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The NSW Prime Minister has ignited a decades-long debate over whether Sydney or Melbourne is more livable after declaring Harbor City “the place to be”.
Dominic Perrottet scoffed at the idea that Melbourne was a more livable city after new data revealed its population would dwarf Sydney’s by 2031.
Is Melbourne more livable than Sydney? I mean please,’ he told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.
“We have the best harbor in the world, the Opera House, the Blue Mountains, the best beaches and they have this Federation Square thing… like, no,” he said.
“Sydney is the place to be, we all know that.”
Enthusiastic Melburnians rushed to defend their city after video of the PM’s anti-Melbourne spray went viral on social media this week.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) scoffed at the idea that Melbourne was a more livable city after new data revealed its population was set to eclipse Sydney’s by 2031
“Don’t confuse pleasant to visit with livability,” replied one user.
“Something someone in Sydney would say,” wrote a second.
‘Melbourne is depressing, so I moved to Sydney. But Sydney was too expensive and busy, so I moved to the Gold Coast. Let’s say Australia is the best,” commented a third.
“Sydney is too expensive and the roads are crowded,” wrote another.
The debate over whether Sydney or Melbourne is the better city has been going on for decades and is still hotly contested on social media sites like Reddit.
The NSW Premier pointed to Sydney Harbor and the Opera House (both pictured) as two main reasons Sydney was superior to Melbourne.
Social media users agreed Sydney had better weather and beaches, Melbourne had better cultural experiences and public transport (Pictured Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews)
One Melbourne resident said his city was not overcrowded with tourists and had better food, sports, culture, music, nightlife and people (Pictured St Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne on the left)
One traveler made a post asking locals to suggest “unique” things he could do in each of the cities, which quickly escalated into a battle of the rival states.
A Melbourne local said his city was not overcrowded with tourists and had better food, sports, culture, music, nightlife and people.
Another user went a step further, saying that Melbourne had the best events, had the most character, parks and gardens, fashion and art galleries.
A third said whether a person liked Sydney or Melbourne better was highly subjective.
Artsy guys like Melbourne, normal people like Sydney. Both are nice cities but they attract different kinds of people,” he continued.
“I don’t care for Sydney, but I prefer Melbourne as it has more of a counter-culture artsy vibe and more of a European influence.
“I think as a tourist I would probably like Sydney more, but as a place to live Melbourne wins hands down for me.”
Another Reddit user said he was having a hard time deciding whether to settle in Sydney or Melbourne and asked users for advice.
‘One big thing about Melbourne is that, at least in the CBD, it’s extraordinarily organized. All the roads are in a grid pattern and the train runs outside. It is very easy to get lost. Sydney is all messed up,” said one.
“Honestly, I prefer the Sydney design – the curves give it more character,” replied one Sydneysider.
Another user shared his ‘simplified answer’: ‘If you prefer things outdoors, go to Sydney. If you prefer indoor things, go to Melbourne’.
One social media user said Melbourne (pictured) had more of a European influence and therefore had superior cultural experiences and attractions to Sydney.
Users agreed that the two main cities were relatively clean and safe for their size and quite liveable (pictured is the famous Bondi Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs)
Users agreed that both cities were reasonably safe and clean for their size, had excellent restaurants, and were quite livable.
Sydney has a population of 5.5 million while Melbourne has a slightly smaller population at 5.2 million.
According to federal government projections, Melbourne’s population will surpass that of Sydney by 2031.
The Population Center estimates that the population in the southern state will grow from about 5 million in June 2021 to 6 million by mid-2031.
Sydney’s population is also expected to grow during this time, but at a slower rate.