Originally Posted by
t_cas
That pretty much supports the theory.
Precisely what I was trying to indicate. Having lived in both cities for more than a decade each time, when I lived in Sydney and looked to go out with friends, we didn't go to the Northern Beaches, we might once in a while, whereas if a friend asked me out to lunch (absent a lockdown of course) on the other side of Melbourne from where I live, I wouldn't think twice as it's easy to get to with lots of interconnecting roads that are easy to remember and navigate because virtually everything's on a grid. That means that suburb A, has direct contact with suburb B and like a domino, people from B have exposure to suburb C and then D and so on. In Sydney/NSW, you get to D and there's a river or a harbor so there's a natural barrier which is why I think the theory has merit as it makes sense.
The other factor cited, not as strong as the other element but would have an effect is that Sydney's migrant/ethnic communities tend to be cohesive and centred on one area. In Melbourne this has never been the case, yeh, there are small pockets of concentration, but mostly, the communities are very diverse with no tendency toward 'enclaves' such as Sydney. Another reason interaction between communities is different to Melbourne.