Australia: The Culture of Distance - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 292

The site of the opera house at Bennalong Point is Sydney's reminder to itself of the
First Fleet's arrival, and the opera house is a proud symbol of what the city has become in
the years since 1788. In 1954 the New South Wales state government announced a com-
petition for an opera house design, and first prize was awarded to a Danish architect, Jorn
Utzon, who had never been to Australia and had seen the site only in photographs. Con-
troversy erupted almost immediately. Critics charged that the design was not feasible, that
it defied sound engineering. Utzon resigned from the project, and local engineering firms
took charge. As construction costs skyrocketed, there was more controversy. “From an ori-
ginal estimate of $7 million, costs soared until the final figure was in excess of $100 mil-
lion.” The opera house was finished in 1973, and as one of the world's great engineering
feats, its picture was sent into space so that anyone from another world would know of the
Earth's people and their technology.
Melbourne's population is about four million. Sydney is exuberant, say its boosters,
while Melbourne is staid. But what can you expect from a city named after the British
Prime Minister who taught Victoria how to carry out her duties as Queen? Stories of
Melbourne's staid manner and conservative outlook are no doubt exaggerated. But unlike
Sydney, where streets cut and turn, Melbourne is laid out as a squared-cornered planner's
grid. Its extensive tramway (street car) system is a visitor's delight. The city has a long
beachfront. And in 2012, The Economist recently rated it as the world's most livable
city. [260]
Figure 19.5. Melbourne