One of the maps that I picked up at the visitors center proclaimed Melbourne as "the worlds most livable city". I'm not sure if this honor was bestowed upon the city by the local chamber of commerce or by on independent outside agency but after spending the day there I don't have a valid argument against it.
When most people think of Australia they probably think of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and forget about Perth because it's so far removed from the other three. I'm going to forget Perth as well since I've never been there and I'm going to forget Brisbane as well for this blog since it was probably 15 years ago that we were there. So I'm going to do a little bit of a Sydney and Melbourne comparison.
First things first, the correct pronunciation is Mel-bun. The "r" is silent and they use a whole bunch more letters in spelling it than they really need. Not a bad thing but different than Melbourne, Fl which is pronounced as it's spelled.
In my post on Sydney I used the following descriptive terms; "extremely friendly, laid back, cosmopolitan, vibrant, hip, diverse, modern, and very easy to navigate". I would use those same terms to describe Melbourne but here's the tricky part, same words but with different meanings. It's hard to explain but if you've been to New York and Chicago you might understand. They're both really cool cities but with a different feel to them.
Even though they both have harbors and ports Sydney is more of a "seaside" city with the harbor and Opera House as the focal point. On the other hand Melbourne's city center is a few miles inland from the port and the focal point is along the Yarra River which runs through the city. There are numerous bridges that connect north and south Melbourne, none more famous than the Queens Bridge.
If you've been following along on this blog (thanks!) you know we're walkers and, like Sydney, Melbourne is a great walking town. There are shops, restaurants and gardens along both sides of the river. Also located along here is their Olympic Park which is home to the Rod Laver Tennis Arena which is where the Australian Open is played.
Something Melbourne has that we haven't seen in Sydney are "Laneways". These are basically the alleys between the buildings in downtown. They have been transformed into hundreds of small restaurants, pubs and shops. Very cool! We stopped for a little break at one that was a Mexican restaurant. The nachos were not bad! The place across from it had kangaroo on the menu. We've had it before and it isn't bad either, a little "gamey" tasting.
One term I forgot that could be used with both Sydney and Melbourne would be extremely clean! It's obvious that the residents of these similar but different cities take great pride in making them great for both residents and visitors who are welcomed with open arms.
The first time we ever visited Sydney I said within the first hour or so, "I could live here". Nothing this visit changed my opinion on Sydney. As far as Melbourne goes......I could easily live there as well!
 |
| Getting the cabin festive for Halloween! |
 |
| Along the Riverfront in Downtown |
 |
| Killer Doughnuts-You may not be able to make out the sign but the name is "American Doughnut" I guess it's one of our exports. Note the school kids lining up for a taste of America |
 |
| Taken a few days before the election! |
 |
| I wonder if there motto is "Survival of the Fittest" |
 |
| Downtown Melbourne from the river-Chamber of Commerce type weather |
 |
| Taken from the main pedestrian & auto bridge in the City Center |
