It doesn’t take long after touching down in Australia to become aware of the Sydney vs. Melbourne debate. Aussies are extremely proud of their country, so I’d expect them to brag about other Australian cities instead of talking crap. The rivalry between the two cities that borders on obnoxious. A few weeks ago Mandi and I spent a weekend in Melbourne and we LOVED it. When I got back to work on Monday and was telling people about how much I loved Melbourne, they’d shoot back “yeah, but Sydney’s better.” Don’t get me wrong, I love Sydney, too. I have yet to meet an Aussie who says they love both cities. For me, comparing the two was inevitable but also a true case of comparing apples to oranges. I was amazed at just how different they are, I was expecting a smaller scale Sydney, but Melbourne has a very distinct vibe about it that is completely unlike that of Sydney.
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I knew almost nothing about Melbourne before we arrived. It doesn’t have the tourist attractions that Sydney has: no Harbour Bridge, no Opera House, no breathtaking harbour views, no world-famous beaches. The thing that got me about Melbourne is you feel like a local there. When people asked what all I did there, I couldn’t really think of anything. We did nothing out of the ordinary. Our nights were spent drinking and our days were spent eating and shopping. I’m not kidding, one of the highlights was going to a food market. The whole time I kept thinking “I could totally see myself living here.” It’s no surprise Melbourne is ranked #2 on The Economist’s Most Livable Cities in the World list.
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One of my favorite things about Melbourne (besides the food, ohhh the glorious food), was the bar scene. There are so many discreet little bars tucked down alleyways. There would be a doorway, sometimes unmarked, down an alley that you would never know led to an awesome, intimate bar. Our first night was spent wandering around to some of the little alleyway bars and drinking five too many cocktails. This was also the night of the McDonald’s mystery. We’re pretty sure we ended up in Hungry Jack’s (Burger King, just a different name) around 4 am. It’s all quite blurry, but my in my drunken haze I remember my double cheeseburger coming in a wrapper, not a box like they do at Macca’s here (and believe me, I have eaten about 20 since being here, so I should know). Well, the next morning we woke up to find a McDonald’s cup in the kitchen. Did we follow up our Hungry Jack’s pig out with a McDonald’s pig out? What the hell happened?
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The next day we went to the Prahran Market and had a huge breakfast then wandered around the market. From there we walked along Chapel Street which is a popular shopping area. This was when I noticed the clothes in Melbourne are cheaper than in Sydney. Apparently there’s so much competition among local designers that the prices are cheap. After that we headed back to our friend’s apartment, then we walked to the Royal Botanical Gardens and into the city. Along the way we stopped at this pretty cool war memorial in the gardens that had great views of the city skyline, definitely worth walking to the top for a good view. From there we went into the city, whined about how hungry we were, then ate some Chinese food and headed back to the apartment for some quality lounging time. I was skeptical when my friend said the pizza place down the street from her place is insanely good. RANT: So far, I’d been extremely unhappy with pizza in Australia. They totally neglect what, in my opinion, makes the perfect pizza: amazing sauce, and a good sauce to cheese ratio. No, instead the Aussies just load up their pizza with a ton of toppings and neglect the basics. END RANT. Anyway, that night we went to Pinocchios for pizza and it was outstanding. By far the best pizza I’ve had in Australia, not that there’s been much competition, but I’m still craving this pizza and it’s been several weeks since I had it. After our late dinner, we jumped on the tram (Melbourne has trams going down the middle of the streets, I could definitely never drive there) to head out in the city. While on the tram we met a bunch of boys heading out as well so we joined them for the night. We ended up at the Crown Casino, which was much nicer than I was expected. It was more Vegas-style than Indian reservation style. The night ended with me lamenting that we once again missed the 3 am closing time of Lord of the Fries, a late night fry joint which claims to have the best fries you’ll ever have. I’m going back just to eat there.
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On our last day we went to Fitzroy, Melbourne’s equivalent of Sydney’s Newtown – but with way better shopping. Have I mentioned how good the shopping is in Melbs? Apparently there are so many designers there that competition makes them keep the prices pretty decent, I was amazed at how much more affordable, quality clothes there were compared to Sydney (where you’re lucky to find a dress for under $100). We had an awesome lunch at Vegie Bar, a funky vegetarian place, where Mandi and I split a burrito and pizza. Two of my favorite things, yum yum. From Fitzroy we headed to St. Kilda, Melbourne’s beach suburb. The poor beach itself was a joke compared to those in Sydney, but the town was cute. There was a street full of restaurants and shops that reminded us a lot of Florida. While we were there I ate a very yummy Pinkberry-style frozen yogurt topped with berries. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name of the place, but it’s along the main stree in St.Kilda (Auckland St?). By then it was time to get to the airport, and that was the end of our 48-hour trip to Melbourne.
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Anyone have a super strong opinion on Sydney vs. Melbourne? Anyone love them equally, like I do? Curious to hear the non-Aussie opinions on each versus the Aussie opinions…