Sydney or Melbourne, Melbourne or Sydney?

There is still a bit of a feud going on when it comes to which Australian city is “better” in some way or the other.

I only had couple of short visits in Sydney but never in Melbourne. Which city is better? En, visiting Melbourne is the first step.

My first impression: Melbourne has a more sophisticated feel to it, with a European looking city centre that is dominated by its famous trams and the colonial-style buildings. By comparison, Sydney CBD is bleak, boring and lifeless.

Melbourne coffee or Wellington coffee?

I still vividly remember how desperately I missed Wellington’s coffee after three weeks in Europe. As a Wellingtonian, I can proudly say Wellington’s coffee is the best and Wellington’s coffee culture is unstoppable.

When my hotel concierge gave me his word that I won’t regret the coffee place he recommended this morning, I doubted and told him I am from Wellington……well the truth is the coffee is an A- 75 out of 100 together with the cafe’s little quaint spot, my brunch was fairly enjoyable.

19th century, 20 century and contemporary Australian Art?

Call me lack of imagination or no sense of “Art” i can’t appreciate the beauty of Gareth Sansom contemporary art exhibition: transformer. Only I can see is the radical, black humour and naughty pleasures. By the way, who can tell me what heck is “gotterdamerungerdungerdumbergungerdung” and how to pronounce it?

However I throughly enjoyed the Australian colonial art and Australian Impressionist art. Art originates from life. I learned some contextual influences through those pieces. And only because it is more artificial than life therefore two hours is plenty of time there.

Why Yarra River is so muddy?

Melbourne, however, is not a city with a strong beach culture. Maybe I should say it is a city with strong riverside culture. Countless restaurants, cafes and pubs along the riverside.

But why the river is so “dirty”? I wondered in the afternoon and now has an answer. The muddy brown colour is caused by the easily eroded clay soils of its catchment area (wiki explanation). The presence of clay particles however is not a major factor in the pollution of the river.

What I don’t like about Melbourne so far?

People often say there are four seasons in a day in Melbourne, and this is probably one of the most striking characteristics of this city.

I didn’t experience the four seasons today but two with torrential rain in the evening! What I am going to pack next time: an umbrella. It is going to be very difficult for a Wellingtonian for sure!