If you ask someone to name an Australian landmark, chances are they’ll say Ayers Rock or the Sydney Opera House. This must grate like hell on the people of Melbourne. The city has such a passionate rivalry with Sydney that when they fought for privilege of being the capital in the 19th century, Canberra was built as a compromise candidate  to stop the country being torn asunder.

These days things have a chilled out…a little. But if you stick a Sydneyite and a Melburnian in a room with a six pack of tinnies, it won’t be long before they’re dissing the other’s city.

I like Sydney a lot, but as a Pom, whose opinion is probably worth less that the paper it’s written on, I like Melbourne more. Sun lashed Sydney may have the great location and cool outdoor lifestyle, but Melbourne is cooler in every other sense.

Sun lashed Sydney may have the great location and cool outdoor lifestyle, but Melbourne is cooler in every other sense.

There’s no real glitter: no spectacular harbour, no memorable monuments, or camera twitching postcard moments. Melbourne is more subtle than that. Its attraction is its underground, cutting edge attitude and its street and streets of eclectic bars and rocking restaurants.

With more than 400 restaurants in the central business district alone, Melbourne does food very well. Two of the best restaurant streets must be funky Brunswick St in Fitzroy and Acland St in trendy St Kilda.

And if it’s a drink you’re looking for, the truth is you really can’t go too wrong if you stroll down one of the main streets and take pot luck. But if you want to find one of the more elusive underground haunts, you’ll need a little help. That’s where the massively popular Melbourne based Bar Secrets comes in. This pack of cards sized insider guide to the city’s best eating and drinking gaffes is all you need for a great night out.

As for me, well, I’d recommend the city’s grandest pub and one of Australia’s oldest. The Young and Jackson Hotel. And if you’re going with a mate from Sydney, be sure to order him a pint of Victoria Bitter.