JoeBloggs80

See - when you really think about it there are quite a few

Clock Bar and Cafe Lounge (Surrey Hills) were pretty cool and i'm also a big fan of the Fitzroy Tavern (Woolloomooloo).

I've just moved to Surry Hills so am happy to see lots of nice different places springing up there.

i'll check out some of the ones on your list too

Swerv-o

Yes, there are quite a few - there are some that I have missed off too, as they are more suited to just my tastes! I think you have to know where you're going though - and getting out of the CBD is a must...


S

chocciecake

i grew up in melbourne, and i think it sucks!
i hate going back there to visit family, as its such a depressing place!

i have living for a lengthy period in thamesmead west london, and i can assure you i found melbourne a much more depressing place, and thats saying something!
infact, i would choose to live in london over melbourne anyday!

sydney rocks!
its a gorgeous city, and you can still have the outdoor lifestyle,that we were hoping for when we moved back to australia to the gold coast...in fact, we can get national parks just a few km's from the city centre and beautiful beaches etc, whilst still being able to enjoy culture...and if you don't think sydney had good clothes shopping, then you are looking in the wrong places!
the downside of sydney is definately real estate, which is a complete rip off, and alot of the rental houses are still rented out for a fortune without any sort of renovations at all... infact i have been shocked at some of the hovels i have seen on line for $650 wk 2 bd !
i'm sure for the same money in london you would get something much nicer!

all that aside, we would prefer to go and live in a hovel to be in sydney than stay in our amazing gold coast home any longer....
not that theres anything wrong with the gold coast- we have enjoyed it and its a great place to live, but for what we are looking for, and want to do in life, we need to be in sydney at the moment.

one thing i can guarantee though, is that the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is totally true, and you will never get a melbourne/sydney hater to change their minds, as different places represent different things to different people!

my friend who lives in scoresby melbourne , was having this dicussion with me and can't understand why i hate melbourne, and this guy lives in one of the most depressing parts there in my opinion so i can't see what he even feels the need to defend, but whatever....let the argument roll...

MELBOURNE SUCKS BIG TIME AND THE WEATHER IS SHITE, AND I HAVE LIVED THERE MOST OF MY LIFE TO FORM THAT OPINION...but ofcourse ,you have the right to completely disagree and have yours....

meanwhile, we'll be trotting down to sydney,later this year, bags in tow, to get thoroughly intoxicated once again with the magnificance of the place!

Deancm

Have you ever lived in Sydney?

I agree London is better than Melbourne and Sydney put together. Have lived in Sydney it's crap. Live in Melbourne now and have previously spent 20 years in Melbourne and while I think Melbourne's crap compared to London, it's miles better than Sydney.

edit: Scoresby's nearly as bad as Dandenong!

chocciecake

yeah, i lived in ultimo, near darling harbour, so we could walk every where we wanted to go at night, pretty much.

sydney was the last place we lived before we went to london, for 8 years, but i will say that SOME parts of sydney are pretty dire...but then i never hung around out there...just in the good spots!

sydneys awesome if you are an actor, as alot of the work is cast from there, and also alot of good parties are to be had for awards nights, etc, if you are lucky enough to get in!

i like the geography much better too with lots of greenery and rolling hills all over the place, melbournes a bit like a flat pancake in most places...

we also just spent a week camping in lanecove national park (awesome, and only $34 a night for the whole family!) and had bandicoots outside the tent at night etc, and couldn't believe we we still so close to the cbd!

as for the howls of "if it wasn't for the harbour and beaches" etc.....
well it DOES have the harbour and beaches, and they are gorgeous and a source of much beauty and entertainment...

thats like saying about melbourne "if it wasn't for the ....(insert whatever it is that you think is good as i don't have a lot of suggestions) ...."

btw, my son thinks melbourne is AWESOME and esp puffing billy, ...we don't see eye to eye, so will agree to disagree!

Deancm

Sydney's good for a bit of superficial eye candy. Dig a bit deeper and there is no substance (although a lot of substance abuse).

Wol

As they say, Melbourne has a heart and Sydney has a wallet.

Crystaltipps

If you're looking for a cool urban lifestyle in a buzzy, international city with sky-scrapers, I'm not sure why you'd move to Australia ! There are much more fabulous cities in the world (London, New York, Hong Kong etc)

I think what Australia does best is outdoor lifestyle and sheer natural beauty and I have been blown away by the opportunities to experience both in Sydney.

We live on the lower north shore (NOT in a mansion) and while the 'too wholesome' playgroup discussions centre around recipes and organic foodstores while the UK ones were about fashion and pop culture (!), I'm really happy here.

Where else in the world do you have sailing boats, ferry wharfs and beautifully-kept parks at the end of your road, stunning beaches within 10 minutes and be able to reach a large CBD within 12 minutes.

Yes, it maybe all about the water but that water is incredibly beautiful and gives Sydney a uniqueness and an edge which more than makes-up for the slightly dull CBD.

chocciecake

if melbourne has a heart , then i never came across it in my 21 yrs of living there!

yet i felt the beat of sydneys strongly in the 3 short years we lived there...but then again, its all in what you experience in each city,as to what you think of it...
i do think melbourne is pretty ugly though!

Swerv-o

I'm going to say the same for Moscow. If it weren't for the Kremlin, St Basil's Cathedral and the Red Army musaum, it would have nothing...


S

chocciecake

we could start a whole thread on "if the ----- didn't have -----, then it would be crap!"

for instance....

if the pub didn't have alcohol, then it would just be a gawdy smelly place that needed bulldozing!
but it does have booze and thats why people come!

MartinH

I will throw my two-penneth into the ring.

First of all, people do not realise how much it rains in Sydney - but if you look at the average stats:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/c...ml?tt=TT003030

Versus London

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/c...ml?tt=TT003790

You will see that Sydney has a LOT more rain. Of course when it does rain it rains a lot heavier and therefore you also have a lot more sunshine. However, it is a myth that Australia is ALWAYS hot and dry - it just isn't. Oh and the houses leak.

We lived in Sydney for a year - it is incredibly parochial. What you forget is that you can't just pop to the next town / city because there isn't one. Sure there are shopping centres everywhere but to be honest they are all very samey.

The beaches are nice - no doubt - but there are much nicer places to live

mohogony

Well Atleast one Brit is having a good time in Sydney
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/tvshow...enny-Goss.html

plantpot

[QUOTE=Crystaltipps;8449905 and while the 'too wholesome' playgroup discussions centre around recipes and organic foodstores while the UK ones were about fashion and pop culture (!), I'm really happy here.

Where else in the world do you have sailing boats, ferry wharfs and beautifully-kept parks at the end of your road, stunning beaches within 10 minutes and be able to reach a large CBD within 12 minutes.

Yes, it maybe all about the water but that water is incredibly beautiful and gives Sydney a uniqueness and an edge which more than makes-up for the slightly dull CBD.[/QUOTE]

ITA, esp the bit about playgroups...if they served cosmos along with the organic hummous and sushi I would be in heaven...

Also agree with your last statement......oh and the first...it aint buzzing no...there are much more buzzing places to be but I quite like it.....for now

plantpot

Does rain a lot hey, but like really heavily for half an hour as opposed to drizzle for 6 months...I was really surprised how much it DOES rain but I still don't need a tumble drier ...