thoughts on Melbourne

[undertaker]

I just arrived back at Sydney airport after spending a few days in Melbourne.

My overall opinion...

Melbourne has fantastic restaurants (especially if you're after Italian or Greek food), great public transportation that Sydney would die to have, less crowded and many arts venues like the museums and NGV etc.

However, the big problem is not with the city but with the people themselves. Most of them must have some sort of inferiority complex over Sydney. After people asked me where I came from, they immediately replied "Melbourne is better than Sydney". Also, AFL is the national religion there, even in the off-season. At the National Sports Museum at the MCG, the tour patron asked me "which team do I barrack for" to which I replied the Newcastle Knights. The look on his face was priceless as I could see he was expecting me to name an AFL side. Had the same thing happen to me when I went to Perth 6yrs ago.

Anyways, what's your thoughts?

 

[El Diablo]

wouldn't go there if you paid me

too many Victorians

 

[Sans Souci Sainter]

I agree with all your points.

The cultish fanaticism for that shit sport is the worst thing about the place.

No beaches also sucks.

 

[muzby]

great city, nice people - shame about their chosen sport.


overall, give it better beaches and NRL dominance and you'd have the best city in australia & the world..

 

[undertaker]

wouldn't go there if you paid me

What if it was for $1 million?;-)

I agree with all your points.

The cultish fanaticism for that shit sport is the worst thing about the place.

THIS!

Never have I travelled to a place in where such cultish fanaticism exists. It's like all those who were raised in the era before the internet/cable TV (where AFL pretty much dominated all sports broadcasting in Melbourne outside of the cricket season) as well as their children have been indoctrinated that AFL is the only sport that exists. It sounds like an exaggeration but I couldn't believe how true it is there. Rugby League, Union, and Soccer barely got a mention in media or conversations I overheard there when I was in Melbourne.

Not to mention the Victorian cricket commentators trying to hijack the commentary with AFL tripe on ABC radio, Ch9 and Ch10. I'd hate to see Drew Morphett, James Brayshaw, Shane Warne and Damien Fleming in the commentary box together.

No beaches also sucks.

Unless you call St Kilda a beach:lol: The crappiest beach in NSW still makes St Kilda look like a river rather than a beach.

 

[undertaker]

great city, nice people - shame about their chosen sport.


overall, give it better beaches and NRL dominance and you'd have the best city in australia & the world..

Would love to see the part in bold come to fruition, however, it won't during my lifetime whilst AFL honchos in high places of the media there run riot. After all, look how many years it took for the Melbourne Storm to get their FTA matches shown at decent hours of the night?

 

[FundyDragon]

I'm a Sydney boy and Melbourne is a nice city, no issues with the people at all. I was there for the Tennis and it certainly seems less crowded walking around and the Trams are a major bonus (not during the tennis). The wife believes the shopping is better.

 

[Twizzle]

Nothing wrong with their beaches, some of the best surf in Oz, Bells, Joanha, Port Campbell and Phillip Is.

Lived there for ages (not in Melbourne) and its like a different country in some respects and AFL is their religion, they are as pig headed about League as we are about AFL so its kind of ironic in a way.

They have virtually a different dialect, particularly the words pastie and castle and a few others.

We say carstle, they say castle. We say parstie they say pastie.

 

[El Diablo]

What if it was for $1 million?;-)

nope

i don't need $1 million

 

[ek999]

wouldn't go there if you paid me

too many Victorians

Your a nut job though.

In most aspects I think it is better than Sydney. Public transport around the city is better, getting to major sporting venues is better, better restaurants.

Their football code of choice is shit, but really I only go down there for the occasional visit so that doesn't bother me.

 

[ek999]

Nothing wrong with their beaches, some of the best surf in Oz, Bells, Joanha, Port Campbell and Phillip Is.

Lived there for ages (not in Melbourne) and its like a different country in some respects and AFL is their religion, they are as pig headed about League as we are about AFL so its kind of ironic in a way.

They have virtually a different dialect, particularly the words pastie and castle and a few others.

We say carstle, they say castle. We say parstie they say pastie.

Used to work with a chick from Adelaide and I noticed the same thing with pronunciation

 

[Surrogate]

Melbourne is great with its trams, superior road infrastructure. The suburbs here are better than Sydney's. However Melbourne's landscape is unspectacular. The terrain is flatter than a catwalk model's chest.

Sydney has the Harbour and Opera House. Take away the Opera House and Sydney becomes a glorified version of Cronulla.

 

[adamkungl]

People talk up the public transport in Melbourne. Interested to know whether this is an apples to apples comparison.

ie. People who travel to Melbourne rarely leave the inner city. People who chuck tantrums about public transport in Sydney are often travelling from the outskirts.

 

[El Diablo]

Your a nut job though.

In most aspects I think it is better than Sydney. Public transport around the city is better, getting to major sporting venues is better, better restaurants.

Their football code of choice is shit, but really I only go down there for the occasional visit so that doesn't bother me.

i don't live in Sydney so couldn't give two f**ks about it

dickwad

 

[Twizzle]

funny right hand turns are the most ridiculous thing about Melbourne

some one should blow trams up

 

[muzby]

Nothing wrong with their beaches, some of the best surf in Oz, Bells, Joanha, Port Campbell and Phillip Is.

You do realise we are talking Melbourne, right?

That's like saying the best beach in Sydney is nobby's beach in Newcastle..

 

[Surrogate]

funny right hand turns are the most ridiculous thing about Melbourne

some one should blow trams up

I used to get confused until i realised that hook turns only occur in the CBD where the street runs parallel to the tram tracks, not across it.

 

[The EELiminator]

i went to the melbourne cup a few years ago plenty of public transport, loos and bars everywhere, the organisation of this event shits all over anything in sydney from a great height

as others have said melbourne is a great city most of the people seem nice just dont bring up football

 

[Sans Souci Sainter]

Nothing wrong with their beaches, some of the best surf in Oz, Bells, Joanha, Port Campbell and Phillip Is.

Lived there for ages (not in Melbourne) and its like a different country in some respects and AFL is their religion, they are as pig headed about League as we are about AFL so its kind of ironic in a way.

They have virtually a different dialect, particularly the words pastie and castle and a few others.

We say carstle, they say castle. We say parstie they say pastie.

Yeah, none in Melbourne though. The only place to swim in the metro area is a stagnant piss pond which you'd think twice about letting your dog into.

They have a bizarre obsession with chicken parmagiana as if it was gifted from the gods. It's crumbed chicken, ham, cheese and, wait for it, tomato sauce. :| They need to move on.

The unions are all quite strong and fairly militant also which was something else I noticed.

Their constant need for recognition and self-congratulation is a bit sad. The Annual "Most Liveable City in the World" is due to be trotted out any day now. Always good for a chuckle. It's kind of like saying the fat chick has a good personality.

 

[Willow]

I just arrived back at Sydney airport after spending a few days in Melbourne.

Well you certainly can't make a judgment based on a few days.

I've been there about 50 times. Lived there for months at different stretches, rented a house for six months in Collingwood on one such stretch, had a job there, fell in and out of love, bought and sold a car... and after a while I made few life-long friends. Yes, it takes a while - but once you get through the cringe barrier, I can assure you that Melbournians can become the best of friends.

But all said, I still took some comfort in the fact that the main street out of town is called Sydney Road.