"The Garden City" Melbourne by Ramonq

Melbourne, Sydney's favourite punching bag is quite a town. There is a friendly rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne, it has become a favourite conversation in dinner parties and magazine articles. The CBD is planned in a grid pattern similar to New York City. The avenues are wide and treelined traversed by trams. It is different from Sydney which grew unplanned and has narrower streets. Melbourne has a more European feel to it while Sydney is more American.

Melbourne has got some of the more innovative architecture found in Australia. While it lacks a spectacular natural backdrop, unlike Sydney, Melbourne makes up for it through urban planning. It's a delight to walk around the streets of Melbourne and see all sorts of buildings, from Victorian classics to futuristic designs. Some of the streets like Collins Street has a Parisian atmosphere, complete with sidewalk cafes on the tree-line boulevard.

The Yarra River is the lifeblood of Melbourne. A lot of its festivities are centred around this muddy river. It is quite clean and it gives the city a civilising effect. Along the Yarra are swanky shops, restaurants and Australia's largest Casino complex...enough to get you entertained for a couple of weeks.

• Pros:fantastic restaurants
• Cons:unpredictable weather
• In a nutshell:Melbourne is uncomparable