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While you are welcome to partake in my fan club, as obviously a paid up member taking note of every post, if you do at all find something to disagree with do so respectably, as little need to express Bogan credentials in all honesty.
Obviously as Australia's second city, with cost advantages over Sydney it will grow. Take away those advantages though, which through turbo population growth will increase pollution, housing cost and tourism being so fickle will find greener and more pleasant p-laces to spend their dollar.
Coffee really? Melbourne sells itself on something considered long the norm in many a European city. Food ? Hobart's doing the same. These aspects will hardly sustain tourism long term. But do feature through spin and PR but hardly unique in itself, although Melbourne does for now have a certain uniqueness of city scopes in the Australian context.
As I mentioned, Melbourne if continues along present path of rapid population, with infrastructure failing miserably and costs rising it will continue to fall down the desirability stakes.
I wouldn't call it a fan club, but whatever floats your boat.
When I say food and coffee, clearly every major city in the world has these but in terms of sheer variety and quality, Melbourne is definitely up the top. In terms of population growth, I also do not like 120000 people per year shoving themselves into the outer suburbs but that is an entirely different issue to importance. As acajack mentioned, I didn't even talk about the city's second love - sports. It is a mecca for sporting fans, with major events of all sorts and the current record holder for the most viewed UFC match in the world, which wasnt even a big thing here 5-10 years ago.
I wouldn't call it a fan club, but whatever floats your boat.
When I say food and coffee, clearly every major city in the world has these but in terms of sheer variety and quality, Melbourne is definitely up the top. In terms of population growth, I also do not like 120000 people per year shoving themselves into the outer suburbs but that is an entirely different issue to importance. As acajack mentioned, I didn't even talk about the city's second love - sports. It is a mecca for sporting fans, with major events of all sorts and the current record holder for the most viewed UFC match in the world, which wasnt even a big thing here 5-10 years ago.
Yeah, when I first went to Australia, as a sports fan who likes to experience different "games" on his trips and stays abroad, Melbourne was a huge attraction.
Coming from Canada I entered Australia at Sydney and also spent quite a bit of time there. I loved the city and also took in sports matches there including NRL semi-finals and such but it's not that big a deal when you can also see the All-Blacks in action in NZ. Similarly, seeing the Kings in action at the Sydney Entertainment Centre is cool but not that special for a North American who has the NBA next door.
AFL in Melbourne was super cool and alluring even before I got there. "Finals time" was simply awesome.
I wouldn't call it a fan club, but whatever floats your boat.
When I say food and coffee, clearly every major city in the world has these but in terms of sheer variety and quality, Melbourne is definitely up the top. In terms of population growth, I also do not like 120000 people per year shoving themselves into the outer suburbs but that is an entirely different issue to importance. As acajack mentioned, I didn't even talk about the city's second love - sports. It is a mecca for sporting fans, with major events of all sorts and the current record holder for the most viewed UFC match in the world, which wasnt even a big thing here 5-10 years ago.
It's not a matter of floating my boat, it's the ability to being able to respond accordingly and in a manner fitting, regardless of agreement or not and being able to state contrary arguments to further your opinion.
What I am saying, is that coffee and food alone will hardly carry Melbourne in tourist credentials alone.
To what extent what may pass in Australia as something a little less ordinary, would appear so to tourists from abroad? I can think of a host of cities with cosmopolitan centres, far more quirky in ambiance, that present with atmospheres far exceeding Melbourne's.
I'm not say Melbourne is bad, I enjoy going there from a city as conventional as Perth, but needs more than coffee and sport to entice tourists as a stand alone feature, so far and expensive to get to and hardly cheap to stay in.
YNRL semi-finals and such but it's not that big a deal when you can also see the All-Blacks in action in NZ.
You know they play different sports?
The funny thing is if Australia fielded a rugby team from rugby league players they'd probably dominate the ABs. The pool of rugby players in Australia is tiny and shrinking.
Australia has some of the best food in the world, no doubt, and food is definitely a big tourism drawcard. You only have to look at the advertising for tourism around the world, food features very highly. I don't really think Melbourne food is that different to the food in Sydney, but they sure do sell it that way.
The funny thing is if Australia fielded a rugby team from rugby league players they'd probably dominate the ABs. The pool of rugby players in Australia is tiny and shrinking.
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Indeed, I do know they are different sports.
But to someone from abroad looking for bucket list sporting experiences, that's a minor quibble. (I realize that might be a sacrilege to either RL or RU purists.)
It's just like American and Canadian gridiron football are different sports. Even though I generally prefer watching the Canadian brand (long story), I wouldn't dispute a European or an Australian crossing the ocean looking for a gridiron fix choosing to go see the Dallas Cowboys instead of the Toronto Argonauts.
But to someone from abroad looking for bucket list sporting experiences, that's a minor quibble. (I realize that might be a sacrilege to either RL or RU purists.)
It's just like American and Canadian gridiron football are different sports. Even though I generally prefer watching the Canadian brand (long story), I wouldn't dispute a European or an Australian crossing the ocean looking for a gridiron fix choosing to go see the Dallas Cowboys instead of the Toronto Argonauts.
I'd suggest the difference between league and union is far bigger than the variances in North American football. IMO, it would be like saying netball and basketball are interchangeable.
I'd suggest the difference between league and union is far bigger than the variances in North American football. IMO, it would be like saying netball and basketball are interchangeable.
I guess if we wanted we could do a comparison of the differences: you could do rugby and I could do gridiron.
Though I have been to live matches of all four sports, I would defer to you as the rugby expert. (Though as I've said before, to me the level of difference does seem fairly comparable.)
And netball vs. basketball is clearly more different that either of the pairings above.
I believe it was equally as wealthy as Buenos Aires at the time.
I know certain posters here have a fairly negative opinion of Australia. But having been to Argentina, I think we have fared an awful lot better than they. We actually sat in a cafe in BA and commented how similar some things were to Melbourne. But so many things there are now a lot worse, unfortunately for them.
Interesting.
What things in BA are similar to Melbourne? Why do posters have a negative opinion of Australia?
I guess if we wanted we could do a comparison of the differences: you could do rugby and I could do gridiron.
Sure we could do that. The big difference is the flow of the game. Rucks, mauls and kicking are why union is soooo boring to watch (and I grew up playing union). League is all about possession, not field position which is why there is endless kicking in union. Get good field position, force a penalty, kick for three points....boring. No one wants to watch the breakdown in union it's boring, in league you get tackled you get up and you play the ball. That's why league is such a faster game, I've read somewhere that in league the ball is in play for about 60 minutes/game whereas in union it's half that. League was invented as a professional sport, union as a product holds on to its amateur roots. By design league has been created and modified to be popular and entertaining, unlike union which steadfastly holds on to its archaic rules. League is a much more physical game than union, I've heard it described as a boxing match with a ball, I think that's right.
I don't think the netball/basketball comparison is incorrect. Netball was invented as women's basketball.
I find league too predictable and not as exciting as union -all those rucks, mauls and kicking coming with more uncertainty, which is good.
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