Melbourne versus Sydney

Tram, Tourist Ambassadors,
Flinders Street Station

Sydney is the capital city of NSW. Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria. here has been friendly rivalry between these two cities for many years. Which is the better city - Melbourne or Sydney?

Recently I visited Melbourne for a few days. This was after an absence of 25 since I last lived there. After completing my schooling in Albury I went to a Uni in Melbourne and worked in my first job at Hawthorn. I was the Manager of a Job Creation Work Co-op for unemployed people housed in an old ice-woks factory. This building is now demolished and has a park in its place.

Rainy Melbourne?
Art in Shopping Centre

Sydney has the beauty of the Sydney Harbour, Melbourne has the beauty if the Yarra River, which is still a brown murky waterway meandering its way through Melbourne on its way to Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne had the wisdom to retain and extend its tram network, while the last tram in Sydney made its journey in 1961.

Melbourne loves its sport, with 100,000 turning up to a game, whereas Sydney struggles to get 10,000 to turn up. Being further south, Melbourne has cooler winters, but this does not stop people cheering on their favourite team.

Bourke Street Mall

Sydney has lots of franchise retail stores in shopping centres that look like each other. Melbourne has a glorious mix of unique boutique shops, fashion stores and specialty stores in streets, malls, laneways, and shopping centres.

Melbourne has a flourishing live music and theatre scene. Many of Sydneys old theatres have been demolished, and the surviving ones struggle to entice audiences.

Melbourne Town Hall

Melbourne has its Melbourne Visitor Centre in the centre of the city opposite Flinders Street Station, a smaller one at the Southern Cross Station, and a Visitor Booth in the Bourke Street Mall. Sydney has no Tourist Information Centres in the Centre of the city or the Pitt Street Mall - you have to walk to the Tourist Information Centres at Darling Harbour or The Rocks.

Melbourne has volunteer Tourism Ambassadors roaming the streets. These have grown from 3 people 25 years ago to more than 360 now. Sydney has none.

Gog and Magog in Royal Arcade

Melbourne has its annual Moomba Festival and parade, which will return for its 60th year in 2014. Sydney since 1977 has its Sydney Festival, an arts festival with no parade.

Melbourne has its The Royal Exhibition Building completed in 1880, its Exhibition Centre opened in 1996 and its Convention Centre opened in 2009. Sydney has no Royal Exhibition building and its Convention & Exhibition Centre that opened in 1988 is being demolished to build a new one.

Shot Tower in Melbourne
Central Shopping Centre

Melbourne has no Monorail. Sydney had a Monorail from 1988 to 2013.

The verdict? Melbourne is not better than Sydney or vice-versa. They are both unique cities and each have pluses and minuses. They are both worth visiting and exploring for leisure or business purposes.

Tourist Information

Melbourne: http://www.visitmelbourne.com/
Sydney:  http://www.sydney.com/