative merits of them).

Some people will consider Melbourne to be above Sydney; some people will consider Sydney to be above Melbourne. Everyone doesn't use the same criteria, everyone doesn't see the same things etc. I love both of them incidentally and which is the 'best' is largely down to personal opinion - it's a value judgment not a provable fact.

Just a thought - if Melbourne has been voted the world's most liveable city by the Economist Intelligence Unit (equal with Vancouver the first time, equal with Vancouver and Vienna the second time), what does that make Sydney if we believe you?

Oh, and a city of just over 4 million usually has more jobs and job vacancies than a city of 3.5 million.

OzTennis

MikeStanton

Of course, it just boils down to personal opinion. What I did find amusing, when I was in Oz, was that people in Melbourne always seemed much more sensitive about the 'which is better' discussion. Most Sydneysiders tend to laugh it off - because they know they have the more attractive city.

I guess it's a bit like two friends - the good-looking one that doesn't have to try hard (Sydney) and the less attractive, but 'deeper' one - or so they like to claim - Melbourne. Unfortunately, the world puts a premium on looks.

Actually, the EIU did not claim Vancouver, Melb. etc are the world's 'most liveable cities' - that was the press' spin. The EIU gave each city a 'hardship' rating - not the same thing.

Having been to Vancouver, Melbourne and Vienna - they are all attractive cities. But are very boring compared with New York, Sydney, Paris, London....

Kentish Man

Horses for courses mate. All cities get you down if you're there long enough unless you have loads of money or a job you love.

Sydney does have that immediate 'wow' factor. Don't think I've seen a city that makes a better first impression. Melbourne did seem dull by comparison for a couple of days but after scratching the surface and hanging out with some good company I enjoyed my brief stay very much.

lon2mel

i had never been to oz untill we immigrated,we chose mel because of the cooler weather,so we wouldnt get extra stress by the heat.i could see that there are less jobs,but i'm taking it as being proportional to syd.
i love oz,and the eastern subs of mel where i am living.
i have nothing to compare mel with as far as oz goes.
if syd is even nicer than this,i cant wait to visit there.

i've been here since jan 19th04,and i still cant believe i' m here.
every now and then i have to look at a car reg plate,or a $ sign on a shop item to check i am really in oz.its great here!!

cheers

anya4oz

OMG, this is like the 'Oxford vs. Cambridge' debate! I'm not playing- I *know* which one is best

Anya.

ButtonMoon

Yes sydney is so much better...you have free killer spiders hailstones the size of golf balls and a much higher crime rate than melbourne.
I spent three days in Sydney, sure the opera house and the bridge are nice....but there is nothing else there.
Sydneysiders are so much more materialistic,I got the impression that if you fell over everyone would just walk over you.
And your house prices are so much better.Half a million for a shoebox.Bargain.
Everyone raves aboput manley but there's nothing there.
The circular key is nice but very plastic...no character.And all those weird gays everywhere.

You see ! I prefer Sydney too (not)

Megalania

The finer points of Sodom v's Gomorrah

Bordy

I'm with you Anya.

young_lad

LOL

I think you're the one having a laugh Jason....

Having read your post I can only think that you're not talking about somewhere to live (which most of us folks on here do when talking about destinations) you're actually talking about somewhere to go for a weekend. You've posted in the wrong forum - you're supposed to post that kind of info in a tourist forum.

For a weekend break I'm not going to argue that Sydney may be better - and to be honest I don't care whether you think Sydney is a better weekend destination than Melbourne (as someone else mentioned, it is a bit pathetic).

I don't take issue with your conclusions, just how you came to that conclusion.

I went to Sydney for about 10 days (5 times longer than you've been in Melbourne). Almost every evening it rained it Sydney. I'm not dumb enough to say it must rain almost every day of the year in Sydney - that'd be a tad silly eh?

So come on .... you were just having a laugh weren't you?

Just be happy that Sydney is obviously better for you.....

Badge

Perfect analogy Mike. I love it - you are actually right too. Melbourners do seem a bit touchy, but still proud. I often tell them I am a Sydney/NSW boy - I'm not completely new to aussie. I do occasionally have homesick moments (lasting all of 5mins for the central coast of NSW) but I know there is more to do here. I am 1 hr away compared to 2hrs away...

Having said that, actually take away Circular Quay and the Eastern Beaches, and maybe the Northern Shore and ditto beaches, and I think Melbourne looks nicer than Sydney - its more of a city - a CBD on a river.

Go 20 mins from the North Shore, or 20 mins west and you will find the same old crap in Sydney as in Melbourne. Trust me I know.

I found that Melbourne improves with age and experience. I would agree, that if you are unlucky with the weather it can make the city look crap. When the sun comes out, it is FAB driving down city link paraellel with the CBD/dome.

Bundy, I also was a bit dubious about the qasi-Euro crap thing, but live in Melbourne and you'll find its as fair dinkum as any other city. Still very much Australia. That's all that counts for me.

Incidentally what I love about Melbourne is that it has one centre. Come out of FLinders and bosch. Whereas london and Paris have several centres all full of statues, all streets of shops and bloody tourists all jabbering, you feel like you are in a theme park. Takes hours to go anywhere. Whereas in Melbourne and Sydney, you feel it's YOUR city.

Do people know what I mean by this?

BM

Badge

Bloody hell Mike. It's also like our two good selves, always sparring and discussing.

There's the feisty, good looking, crowd pleaser me, and the more deeper, less superficial you..

yes? never mind....

BM