a tale of two cities

The guide books will tell you that Melbourne has many fine buildings - more Victorian than any other city in Australia.  What was once known only for gold and sheep is now recognised as the cultural capital of Australia.

With a booming economy there are plenty of jobs and plenty of places to spend that hard earned cash.  I can see why Dan loved living here so much.  In his words, it’s like London, “but with newer buildings”.  If you get London, you’ll get Melbourne.

It’s very different from Sydney and we’re still trying to put our finger(s) on it. For Anniemay it’s the tourists - to her Melbourne attracts a different sort of visitor from those we saw in Sydney (as I write, she is still giving this serious thought).

It’s most definitely to do with people.  Walking around Melbourne, we find ourselves going with (and often against) the crowd.  In Sydney, we spent most of the time wandering about on our own. 

Of course, perceptions of a place are very much a function of where you find yourself staying; you can’t hope to see it all in just a few days.  

Perhaps they're best summed up in song.

Melbourne; let’s spend the night together

Sydney; Penny Lane


They’re both great songs.