On the road

Sydney or Melbourne?

There comes a time when every Victorian must cross into the promised lands of New South Wales.

These two states of Australia seem to have a lot to compete about; which is better, Sydney or Melbourne? Rugby League or AFL? As a Melburnian, I've always seemed to think there was little to argue about. Of course Melbourne was by far the better city, and who the hell watches League anyway? Only a Sydneysider!

But New South Wales has a lot going for it. The self-proclaimed premier state accounts for one-third of Australia's population, one-third of all Australia's manufacturing (let's keep in mind Australia has six states and two major territories - of which New South Wales is by no means the biggest geographically), and it boasts a bigger economy than any other state.

The Blue Mountains, Darling Harbour, Botany Bay and the Sydney Opera House; all of which are in the Sydney surrounds, are all familiar names even to non-Australians. By comparison, the Great Ocean Road, the Victorian Alps and the story of Ned Kelly are more a sort of unexpected surprise you encounter while visiting a relative in Melbourne.

So what is it about the premier state that makes it different to Victoria, my home state that I have come to love so much? If you were a visitor from abroad, the two states probably wouldn't seem very different. Of the subtle differences that makes New South Wales New South Wales and Victoria Victoria, I came to learn what it was about Victoria that has kept it so close to heart.

It's unlikely I will ever leave Melbourne for Sydney (it's far too crowded!), but that said, on this week-long road trip, I discovered Sydney and New South Wales aren't all bad.