So recently, a fellow fanpopper Snerkie posted a soapbox article entitled “Sydney = Overrated”. If you haven’t read that article, you may have to in order to get what I’m saying. To start, My name is Ali, I’m 17 and I live in Sydney.
Second, I want to pick a little bone with Snerkie.
You say Sydney is Un-Australian. Um... isn't that is what is so great about Australia? That that we are so MULTICULTURAL. Now you say you are not racist, but seriously, everyone has a right to live in Australia (given they're not terrorists, murderers or dangerous) and that fact that you put Un-Australian in bold worries me.
No Sydney is not great. When I was 12 my family moved from Melbourne to Sydney. I remember being so overwhelmed by the enormity of it all, I kept comparing it to Melbourne. Melbourne had trams and was easier to get around, Sydney didn’t. Melbourne had all my friends, Sydney didn’t. Melbourne was Melbourne and Sydney wasn’t. But then as I realized I was going to be in Sydney for awhile, so I sucked it up. I discovered buses and I got new and in some cases better friends.
I’m not blind or stupid. A lot of people smoke, there isn't a great rubbish regime and the homeless people are scary. But let’s just go over the highlights of Sydney. Snerkie liked the harbour, and she’s right, it’s beautiful and the locals enjoy it too, not just tourists. But what about the weather? It’s almost always sunny and the beaches are as close as 30 minutes away. Sydney is also very green, being so moist. There are a vast species of trees, mostly native. The national parks are close and easy to get to, most people have them on their back yards. Yeah I know, fire hazard, but hey that’s Australia for you.
By now your thinking get off your soapbox(hahaha) Shizzali, you’ve only been to Melbourne and Sydney. You’ve never been to Adelaide, so quite being so defensive. Well that’s true. I’ve only every been to Rural NSW and Victoria, and I’ve loved it, but I never thought I took it for granted. I’ve also been holidaying in Europe and Canada, so I’m not ignorant.
To finish I have a few more points, so bear with me. Snerkie says that on TV “they say how beautiful Sydney is and it's like the heart of Australia”. Well there’s her problem, Since when do you believe EVERYTHING you see on TV (WWE isn’t as sincere as she thinks, obviously). I credit Snerkie for taking that trip to explore more of Australia, my friend and I are doing a road trip around Australia when we finish school next year.
So that’s it from Shizzali, you may have gathered I like my feelings known. As a final point, I’m not saying that Sydney isn’t overrated, to some people. Everyone has a right to their opinion and to publish that opinion, and I’m exercising that right. I hope you enjoyed it, I certainly enjoyed writing it!
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When i was in sydney it was raining heaps, lol (bad for me since i had no umbrella and only 2 pairs of pants D:)
I also completely agree with you, on how foreign networks, especially those in the USA, portray Australia wrongly. At the 2008 Victorian Swimming State Championships in Melbourne, there were many overseas visitors, most from Japan. Being the social butterfly that I am, ofcourse I went and talked to them (through translators, they couldn't speak english), I was asked, among other questions, "Do you have a pet kangaroo?", "Do you ride kangaroos to school/work/outings etc..?" and when they discovered I had a backyard pool "Is there any crocodiles in it?". This to me shows hoe misrepresented we are in overseas media. The girls asked these questions completely seriously, and were quite confused as to why we didn't take kangaroos instead of cars or didn't have a per croc in our pools.
Ok, sorry for that minor interruption, but I thought it was funny and you might get a giggle out of it. My family has always said that I had to see Australia before I saw the world, so in my 14 years I have never been overseas, but holidayed in each state capital, and the various locations, such as Port Douglas, Cairns, Kakadu National Park, Alice Springs and Uluru, Broome and many others which are famous for their international tourism. After seeing almost every major town/city (and minor ones in Victoria, New South Wales and lower Queensland) I cannot make up my mind as to which is the best, they each have such a different atmosphere and all have many pros and cons.
Sorry for the essay comment XD, it was a great article in rebuttal to Sydney=Overrated. Thanks and kudos on your piece.
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