Friday, January 2, 2026

Same same, but different


Getting rid of an unfinished post that was going nowhere. 

New South Wales. Dammed road potholes.

Victoria. Damned road potholes. 

Sydney tourist: Your public transport is wonderful. 

Sydney local: Twenty five damned minutes and no 333 bus, then three arrive.

Melbourne tourist: Your trams are just such a wonderful way to get around.

Melbourne local: (This might be me) A tram every 90 seconds at the stop, so why the hell is the next tram seven minutes away.

Sydney: Crime out of control. A machete attack in a western Sydney suburb. Police arrest two youths in a stolen car, repeat offenders who were already on bail for a home invasion. 

Melbourne: Crime out of control. A machete attack in a western Melbourne suburb. Police arrest two youths in a stolen car, repeat offenders who were already on bail for home invasion.

Sydney: Property prices are ridiculous and there is nothing to rent.

Melbourne:  Property prices are ridiculous and there is nothing to rent.

Then differences appear.

From a low base over ten years coffee in Sydney has much improved, and I generally found it fine now.

I noticed quite a number of Melbourne impersonators in Sydney during this visit, all walking around in black clothing.

31 comments:

  1. Not having been to but having read about both cities, I believe one has an opera house of note.

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    1. Kirk, like the rest of Sydney, it is all about show. Its acoustics aren't as good as Melbourne venues.

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  2. I think Melbourne is the one with the tennis. The sum total of my touristic knowledge. Sydney has a big bridge my town provided the steel for and some advisors to help with the Allen wrenches. Big ones

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    1. Tennis soon to start Boud, and though I have little interest in sport, it is our best big sporing event, with such a terrific atmosphere. I did not know that about the harbour bridge.

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    2. And, I believe rivets were used, rather than Allen wrenches.

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  3. Replies
    1. Roentare, I don't think so. I love my city, though there are issues.

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  4. I need to clean up my drafts folder of unfinished thoughts! Happy New Year!

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    1. Jackie, looking back at some of mine, I see nonsense and wonder what I was thinking.

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  5. In the 1950s and 60s, we were told that Sydney was rough whereas Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth citizens were polite. I assumed the Sydney problem was caused by booze and drugs.

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    1. Hels, wasn't Joe in Bondi around that time? Did he feel it was rough? Certainly more corrupt back then.

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  6. Isn't Melbourne the chillier one?

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    Replies
    1. JayCee, slightly chillier and much more chilled.

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  7. You need to get out if th e big cities and look further around this big country.

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  8. Do all Melbournians wear black clothes then? I guess you have lots of funerals there. HAPPY NEW YEAR ANDREW!

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    1. You set yourself up for this one YP. Yes, I have worn more black clothes to funerals in the last three years than I wanted to. A very happy new year to you and Mrs YP.

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  9. You have young men running around with machetes just like we do! *snap* We also have a small group of teenage girls who pick on another younger girl, punching, kicking and stomping on her head, this has happened twice now and the latest group of thugs at a train/bus interchange hopped on the train but didn't get away, they have been arrested and are headed to youth court and face a ban on using public transport.
    Do you have increased safety measures now with police able to "wand" you to detect metal weapons and able to search bags and backpacks randomly if suspected of carrying weapons? It's happenng here at big venues like Adelaide oval, huge shopping centres and train/bus interchange stations.

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    1. River, I don't know why, but girl on girl violence disturbs me more. Yes, there are designated areas now where people can be wanded for any reason.

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  10. That's funny about the Melbourne impersonators in Sydney.

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    Replies
    1. Melbourne is considered more artistic than Sydney, in a European kind of way.

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  11. Happy New Year, Andrew.
    I noticed when I used to visit Melbourne for business each year everyone wore black coats, but it was always late winter.

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    Replies
    1. Now Margaret, it is all black puffer jackets. Happy New Year.

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  12. What you are describing, in a general sense, is big cities everywhere!

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    Replies
    1. Steve, yes, I expect so. The larger the population, the more that can wrong.

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  13. Is there anyplace in the world with good roads?

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    1. TP, perhaps not. I've only really experienced UK and Canadian roads where I've taken notice. I think Canadian roads might have been best.

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  14. It sounds like here, Andrew.
    Most of my clothes are black.

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    Replies
    1. Pat, I bestow upon you an honorary Melbourne pass.

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  15. I can relate, I can write about anything and nothing but sometimes I stare at a page and thinking I'm boring the hell of out myself and not publish it. I just read a published magazine piece I wrote and saw all the flaws and cringed.
    XO
    WWW

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    Replies
    1. WWW, I will guess you are more critical of what you wrote than anyone else was.

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