18 Reasons Melbourne is Awesome
Excuse us for bragging, but we think Melbourne is pretty awesome. And not just because, for a brief moment in history it was called Batmania… Here are our 18 Reasons Melbourne is Tops:
1. Cafe Culture
If you're not sitting in a glorified gutter, surrounded by graffiti, sipping a flat white in the brief interlude of sunlight between downpours or wind storms, YOU'RE NOT DOING MELBOURNE RIGHT!
Aspiring to the greatness of cafe capitals of Paris, Rome and Vienna, Melbourne has numerous independent cafes, each with their own unique flavour, street-side seating and sweet treats.
And obviously, a stellar cafe culture goes hand in hand with incredible…
2. Coffee
Melburnians are Australia's biggest coffee snobs.
Melbourne is the home of Australia's first espresso machine. And ever since it's been the home of great coffee. In fact, Melbourne is one of the few places Starbucks have closed en-mass, unable to compete with numerous indie cafes.
Such abundance of coffee also creates the perfect eco-system for hipsters to proliferate, bringing their unique visual style, handiworks and food trucks to the streets of trendy suburbs like Fitzroy and Collingwood. Thanks to coffee, Melbourne is furrier, plaid-ier and paella-ier than ever.
3. Trams
While practically every other city in the world were ripping out their tram lines and replacing them with the more 'flexible' bus, Melbourne remained steadfast. Stuck in her ways, even. But now as the benefits of light rail are being rediscovered, Melbourne is laughing! Other cities are spending a fortune on new tram lines, while Melborune is sitting on the largest light rail network in the world. That's not to say we should just rest on our laurels though. Melburnians love their trams -- it makes sense to invest in a larger, more diverse network.
Now that Myki works 'seamlessly', there's no reason we shouldn't all be riding trams. And hey, if it's good enough for Phil and Liz, it's good enough for me.
4. Opulent Old Architecture
... that looks good even when it's overcast (which is lucky, because it's overcast a lot)!
During the Gold Rush, Melbourne was once the richest city in the World (now it's just the most expensive). Lucky that the Gold Rush occurred during one of the most opulent and grand periods of architecture -- the Victorian Period -- because now we've got oodles of beautiful old buildings to show off. Parliament House, the Princess, Regent and Her Majesty Theatres, the Royal Exhibition Building, Flinders Street Station, the State Library and other architectural gems can all be attributed to Gold Rush wealth.
We have many examples of opulent old architecture right next to…
5. Controversial Modern Architecture
Like train stations at night, architecture is far from safe in Melbourne. As a result, we have a rich tapestry of unique buildings.
Visitors love Melbourne's eclectic style, which is much more interesting than beige old Sydney (sorry Sydney, you totally win Harbors, Bridges and Opera Houses though).
6. Laneways
What used to be access routes for pan collectors to dispose of the contents of outdoor dunnies (hands down one of the world's worst jobs), Melbourne's bluestone laneways are now the focus of a thriving bar, cafe and culture scene. In most cities, walking down a small dark lane at night is probably tantamount to holding up a sign saying, "Please Stab Me". In Melbourne, it's your ticket to the city's coolest bars and nightlife. That red door with the doorbell? Yeah, it's not a service entrance for a restaurant, it's the hidden entrance to a tiny, buzzing speakeasy-style bar.
7. Street Art
Take a walk down Hosier Lane or the back streets of Fitzroy to understand the difference between graffiti and street art. Melbourne has some amazing examples of the latter. Even renowned street artist Banksy has taken the arduous flight to stencil our laneways. Melbourne's prolific street are is part of the reason our lanes are such interesting, dynamic places to hang out.
8. Seasons/Unpredictable Climate
While many of us have a love-hate relationship with our gapingly diverse seasons and predictably unpredictable climate, sometimes it's nice to pull on a jacket, rug up and head out. In terms of fashion, it means layers, something our friends in Brisbane don't understand (are thongs a layer?).
While Melbourne can swing from mid-40 degree temperatures to single digits (seemingly in the space of an hour), it's hard to beat that first sniff of cut grass in spring, or a warming hot chocolate on a cold overcast day. Seasons are one of Melbourne's most underrated benefits.
Plus, I'm pretty sure our unpredictable climate keeps us on our toes to the point of warding off dementia (not scientifically proven)
9. Great Food
Italian, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish, you name it.
Yum yum yum. All our immigrants brought with them an incredibly delicious and diverse array of food.
10. Culture/Festivals
Every week is a festival of some description in Melbourne. It's a wonder we can get any work done with all the festivities.
From Comedy to Fashion and even more obscure celebrations like the Ukulele Festival or the oddly specific Environmental Film Festival. Our calendars are chockers. I guess it helps to take our minds off the terrible weather…
11. Sport
It takes a certain level of commitment to get close-the-streets-down excited about a game no one else in the world cares about. That's just how sports mad Melbourne is.
The MCG at full capacity has a population to rival some 'cities' (*cough* Bendigo *cough*). We have two football/cricket stadiums, a soccer/rugby stadium, world-class tennis facilities, hockey, netball and swimming pools all in walking (or tramming) distance from the city. To say the place is sports mad would be an understatement. Case in point is that little horse race the whole city shuts down for…
12. Public Holiday for a Horse Race
They say it's the race that stops a nation. But that would only be true if Melbourne were its own nation-state. Which, given the chaos in the Federal and State governments at the moment, isn't such a bad idea… The Melbourne Cup is an excuse for Melburnians to get tizzed up so they can feel fancy whilst getting smashed on overpriced sparkling wine and not even see a horse for the day. Hey, it's spring. This is what happens when you lock a populous up for three months with no sunlight.
13. Crown Casino
Fireballs and a late night refuge for poor decision makers. What more could you want?
14. Cycling
Melbourne is super flat. That's why it's practically a cyclists paradise. Except for, you know, the weather. And now there's the uber 'successful' bikeshare program and more and more bike lanes, popping up around the city to encourage cycling and frustrate motorists -- MAMILs (Middle Aged Men in Lycra) never felt more at home. And while it might be an assault to our eyeballs, more people riding means less pollution and more seats on the tram for the rest of us.
15. Eureka's Golden Light
It's impossible to know when it will happen, but every so often Melbourne's tallest building treats us to a magical, almost spiritual, light show.
16. Tiny Hidden Bars
This laneway is not as stabby as it looks…
We have a long harsh winter to deal with in Melbourne. Melburnians spend the winter months holed up in a bar barely bigger than a child's wardrobe, drinking red wine in an effort to lift their body temperature enough to feel their feet again. Meanwhile Sydneysiders are still at the beach, lapping up the sun and surf. That kind of suffering encourages creativity…
17. Creativity
Scrap that. It's bred into us, clearly.
18. Docklands
Jk. Lol.
Also, This:
Actually, this video pretty much sums up why Melbourne is so awesome:
Melbourne Tradies
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Love Melbourne too? Tell us your favourite thing about it in the comments below. Disagree? That's fine too, I guess. Tell us which city trumps Melbourne and why.
Brodie Norris runs Lunchbox Architect, a website featuring one exceptional, architect-designed family home every weekday. Check out all the amazing Melbourne homes we've featured!
