I come from Sydney but I absolutely LOVE Melbourne and, quite frankly, am tired of these combative discussions that pit Sydneysiders with Melbournites. Sydney and Melbourne have BOTH been nominated as the most liveable cities in the world, are BOTH beautiful, cultured cities albeit VERY different cities and both of them have their own charms and challenges. At the moment, Sydney is at a great disadvantage because we have a Neanderthal State LNP government in power (with Mike Baird who is selling up every asset we have) and the ridiculous LOCK DOWN Laws in Sydney are shutting down our night life and turning Sydney into a deserted city after midnight whereas Melbourne is lucky to have the enlightened Daniel Andrews as Premier so is going from strength to strength. I would be happy to live in Melbourne in a heart beat and the way things are going up here, there will be more and more Sydney people moving to Melbourne like my 32 year old son and his partner, who LOVE it down there.
Comparing Sydney to Melbourne, Sydney has long been considered a big, brash and bold "tart" surrounded by trendy, grungy suburbs like Darlinghurst, Newtown, Erskineville overflowing with fantastic pubs, live music, bars whilst maintaining a beachy, laid back atmosphere in areas like Cronulla, Bondi, Maroubra etc. However, Sydney has a reputation as being a bit of a fast paced rat race during the working week although cannot compare to the cut throat environment of New York. Melbourne was once considered to be the "grand old lady" of Australia, a cultured, elegant and refined Victorian city with world class restaurants and the capital city of theatre and fine arts. However, Melbourne is changing into an edgy, trendy place with fabulous bars, great pubs and an exciting night life that is NOT inhibited by Sydney's unpopular and stifling LOCK DOWN LAWS.
Sydney has some absolutely magnificent natural heritage areas surrounding it, eg the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains which has some of the most beautiful mountain walks in the country, the pristine white silicon beaches of Jervis Bay (only 2 hours drive down the south coast), the second oldest national park in the world at the Royal National Park south of Sydney in the Cronulla/Sutherland district. In fact Sydney, like Melbourne, is inundated with gorgeous, pristine parks and gardens. Sydney is lucky to have some of the most beautiful beaches right on its doorstep. In fact, The city of Sydney is home to some of the finest and most famous beaches in the world. There are well over 100 beaches in the city, ranging in size from a few feet to several kilometres, located along the city's Pacific Ocean coastline and its harbours, bays and rivers. Melbourne also has some of the most beautiful scenery to be found anywhere ... I defy anyone to find a better coastal drive than the aptly named: the Great Ocean Road - around every bend there is a breathtaking vista. Melbourne is fortunate to have some of the best "themed" restaurants in the country and I have to agree that the coffee IS better down there. Melbourne is the HUB of Australia's film and theatre industry and is often the city of choice in Australia at which world class performers open their Shows. Melbourne is in the heart of Victoria which is, undeniably, the most diverse State in Australia.
I may be from Sydney but I absolutely adore Melbourne .... it is almost impossible now to say which city I love more - they are, without any doubt, two of the greatest cities in the world and certainly way, way ahead of any other "city" in Australia. Sydney and Melbourne are both big, international cities whereas small cities like Brisbane and, worse, Perth can only be considered as country towns. There is an old saying: If you are not living in Sydney (or Melbourne), you are just camping out!
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