The rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne dates back to the foundation of Australia. Though historically the debate was more around the settlement of the the capital city, nowadays the argument seems to mainly come down to culture, weather, and sport. Melbourne is characterized as a city more fashion-forward, full of character, and a dominant cafe culture, hence it is often described as “more European”. Sydney on the other hand is a little more showy and boisterous – it is home to the famous Harbor Bridge, the Opera House, and the many beaches. The dominant culture is surf culture (but with big city long work hours…go figure).
Having lived in Sydney for around 7 months, we have begun to develop a good sense of this city and it’s unique character. So, we took advantage of some cheap airfare and spent a weekend getting our first taste of Melbourne. We stayed with our friends Kate and Craig, who were the best type of hosts. They seamlessly integrated us into their weekend, an active, yet relaxing way to experience a local’s weekend in Melbourne.
We arrived on Saturday in time to pick up Kate and meet Craig down in the CBD for lunch. Our first experience with the laneways! These charming little pedestrian walkways are full of little boutiques and cafes. We ducked into a local chocolate shop for dessert following a tasty lunch at Hell’s Kitchen, followed up by coffee on the river.
That evening we went out for dinner to a great restaurant called Veggie Bar in the Fitzroy, a neighborhood with an independent vibe that reminded us a lot of Chicago’s Wickerpark/Bucktown.
After breakfast the next morning we headed out to the Dandenong Ranges National Park, just 30km east of Melbourne. We spent the first half of the day on the trails (Galen and Kate took off, and Craig was sweet enough to go a bit slower with me) and finished up the afternoon grabbing lunch and poking around the little towns in the area. That evening Kate and Craig invited some friends over and we had a bbq and played a lively, men vs women, game of Taboo. I probably don’t need to tell you who won, you can probably guess.
Well, it is confirmed, we loved Melbourne. I’ll refrain to adding any more foder to the Sydney vs Melbourne debate, but it is sufice to say I will be looking for any excuse to return – ASAP.
31 May 2009 at 2:22 am
great post k! it is interesting – i think you and g have very similar writing styles! i usually can’t tell who wrote the post unless i look for little clues (like “galen and kate took off…”). melbourne sounds fun, although i think it’s hard to beat the culture and cafe’s of kalamazoo!
31 May 2009 at 3:13 am
it is funny/interesting that there is a wikipedia article on the rivalry of the two cities!
31 May 2009 at 10:44 pm
I was thinking the same thing as Lori!
However, I actually was looking to read more “fodder” … Kate was disparaging Sydney earlier; so are you confirming, denying, or just letting it go?
I suppose it all depends on one’s chosen parameters … does the number of quaint street cafés per capita form the basis of judgement, or is it who won the Aussie Rules Football match?
As for myself, I look at pleasantness of weather (Melb is hotter in summer and cooler in winter), ease of leaving the human environment to be in the natural one, the ratio of income potential to cost of living, and “progressive” attributes in many areas.
1 June 2009 at 7:23 am
I would say 2 days was not enough to fully answer those questions, but we had a few quick impressions on a number of those fronts:
1) downtown area in Melbourne is much more pleasant, vibrant and pedestrian-based. Sydney CBD is a ghost town outside working hours.
2) Culture in Melbourne seems much more creative and self-expressive. This was evident in the way people dress, the feel of restaurants and cafes (more funky, less contemporary)
3) Weather – Most would say sydney wins this one – temps are more moderate, more sunshine, and although it actually rains more in Sydney, it’s in shorter, intenser bursts.
4) Ease of leaving the human environment – Melbourne easily wins. In Sydney you have to drive through urban sprawl at 30-50km/h for an hour before you can get on an exressway. Melbourne has expressways that radiate out from the CBD, allowing easy exit by car to several national parks within an hour. With that said, if you’re a surfer or beach bum, Sydney is obviously the winner.
5) Ratio of income potential to cost of living. Hard to say, but Melbourne is probably marginally more affordable.
6) Progressive attributes…Melbourne again. Portland style public transport, and far better bicycle access. We weren’t in the city long enough to get a sense for any other progressive attributes.
As always, a city’s true personality emerges over time. I was very underwhelmed by Sydney for the first few months i was here, but it’s starting to grown on me a little. Hard to formulate a good comparison between Sydney and Melbourne in only a couple of days.
26 June 2009 at 1:59 am
Thank you for the history and insights, Gaylen. This guided tour is ezquisite.
26 June 2009 at 2:03 am
a new word – ezquisite…it’s a noun that comes from root ezqui; the street form of the adjective is ezquissie. So I have enjoyed your ezquissie reflections into Melbourne.
8 August 2009 at 4:47 am
What about the ease of how you can say the name of the city?
I do like those pedestrian friendly cities, yet climate is a big thing for me. Most of all, I need to be able to bike around without feeling like I might get run off the road. So, it’s back to apples vs. oranges.
Nice post Kristin and I did think it was Galen talking at first.