Melbourne or Sydney?

kieranfitz

After nearly 11 months in W.A. it's time for me to move on. Was hoping the good people of boards could offer any opinions as to which would be the better option. Hostel recommendations also welcome.

Hail 2 Da Thief

Hang on there one moment while I grab my crystal ball!


Joking aside, it might help if you gave us a bit more info to go on!

SHOVELLER

Melbourne all day long.

NinjaK

SHOVELLER wrote: »

Melbourne all day long.

why?

analordafx

i thought Melbourne was pretty cool, more european, somewhat! Love the trams
Sydney is good too, avoid Bondi! You must do both but i would live in Melboure

lg123

depends on the lifestyle you are after? two fairly different cities.

SHOVELLER

NinjaK wrote: »

why?

First line in the post under yours.

Found Sydney a ****hole to be honest.

GiftofGab

Melbourne is better for living, Sydney is better to a visit.....majority of people who've been to both enjoy living in Melbourne the most

GiftofGab

Melbourne is better for living, Sydney is better for a week / weekend visit.....majority of people who've been to both enjoy living in Melbourne the most

sin_city

I lived in Sydney for a year and Melbourne for 2(still here).

Sydney looks amazing but behind the look of the CBD is the western suburbs that seem to go on forever. The people are not as nice and chilled out as they are in Melbourne.

Melbourne is more chilled, more going on, AFL, Grand Prix, tennis, biggest cricket matches and they don't knock NRL. In Sydney they make little of AFL. It doesn't matter if you like or don't like these events...there is more of a buzz in Melbourne, that's the point. More art, more music, and easier to get around.

lg123

GiftofGab wrote: »

Melbourne is better for living, Sydney is better to a visit.....majority of people who've been to both enjoy living in Melbourne the most

dont think i'd agree with that, but each to their own.

Mellor

GiftofGab wrote: »

Melbourne is better for living, Sydney is better to a visit.....majority of people who've been to both enjoy living in Melbourne the most

A couple of million people would disagree with tbh

hussey

Sydney is big and flash
Melbourne is hip & cool.

Both have great features. For everyone that says Melbourne is better, there will be one that will say Sydney.

It really depends on you.

Stevie888

Melbourne, a thousand times Melbourne.
Take away the beaches and harbour views and Sydney is very average. As someone said it's big and flash, but with zero charm. Its also difficult to navigate, un-neccesarily expensive and all in all bit of a soulless, vacuous place. Apart from the area known as "the Rocks" and Newtown (which is really just Melbourne-lite) I couldn't find anything to love about the place.
Melbourne is by some great distance, the cultural capital of Australia. It's also, to a lesser degree, the sporting capital. During the summer there is a large scale, free festival on at least every other weekend, Moomba, Spanish street party, White Night etc. You are never stuck for something to do, the city is packed full of entertainment.
The people are also far more open minded and liberal, and are very welcoming and friendly compared to Sydneysiders, who would sometimes struggle to give you the time of day.
For a city of 4 million people, it's also very easy to get around, compared to Sydney, which is disjointed and a bit all over the place. Depending on where you live, you have to get a train aswell as a bus to get anywhere, which is a massive pain in the arse if your going to be working.
My favourite thing about Melbourne though is the way that the inner suburbs each have a different personality. A night out in Fitzroy is very different to a night out on Chapel Street which is different again to a night out in the CBD. You just don't get that kind of diversity in Sydney. Also, to live in each suburb is a different experience, whereas Sydney is all a bit samey.
Having said all that though, younger people, usually in their very early 20's seem to prefer Sydney. Me and most people I have met over here - Melbourne every day of the week.

Stevie888

Mellor wrote: »

A couple of million people would disagree with tbh

Why, have you asked them all?

username2013

Id agree with most of the other posters above, Id much prefer to live in Melbourne. Thought Sydney was very brash and a bit fake, and also very hard to get away from the whole Irish scene. I found Melbourne to be much laid back, and in general had a bit more to it, if thats makes sense.

However I have a lot of friends who adore Sydney and wouldnt live anywhere else so if I were you Id give both a go and see which you prefer. Its all subjective after all, different strokes for different folks and all that....

Mellor

Stevie888 wrote: »

Why, have you asked them all?

No, to put it simply. If the majority of people preferred to live in Melbourne, they wouldn't have chosen elsewhere. Obviously some people didn't have much of a choice in the matter. But there's of plenty of us here that did. Most likely, the entire forum did.

Take away the beaches...

The beaches are one of best aspects of the Australian lifestyle. Why would any sane person "take them away" when evaluating a city. For nice beaches, Sydney all day long.

Apart from the area known as "the Rocks" and Newtown (which is really just Melbourne-lite) I couldn't find anything to love about the place.

The rocks has some great restaurants and pubs but its expensive.
I'm not a fan of Newtown, but i can see why you compared it to melbourne, also makes sense that you liked it in that case.

But thats only a tiny fraction of the city, there's a much broader scope than that.

Melbourne is by some great distance, the cultural capital of Australia. It's also, to a lesser degree, the sporting capital.
During the summer there is a large scale, free festival on at least every other weekend, Moomba, Spanish street party, White Night etc. You are never stuck for something to do, the city is packed full of entertainment.

The same could be said for Sydney, and Australia in general.
At the moment there's the vivid light festival, the comedy festival is just over, the sydney festival was before that, etc. There's just plenty to do in most places in australia.

The people are also far more open minded and liberal, and are very welcoming and friendly compared to Sydneysiders, who would sometimes struggle to give you the time of day.

Depends where you are tbh, city verses suburbs etc.
Sometimes I think people are rude, which annoys me. But sometimes intrusively friendly people in shops annoy me too.
Maybe it's me, or maybe its people.

For a city of 4 million people, it's also very easy to get around, compared to Sydney, which is disjointed and a bit all over the place. Depending on where you live, you have to get a train aswell as a bus to get anywhere, which is a massive pain in the arse if your going to be working.

The trains in sydney are pretty good. If you are living near a station and working in the CBH (covers a lot of people) you are pretty sorted.

My favourite thing about Melbourne though is the way that the inner suburbs each have a different personality. A night out in Fitzroy is very different to a night out on Chapel Street which is different again to a night out in the CBD. You just don't get that kind of diversity in Sydney. Also, to live in each suburb is a different experience, whereas Sydney is all a bit samey.

I understand that you prefer Melbourne and are trying to paint it in the best light. But come on, you are just making up stuff now. Where have you had nights out in Sydney?

Newtown
The Rocks
The City
Kings Cross
Surrey Hills
Oxford street.

There's 6 diverse area for a start.

Having said all that though, younger people, usually in their very early 20's seem to prefer Sydney. Me and most people I have met over here - Melbourne every day of the week.

I'm in my 20s, so maybe that it.

Xavi6

Couldn't handle the weather in Melbourne personally so that'd be a big factor in choosing Sydney if I were to move from the west.

L'prof

Xavi6 wrote: »

Couldn't handle the weather in Melbourne personally so that'd be a big factor in choosing Sydney if I were to move from the west.

The weather in Melbourne? I haven't had a problem with it at all. In what way? Is Sydney warmer all year round or what?

Lucifer-0

L'prof wrote: »

The weather in Melbourne? I haven't had a problem with it at all. In what way? Is Sydney warmer all year round or what?

Pretty much.

L'prof

Coming from Ireland, the weather in Melbourne is fantastic I landed in time for a hot Christmas and while it is cold these days, it very rarely rains so I'm happy out!

Xavi6

L'prof wrote: »

The weather in Melbourne? I haven't had a problem with it at all. In what way? Is Sydney warmer all year round or what?

I've lived in the WA sun for six years so if I wanted cold and four seasons in one day I'd be home in Ireland

Just mentioning it as a possible factor as the OP is moving from west to east.

L'prof

Xavi6 wrote: »

I've lived in the WA sun for six years so if I wanted cold and four seasons in one day I'd be home in Ireland

Just mentioning it as a possible factor as the OP is moving from west to east.

The summer was a little too much for me to be honest, i didnt think it would get this cold though. I'm surprised you're not home because of the football alone, I gave up trying to watch it over here. Can't wait to get back for next season!

sin_city

It rains a lot more in Sydney than it does in Melbourne. If you like waxing your chest, spray tan, spiky hair and if you dont like sport...go to Sydney

6ix

It would take Irish people to make a parochial debate out of this! Both cities have their merits, and you can largely have a very similar lifestyle in both. I have heard these conversations before, with people trying to claim one place is better than the other, but it's completely subjective and mostly a load of nonsense.

Sydney is a city with a larger population than all of Ireland. If you can't find diversity and activities/festivals there, then it says more about you than the place itself. The same goes for Melbourne of course, I just noticed Sydney being mentioned here. In my own limited experience, I've heard more Melbourne based people criticising Sydney than the other way around but I guess you always see the largest city being slagged in most countries - Dublin, London etc, same here!

The_Hustler

I think this has been an unusual year in that Melbourne has had great weather and very little rain for quite a while now.

I am feeling the cold at the moment though

sin_city

One of the reasons that Sydney is how it is, is the fact that it was not planned as a city in comparison to Melbourne. Melbourne is more organised and easier to get around. Maybe this is why it is more chilled out.

People are nicer in Melbourne in my opinion.

One of my strongest memories of Sydney was on George Street outside a cafe. Someone was involved in a bad accident and there was blood on the road. A large bunch of people were recording the action on their phone.

Another memory I have is visiting and meeting a friend who also lives in Melbourne by change on the street. He had a similar opinion to me on Sydney having lived there for a year. For such a big city....nothing happens there. Manly is ok and the CBD looks nice but it's a pretty dull place for 4.5 million people.


In Melbourne I cycle to work 10k every day along the river. You couldn't do this in Sydney if you worked in the CBD. There's a buzz in the city around the MCG, Etihad or Aami Park during the games. Big buzz during the tennis and Grand Prix. Buzz during the Melbourne Cup. There's more art and music. Buskers on the street.

Melbourne really has a lot more going for it.

jackbhoy

sin_city wrote: »

One of the reasons that Sydney is how it is, is the fact that it was not planned as a city in comparison to Melbourne. Melbourne is more organised and easier to get around.

Surely topography is the main reason for this? Sydney is hilly and tracts of the city are dissected by bays etc, greater Melbourne is pretty much entirely flat. Makes it much easier to build transport infrastructure etc.

Personally, I love Melbourne and I don't think I would live in any of the other big cities but as others have said it is very subjective and I know lots of people who would never leave Sydney.

I think the only real way to decide is to spend a decent amount of time in each and see how they stack up for you.

hussey

sin_city wrote: »

One of the reasons that Sydney is how it is, is the fact that it was not planned as a city in comparison to Melbourne. Melbourne is more organised and easier to get around. Maybe this is why it is more chilled out.

Sydney is pretty easy to get around, trains, buses etc.

People are nicer in Melbourne in my opinion.

Depends which part of Melbourne I guess, In sydney most Irish people live near the rich areas (eastern suburbs) and locals can be snobby.
But that isn't to say Sydney isn't nice, I lived in inner west for 6 years and people were very friendly.

One of my strongest memories of Sydney was on George Street outside a cafe. Someone was involved in a bad accident and there was blood on the road. A large bunch of people were recording the action on their phone.

And?? ... That can happen anywhere, this isn't a reflection of Sydney, more society

Another memory I have is visiting and meeting a friend who also lives in Melbourne by change on the street. He had a similar opinion to me on Sydney having lived there for a year. For such a big city....nothing happens there. Manly is ok and the CBD looks nice but it's a pretty dull place for 4.5 million people.

If he thinks Manly is 'okay' and sydney is dull, probably reflects more on him that Sydney.
I mean nothing happens here, no sydney festival, no vivid, no shows, no festivals, no summer concerts in domain, no food & wine festival, no comedy, no sporting events ... nothing really.

In Melbourne I cycle to work 10k every day along the river. You couldn't do this in Sydney if you worked in the CBD. There's a buzz in the city around the MCG, Etihad or Aami Park during the games. Big buzz during the tennis and Grand Prix. Buzz during the Melbourne Cup. There's more art and music. Buskers on the street.

You can cycle along the coast - pyrmont, rozelle, glebe, elizabeth bay, rose bay etc.

Melbourne really has a lot more going for it.

I love Melbourne and think it's a great city, but it's all subjective, as I said before, experience both and judge for yourself.

sin_city

hussey wrote: »

Sydney is pretty easy to get around, trains, buses etc.

Sydney has a good train system...aside from that it's not easy to get around.


Depends which part of Melbourne I guess, In sydney most Irish people live near the rich areas (eastern suburbs) and locals can be snobby.
But that isn't to say Sydney isn't nice, I lived in inner west for 6 years and people were very friendly.

I lived in Burwood and Strathfield for 6 months, worked in Parramatta and the city and went out all over the city from the east to West and up to the central coast. I found people not friendly at all in the inner west. Instead of saying where people are friendly tell me where you think they are not. Let's be honest, not everyone can be friendly.


And?? ... That can happen anywhere, this isn't a reflection of Sydney, more society

It wouldn't happen back home


If he thinks Manly is 'okay' and sydney is dull, probably reflects more on him that Sydney.
I mean nothing happens here, no sydney festival, no vivid, no shows, no festivals, no summer concerts in domain, no food & wine festival, no comedy, no sporting events ... nothing really.

Whatever happens in Sydney, chances are Melbourne has a better version of it. That's what this discussion is about.



You can cycle along the coast - pyrmont, rozelle, glebe, elizabeth bay, rose bay etc.

True, but you'd do well to cycle from Burwood to the city. Sydney's cycling is more for leisure than practical use as Melbourne's are


I love Melbourne and think it's a great city, but it's all subjective, as I said before, experience both and judge for yourself.

As I said, I lived in Sydney for a year and Melbourne for 2.

hussey

sin_city wrote: »

Sydney has a good train system...aside from that it's not easy to get around.

melbourne has a tram system, aside from that it's not easy to get around.
not really an argument to take away the best feature.
You can get from Burwood to city in 15mins, sounds okay to me.
20mins on parramatta road, compare that to 12km outside melbourne and you'll probably find it similar

I lived in Burwood and Strathfield for 6 months, worked in Parramatta and the city and went out all over the city from the east to West and up to the central coast. I found people not friendly at all in the inner west. Instead of saying where people are friendly tell me where you think they are not. Let's be honest, not everyone can be friendly.

No not everyone can be friendly, but for every unfriendly person in Sydney there will be someone in Melbourne (or Perth, or dublin) who is just as unfriendly. But saying that I find the eastern suburbs can be very pretentious

It wouldn't happen back home

I thought we were comparing Melbourne and Sydney? and to say Irish people (or people from Melbourne) would never record a traffic accident is pretty silly.

Whatever happens in Sydney, chances are Melbourne has a better version of it. That's what this discussion is about.

In your opinion - which is my point, opinions are subjective.

I'm trying to tell the OP to try both cities and give both a try