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Even Mr Monopoly Man has problems figuring out where Melbourne is

Here’s one for Sydneysiders to cheer about. For once, Melbourne was beaten by our ‘auld enemy’ to the final 22 cities set to appear in Monopoly’s latest take on their famous board game. The harbour city appears on the game’s Red strip (The Strand, Trafalgar Square and Fleet Street) in good company, alongside international powerhouses New York and London. Sydney occupies the position occupied by The Strand. Not bad at all.

Yet it’s not surprising to find out that more Australians voted for Melbourne. The cultural, arts, fashion and coffee capital of Australia is a favourite with Australians who visit Melbourne for the vibrant city life, sports scene and wadya know, perhaps a trip on Melbourne’s infamous public transport system *cough* Lynne Kosky out! *cough*

I can only speculate, but I daresay Melbourne was beaten by our lesser cousin due to Sydney’s more international profile. In fact, when asked what the capital of Australia is many people around the world mention ‘Sydney’. Sydney is also the first city most non-Australians think of, and Sydney is also the only city most non-Australians know of. Of course, Aussies know that our capital Canberra is halfway between Sydney and Melbourne so the conflict and dispute would stop. Which also explains why the Australian Capital Territory (where Canberra resides) exists so it would not belong to either New South Wales or Victoria. Ha! That’s a bit of history there.

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The cities on International Monopoly. How do you pronounce GDYNIA?

Looking at the cities listed on the board, I can’t help to think how the cities were placed? I’m no expert on finance or property, but surely it doesn’t take a business mogul to question land-starved Tokyo’s place in the Light Blue strip? I know Eastern European countries are up and coming, but does Riga, the capital of Latvia deserve #2?

Curiously, looking at a 2008 study done by British-based consultancy firm Mercer, the Top 20 Most Expensive Cities for Expats ^[3] rankings show a similar chart in relation to the property prices of the Monopoly board. Both Canadian cities Vancouver and Montreal do not even figure on the list. Ho hum.

Interestingly, Sydney also appears in the list at #15. Other cities that appear in both rankings include Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, Paris, Rome and Beijing.

Images taken from Hasbro.com.

adrock2xander has never been to any of the cities listed on International Monopoly bar Sydney. He really needs to get out. Also, excuse his poor Photoshop skills.