# Think of a city in Australia (that isn't Sydney) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223 "2015-10-11T00:12:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/41 "2015-10-11T06:26:33Z")
You can see Melbourne from Mars? ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/42 "2015-10-11T06:42:45Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > You can see Melbourne from Mars? I’ve got good eyesight. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/43 "2015-10-11T06:48:56Z")
Canberra ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/44 "2015-10-11T06:57:34Z")
I love precious opal, so Coober Pedy pops into my mind first. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/45 "2015-10-11T07:42:03Z")
Adelaide, because I’ve been there more times than other non-Sydney cities. My second thought was the wonderful town of [Tittybong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tittybong,_Victoria), because heh. Tittybong. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/46 "2015-10-11T08:36:02Z")
Perth, because it’s the Cape Town of Australia… ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/47 "2015-10-11T09:49:59Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > Ballarat was mentioned in a Sherlock Holmes story, “The Boscombe Valley Mystery”. It was; and I recently re-read that story, so that would be one reason for Ballarat to come to mind. It’s also the setting for _The Doctor Blake Mysteries_, which I’ve been watching lately. Plus, there’s a pub hereabouts called “The Ballarat” which is a bit of a local landmark, so there’s that, too. But what brought it to mind last night was watching _Strictly Come Dancing_. My wife commented on Craig Revel Horwood’s peculiarly affected pronunciation of some words, and I tried to kid her it was his native Ballarat accent coming through. Don’t think she bought it. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/48 "2015-10-11T10:44:32Z")
Just to show off: Broken Hill (big mining centre, in the “mid-east” but a long way inland). ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/49 "2015-10-11T11:27:57Z")
Townsville because of the Cowboys. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/50 "2015-10-11T11:43:53Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Oh, and just by-the-by, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast are not cities, but ‘regions’. And as for Canberra… (d&r) ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/51 "2015-10-11T11:54:26Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I thought of a city not listed, Fremantle. I suppose the reason for that is the Tom Selleck movie _Quigley Down Under_. He landed at Fremantle. Fremantle is really part of Perth these days- really like a big suburb. I was there in about 1982 before the America’s Cup win and it was a run down old port. Now it is a very expensive place to buy property. I nominated Brisbane as I now live here. Perth would have been second- one of the most isolated capital cities in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/52 "2015-10-11T12:52:34Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Newcastle (for fairly obvious reasons). > > Note that, strictly speaking, Canberra is not a city, even though most people think of it as a city, since it’s not incorporated as a city. Local government functions in Canberra are carried out by the Australian Capital Territory government. > [@kambuckta](#): > > Oh, and just by-the-by, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast are not cities, but ‘regions’. Interesting, I went off [wiki’s list of Aussie cities by population](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Australia_by_population). Don’t quite know the difference between Canberra and Australian Capital territory, I assume it’s similar to the city of Washington D.C. and the District of Colombia kinda relationship? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/53 "2015-10-11T13:00:59Z")
Canberra is the city, ACT is really a piece of land carved out to ensure that neither NSW or Victoria were seen as predominant. Both Canberra and the ACT are equally boring. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/54 "2015-10-11T13:03:39Z")
I said Perth, I think because I used to know a boy from there. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/55 "2015-10-11T14:11:17Z")
Coober Pedy, I’ve seen Priscilla, queen of the desert far too many times ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/56 "2015-10-11T14:16:29Z")
Perth, probably because I live not too far away from the original one, and one of my friends lives in the Australian version. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/57 "2015-10-11T14:35:16Z")
> [@Girl\_From\_Mars](#): > > Melbourne. Because I can literally see it from my back yard. Me too! Melbourne, Florida, that is. Which also explains my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/58 "2015-10-11T14:50:31Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Perth. Don’t know why. I think I’ve heard more about Melbourne. > [@Loach](#): > > Me too. No idea why. It’s just the first one that popped into my head. Ha, exactly the same for me. I thought “Perth” and then almost instantly “Why Perth and not Melbourne? Isn’t Melbourne bigger?” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/59 "2015-10-11T15:56:48Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Ha, exactly the same for me. I thought “Perth” and then almost instantly “Why Perth and not Melbourne? Isn’t Melbourne bigger?” The poll results make sense, at least from my perspective, Melbourne should be more well known. I have colleagues working there, they’d be my only regular contacts with Australians. But Perth keeps popping up in the posts. Maybe it is the one syllable thing **Tomba** mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223/60 "2015-10-11T16:54:46Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Interesting, I went off [wiki’s list of Aussie cities by population](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Australia_by_population). Don’t quite know the difference between Canberra and Australian Capital territory, I assume it’s similar to the city of Washington D.C. and the District of Colombia kinda relationship? There are similarities up to a point. However: (1) The ACT is much larger in area than DC, and the majority of its area is rural. There’s no rural land in DC, which is surrounded on all sides by urban counties and cities of Maryland and Virginia. (2) Washington DC is incorporated as a city, with a city council and a mayor, even though it covers the same area as DC. Canberra is not incorporated as a city, since there are no local government areas in the ACT. (3) The ACT has voting representatives in the Australian Senate and House of Representatives. DC has taxation without representation. (4) DC has a deep-water port and a navy base. ACT does not, but there is the separate [Jervis Bay Territory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jervis_Bay_Territory) which does have a navy base. (5) There’s no airport in DC, though Washington National (DCA) is next to its boundary on the other side of the Potomac in Virginia. Canberra Airport is inside te ACT. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-australia-that-isnt-sydney/734223.md?page=4)