Australia's NYC

My recent trip to Melbourne might have killed me...had I not been for end of financial year sales.

I've heard only lovely things about Melbourne since I arrived in Australia. Even many Sydneysiders can't help but like it, though the two cities foster a highly competitive relationship.

From what I've gathered, Sydney is Australia's L.A., while Melbourne is their NYC. Though Sydney is the larger of the two, it might not be that way for long. Apparently, 1,200 people move to Melbourne every week! If it continues to grow at such a rate, Melbourne will be the largest Australian city by 2020.

While Sydney boasts a glamourous edge, Melbourne prides itself on its cultural venues, restaurants and shopping.

I cannot stress enough the greatness of the shopping scene. I did exercise some control (and again, the sales helped) and only bought a few choice items. I purchased a gorgeous eggplant peacoat from Hello, Gorgeous!, a boutique downtown. I also bought a silk purse from Review Australia's outlet store. And finally, I picked up a gold-plated dog tag in the shape of Australia with "Ollie Rehan" engraved on it from the Queen Victoria Markets. My Lhasa Apso will be the fanciest pooch on the block.

Melbourne is such a fantastic city. And honestly, I thought I'd prefer it to anywhere else in Oz. But when I returned to Sydney, I was happy to be home.

Here are some pics from the trip:

Top: Royal Arcade shopping (this is where I got my peacoat).

Second: A downtown intersection (the gold-lighted building on the left is a tram station).

Third: Bourke Street Mall (Melbourne's shopping epicentre).

Bottom: Victoria Park Markets.