Did you know that in 2015, Melbourne was named most livable city in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)? That’s not even the most impressive part. According to the Melbourne Arts Blog, “The livability measure looks at 5 main categories – stability, health care, culture, environment, education and infrastructure” (2012). Melbourne just so happens to be the leader in all leaving competitive cities striving for more. Even so, the most impressive fact here is that this is the fifth year in a row for Melbourne and in our opinion; it will definitely not be the last.

We were quite enthusiastic about visiting another state within Australia. Melbourne is located in the southeast State of Victoria and even though it was less than a two-hour flight from Sydney, the weather was vastly different. Obviously, wintertime is not the best time to visit Melbourne given that it’s location is further south but truthfully, the weather changes constantly in this city.

One minute it was cold, but looked like summer and the next it was pouring rain. However, this didn’t keep us from exploring and experiencing the many things Melbourne has to offer. In fact, we feel confident joining the bandwagon and admitting this to be one (out of three) of the best cities we have ever visited. One thing is certain, not everyone in Australia feels this way about Melbourne.

After living in both Sydney and Melbourne (since we stayed for seven weeks we consider anything more than a month as “living”), it is clear that the two have a long- standing rivalry going on. Even though Sydney has a larger population and seems to draw more international guests, Melbourne appears to be growing fast and has more of a passionate crowd if you ask us. We experienced this first hand when attending an AFL (Australian Football League) game at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Grounds. Despite the small crowd, you would have thought Melbourne was in first place because of the passionate fans. Imagine our surprise when we found out the two teams (Melbourne vs. Brisbane) were bottom two in the league.

There is so much that is often compared between Sydney and Melbourne: weather, transportation, iconic landmarks, people, etc. As we so proudly boasted about in our previous post (The ‘Coat Hanger’ of Oz), Sydney has more sunny days, beautiful beaches and iconic harbor views. Whereas Melbourne is more relaxed, weather is incredibly unpredictable, but is also home to far better cafés, restaurants, bars, and offers a complete cultural experience. The best way to translate for our fellow Americans would be Los Angeles versus San Francisco. Regardless of the rivalry, we can all agree that both cities are rich in diversity and history.

But…if we had to take sides, we vote for Melbourne all the way!

We would move to this city in a heartbeat. Actually, we contemplated that thought for weeks, but remembered that it is a mere 8,000 miles away from family and friends. Truth is, our living situation made it impossible not to think about it. We were sharing a lovely home in Richmond (which we found on airbnb) with a beautiful couple who made our visit that much more welcoming. Sharing a dinner table, wine and conversation with new friends is always a favorite for us. The house was situated in one of our favorite neighborhoods with only a five minute walk to the train, ten minute walk to the tram, and on sunny days a 45 minute walk along the peaceful Yarra River into the colorful city. Needless to say, getting around town using public transportation was easy and convenient with our tap-on/tap-off Miki cards (similar to Sydney’s Opal card).

Despite our method of transportation into the city, arriving at the historic Flinders Street railway station was always special (oldest station in Oz, 1910). Like something out of a movie even. Once in the city, it was nothing but walking and the thrill of exploring Melbourne’s eclectic laneways. The famous street art on Hosier Lane is a great example of such laneways and one of many memorable moments during our time there. Drinks in St. Kilda, a movie in Carlton, coffee in Collingwood, music in Richmond, breathtaking landscapes along the Royal Botanic Gardens, theater on Collins, notorious bathing huts at Brighton beach, neon lights in China town and the Queen Victoria Market known to be the heart and soul of Melbourne (enjoyed the market at night too during winter season). It didn’t matter where, for what and for how long we walked. Each street was unique with its own personal flavor.

One of this dynamic city’s best qualities is its multiculturism. This is reflected in all things Melbourne, but in particular the arts and the food. In fact, for us foodies, this is the ultimate destination. Enoc also claims Melbourne is home to the best baristas in the world as his coffee experience was rather overwhelming. Clearly, the people in Melbourne embrace the arts and culture that surrounds the town and consider it absolutely critical. There is such a sense of pride when it comes to their city and rightly so.

There’s really no better way to express this. Everything we thought to be great in Sydney was suddenly better in Melbourne. We would strongly encourage you to visit this amazing city, but chances are you may end up living there. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Want to see more pictures? Visit our photo gallery (click here).

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