The Great Debate – Melbourne vs Sydney – part 1 of 3

My first impression of Melbourne was that it was the least dysfunctional city I have ever seen. Cities are dysfunctional by nature and so it was quite impressive to find one where rush-hour was calm and there were plenty of open-spaces to breathe. Of course, Melbourne has its mean streets like anywhere else governed predominantly by Asian gangs with knives. In addition all the tenements are pretty much gone and so I am making the assumption that the less well off were transplanted further out. While such actions are common in major cities the natural consequence of is that a natural part of the community is alienated. A trip to Pakenham may have burst the bubble somewhat but for the tourist Melbourne seems a perfectly planned city with modern skyscrapers existing in harmony alongside more period Victorian buildings. The architecture is very strong making the city quite photogenic. The uncongested grid of the Central Business District (CBD) was easy to navigate and beyond that boundary lay all the inner-suburban precincts of Carlton, Collingwood, Richmond, South Yarra and St Kilda that one might want to live in. All of which were served by trams making the stresses of modern living seem minimal. Of course, a rising population creates its own problems and herein lies the rub. To the tourist Melbourne seems like a city of about a million people, however, it has in fact almost 4 million and will overtake Sydney in a couple of years if immigration continues the way it has. The urban planners (who have done a tremendous job) have recently agreed to sanction development outside the city boundary line which they have been defending for a long time. Suburbia must extend well over 50 kilometres in radius from the CBD. Naturally outer-suburbia is less well served by trams and rail and so the reality is that unless you are living in the more desirable and expensive central locations that Melbourne faces challenges like any other city. A rising population brings rising property prices and the town planners will have a difficult job trying to contain the sprawl as young people seek to move to more affordable locations further out. If I were to say that Australians have more household debt than at any time in history then one starts to wonder if Melbourne is fool’s paradise. When one pays over four bucks for a croissant then one quickly understands that either rents are expensive or there is some wage-price spiral occurring or more likely both. When you realise how big Melbourne is then you understand how it can support so many eateries and bars in such a concentrated area.

The longer I stayed in Melbourne the more I found to do there; there was little chance of ever getting bored. I enjoyed the alternative vibe to certain parts of the city and the fact that it was so bike friendly. What amazed me was the sporting infrastructure. Melbourne could host an Olympics tomorrow. It’s incredible to see their passion for sport. In fact they are a little obsessive; it can’t be healthy to know more about European sport than the Europeans. I still can’t fathom how they contemplate getting out of bed in the middle of the night to watch Liverpool in the Premiership. Liverpool is not exactly playing the sort of football that is worth getting out of bed for but they still do or else they hit record. For sports fans, be they active or armchair, Melbourne is an incredible place. It also has a very strong arts scene and a pretty healthy cafe scene. They love bikes and there is plenty of racing over the summer and so I can definitely feel the allure of the place. However, Victoria does experience more changeable weather than we do although it does cut both ways. Indeed the prospect of stable weather made me look forward to Sydney.

To be continued ...