Week 492 · Sydney Harbour · Opera House · Harbour Bridge
The biggest difference between Melbourne and Sydney is that I know a lot more people in Sydney. There was a convergence of people from my company in Asia-Pacific and I was over for some meetings — so more social time in Sydney in a couple of days than in Melbourne for a couple of weeks.
Between work and "catch up" time, I only had about a half-day to walk around Sydney Harbour and over the Harbour Bridge — but it was spectacular weather. I didn't do the Bridge Walk — maybe next time — but pretty expensive and the view isn't that much better than the free areas.
Melbourne and Sydney are huge rivals — and most people that I know in Sydney are either from Sydney or adopted Sydney and really sad for me that I had to live in Melbourne. I heard things such as: "How do you cope with the cold?" and "The beaches are shite." Truth be told — it was 10 degrees warmer in Sydney on that particular day. And another vote in Sydney's favour is that there is no iconic landmark in Melbourne — in Sydney there are two, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. But since I will be a loyal Melburnian, I do have to point out that Melbourne was rated the 3rd most livable city in the world, while Sydney was way down in 4th. Also — the original name for Melbourne was "Batmania" — after one of the founders John Batman — another positive for Melbourne.
Melbourne was rated the 3rd most livable city in the world, while Sydney was way down in 4th. Also — the original name for Melbourne was "Batmania" — after one of the founders John Batman. Another positive for Melbourne.
Reality is that they are both pretty nice — but it was pretty chilly this week in Melbourne.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge, opened in 1932, is the world's largest steel arch bridge and carries eight lanes of traffic, two railway lines, a cycleway, and a footway. BridgeClimb — the commercial guided climb to the summit at 134 metres — launched in 1998 and has since hosted over 4 million climbers. Prices run from AUD $174 to over $400 depending on time of day, with dawn and twilight climbs at a premium. The free alternative is walking across the pedestrian and cycle path on the eastern side of the bridge, which offers nearly identical views from a slightly lower vantage point at no cost. The bridge's summit is visually negligible compared to the walkway — though the experience of being on the arch itself is the draw.
"The original name for Melbourne was 'Batmania' — after one of the founders John Batman. Another positive for Melbourne."