the 'Sydney vs Melbourne' debate
I always wonder why people debate this topic. It’s usually people from Melbourne who bring it up.
For example, I worked for a time in Newtown for a trendy homewares/New Age books and furniture shop, whose owners were from Melbourne. They began their other shop in Melbourne. They would constantly harp on the ‘more fashionable people’ from Melbourne. ‘More stylish’, ‘more cosmo’ and the ‘more this and more that’, ad nauseam.
Funnily enough, it was not very endearing. Firstly because it left you with the impression there was nothing we did well here in Sydney and therefore they were better than us. Secondly, as I enjoyed living in Sydney, I never actually compared myself to being somewhere better and having to put down somewhere else to feel that ‘here’ is good.
Couple this ‘we are better’ attitude with the all their New Age philosophies, which aren’t bad on their own, but coming from such shallow, materialistic and competitive people, we who worked there never felt they had much creditability. Actually, since they tried to get away with paying us $10 an hour, because they ‘could’ in Melbourne, also was not very endearing!
The upshot was we took them to the Industrial Relation Commitee, competitors found copies of their homeware designs (made in Bali) and threatened to sue and their lack of love for Sydney showed and the shop didn’t last.
Does that solve the debate? Of course not. All I’m saying is that Melbourne people are the ones who seem to bring it up (in fact, plenty of people who don’t live in Sydney seem to have a Sydney ‘phobia’-the unknown is scary!) but when you live here, all seems normal.
I like the vibrancy, the sense that anything is possible and the weather is generally warm enough to enjoy life. I’m not a still, reflective person and I reckon Melbourne does well because of their stiller qualities, which lends itself well to creativity. But does that mean we have to compare? We’re just different. And the same-we all like to be happy where we live, and if you like it, that’s all that matters.
Angela McConnell
its the nature of life to compare and ridicule – why is there rivalry between australia and nz? in nz its rivalry between Auckland and Wellington – its not limited to australia or sydney/melbourne
i am a kiwi who has visited sydney numerous times for work and play but live in melbourne and for me personally i prefer melbourne – but thats just my personal opinion
we had friends visit from sydney recently and they did exactly the same thing compared sydney to melbourne – its all about where you are from, where your loyalties lie and people will alway defend what they love
Samantha Van S...
ha- you are right Angela! I probably have only found that to be my experience because when you live here (where ever) you don’t need to talk about it!
And it’s quite possible that it’s not ‘melbourne people’ but those particular people only (I obviously didn’t like them much!).
I have noticed though, this coming from people living in Tassie sometimes too-the us and them thing. “Mainlander” being an insult at times-I guess they must feel very isolated!