I spent last week in Melbourne. So now I have visited both the competing big cities Sydney and Melbourne. In Aussie there is a big rivalry between the two. Sydney is considered to be more busy, faster and fashionable .... whereas Melbourne is more slow and sophisticated. So what is then my verdict and how do they compare to Brissie. Unfortunately I didn't see much of Melbourne in daylight since I had to work, so most of my experience was Melbourne by night. Melbourne is actually a little bit different from Sydney although the differences described in media is a little bit exaggerated. But where Sydney is more narrow, hilly and a little bit worn down Melbourne is more flat, modern and built in a perpendicular pattern with broad avenues which makes it easy to find your ways and get your bearings. The drawback is that every corner looks the same.
Melbourne's main problem in the competition with Sydney is the lack of iconic places like the Opera house, the Harbour bridge or Darling Harbour. If you're not interested in a giant cricket arena there isn't much spectacular to see. Instead Melbourne is an event city with always something going on, There are also lots of culture an it's known for the huge amount of good restaurants. I can recommend Railway Club Hotel (interior picture below) or Rare, who both serves excellent steaks!
One thing I didn't like about Melbourne was the many homeless people sleeping in the streets and begging for money. Not the organised way as in Sweden but simply Australians that didn't have anywhere to go for the night. That we don't see much of in Brisbane.
So to conclude, if you're visiting only one city in Aussie, go to Sydney. Visit Melbourne when an event you're interested in comes up, like the F1 grand prix or Australian open tennis. Or if you're tired of crowded big cities, come to modern, familiar Brisbane instead!
