Everyone loves a great rivalry:
- Real Madrid vs F.C. Barcelona
- Red Sox vs Yankees
- Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson
- Oxford vs Cambridge
Sydney vs Melbourne
It's easy to determine the superior side in athletics, but much more subjective when evaluating cities. Certain cities are clearly superior to their 'rivals' (Boston over New York, for example), but others are not so evident.
In Australia, Sydney and Melbourne are constantly in competition with each other. Several articles have been written on this topic, but in the end, the "better" city really comes down to personal preference. Over the past six weeks, I have subconsciously compared them. Here are my thoughts:
1) Weather: My time in Sydney was nearly perfect from a weather perspective, whereas Melbourne was generally colder and more gloomy. Based on my experience, Sydney was more pleasant, but I checked the stats for a less biased evaluation.
Sydney has more sunshine hours, fewer rainy days, and higher average annual temperature. Sydney oddly has a higher overall accumulation of rain throughout the year, but I love sunny days so Sydney still gets the edge.
2) People: This one is tough because my industry is very international, but I did manage to interact with some locals in both Sydney and Melbourne. Honestly, Australians (as a whole) are among the most friendly people I have ever met.
The work environment is fun and people love joking around with each other (even at their own expense). They work reasonable hours and are unapologetic about leaving on time to enjoy their personal lives.
Between Sydney and Melbourne, I barely noticed any personality differences. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably biased. This category is a draw.
3) Architecture: Sydney has the benefit of the Opera House, which lives up to the hype. Actually, the entire harbor is arguably one of the most beautiful in the world. The Harbour bridge is a photo op in itself, while also providing the perfect vantage point for viewing the skyline. I also love The Rocks district, which has retained the quaint architecture from Sydney's earliest settlement.
Melbourne is also just another city with modern architecture, but some of its buildings are downright ugly. I like when cities have a few ultra-modern buildings as a conversation piece (Dusseldorf, for example), but I think Melbourne goes a little too far. The skyline looks almost cartoonish to me.
My personal aesthetic is more sophisticated than it is fun, so I will applaud Sydney as the more visually stunning city to walk through. That said, anyone visiting Australia to look at beautiful historic buildings will be disappointed. Go to Europe for that stuff!
4) Public Transportation: Both cities have pretty great public transport. Sydney has an underground subway, which loops around the CBD, but my favorite were the ferries that connect various points along the harbor. I would love commuting to work every day on a boat (although it's also nice to have a 10-second elevator ride).
Melbourne has an extensive tram system that meanders down almost every street in the CBD and they also have a cute historic trolley that people can ride for free.
Despite my love for the Sydney ferries, I have to give Melbourne the overall edge for its extensive network and the free trolley (which I actually never rode, but enjoyed looking at).
5) Entertainment: I rarely go to bars and never once went to a nightclub, so my assessment is based on a very limited sample. Overall, Melbourne felt much younger (almost like a college town around the CBD), and there were a ton of drunk people meandering around the streets and eating fast food late at night. Not my scene.
However, Melbourne does have a really fun casino and lots of great restaurants/bars in the Docklands. There is even a bar called Ponyfish Island that literally sits under a bridge. Between the riverfront dining and the bar that is basically in the river, Melbourne wins back a lot of points.
Overall, Sydney felt more "white-collar" (at least around my hotel), and I had a great time drinking outside at Opera Bar on Easter Sunday. Looking directly at Sydney Opera House with a drink in hand is pretty great.
Both cities have a thriving arts scene, with lots of theaters, concerts and even talented street performers. Plus, is there any other city besides Paris and Sydney where the Opera House is a tourist destination in itself? (None that I can think of...)
Even though I had a better time going out in Sydney, I feel like most people would find Melbourne to be more fun because of the diversity of entertainment options.
6) City Escapes: Sydney has the Blue Mountains. Melbourne has Great Ocean Road. I prefer hiking over driving, but both are awesome and worth seeing.
It is no surprise why the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne remains strong. Both cities have an incredible quality of life, friendly people, and access to fun weekend adventures.
So, which is my preference? Sydney...but not by much!
- Real Madrid vs F.C. Barcelona
- Red Sox vs Yankees
- Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson
- Oxford vs Cambridge
Sydney vs Melbourne
It's easy to determine the superior side in athletics, but much more subjective when evaluating cities. Certain cities are clearly superior to their 'rivals' (Boston over New York, for example), but others are not so evident.
In Australia, Sydney and Melbourne are constantly in competition with each other. Several articles have been written on this topic, but in the end, the "better" city really comes down to personal preference. Over the past six weeks, I have subconsciously compared them. Here are my thoughts:
1) Weather: My time in Sydney was nearly perfect from a weather perspective, whereas Melbourne was generally colder and more gloomy. Based on my experience, Sydney was more pleasant, but I checked the stats for a less biased evaluation.
Sydney has more sunshine hours, fewer rainy days, and higher average annual temperature. Sydney oddly has a higher overall accumulation of rain throughout the year, but I love sunny days so Sydney still gets the edge.
2) People: This one is tough because my industry is very international, but I did manage to interact with some locals in both Sydney and Melbourne. Honestly, Australians (as a whole) are among the most friendly people I have ever met.
The work environment is fun and people love joking around with each other (even at their own expense). They work reasonable hours and are unapologetic about leaving on time to enjoy their personal lives.
Between Sydney and Melbourne, I barely noticed any personality differences. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably biased. This category is a draw.
3) Architecture: Sydney has the benefit of the Opera House, which lives up to the hype. Actually, the entire harbor is arguably one of the most beautiful in the world. The Harbour bridge is a photo op in itself, while also providing the perfect vantage point for viewing the skyline. I also love The Rocks district, which has retained the quaint architecture from Sydney's earliest settlement.
 |
| Sydney Harbour Bridge and cityscape |
Melbourne is also just another city with modern architecture, but some of its buildings are downright ugly. I like when cities have a few ultra-modern buildings as a conversation piece (Dusseldorf, for example), but I think Melbourne goes a little too far. The skyline looks almost cartoonish to me.
 |
| Melbourne skyline from a bridge on the Yarra river |
 | ||
| Examples of the strange architecture in Melbourne CBD |
My personal aesthetic is more sophisticated than it is fun, so I will applaud Sydney as the more visually stunning city to walk through. That said, anyone visiting Australia to look at beautiful historic buildings will be disappointed. Go to Europe for that stuff!
4) Public Transportation: Both cities have pretty great public transport. Sydney has an underground subway, which loops around the CBD, but my favorite were the ferries that connect various points along the harbor. I would love commuting to work every day on a boat (although it's also nice to have a 10-second elevator ride).
Melbourne has an extensive tram system that meanders down almost every street in the CBD and they also have a cute historic trolley that people can ride for free.
 |
| One of the free trolleys in Melbourne CBD |
Despite my love for the Sydney ferries, I have to give Melbourne the overall edge for its extensive network and the free trolley (which I actually never rode, but enjoyed looking at).
5) Entertainment: I rarely go to bars and never once went to a nightclub, so my assessment is based on a very limited sample. Overall, Melbourne felt much younger (almost like a college town around the CBD), and there were a ton of drunk people meandering around the streets and eating fast food late at night. Not my scene.
However, Melbourne does have a really fun casino and lots of great restaurants/bars in the Docklands. There is even a bar called Ponyfish Island that literally sits under a bridge. Between the riverfront dining and the bar that is basically in the river, Melbourne wins back a lot of points.
Overall, Sydney felt more "white-collar" (at least around my hotel), and I had a great time drinking outside at Opera Bar on Easter Sunday. Looking directly at Sydney Opera House with a drink in hand is pretty great.
Both cities have a thriving arts scene, with lots of theaters, concerts and even talented street performers. Plus, is there any other city besides Paris and Sydney where the Opera House is a tourist destination in itself? (None that I can think of...)
Even though I had a better time going out in Sydney, I feel like most people would find Melbourne to be more fun because of the diversity of entertainment options.
6) City Escapes: Sydney has the Blue Mountains. Melbourne has Great Ocean Road. I prefer hiking over driving, but both are awesome and worth seeing.
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So, which is my preference? Sydney...but not by much!
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