Melbourne's great! lived here all my life.
It's very different from all the other Australian cities, most of the others are more laid back in my opinion, a lot more sun surf and beach orientated like Gold Coast or Sydney.
Melbourne's got more a European feel, it's heavily cultured, multi-cultural and a melting pot of food, entertainment and sport. It's a face paced city during the day and full of pubs, bars, clubs at night. It some of the best restaurants in the world with a great range of cuisines. Food is so important in this city it's astonishing that when I leave this city I can taste the difference in food. The arts are heavily celebrated here, full of events like European Masters collections from Europe, Salavador Dali etc. Capital of sporting as well from the Australian Football, Grand Prix, Australian Open etc. The architecture is a mix of Victorian Era Grandeur mixed with Modernism side by side in the city centre. The public transit system and roads are great too.
I say it's a great and well balanced city, with a heavy passion for it's coffee. Coffee is not just a drink but an identity in this city, if you like cafe's and coffee and your food come here.
If you're the type of 'gay' that tends to like sophisticated, fancy, cultured things, Melbourne is the best bet!! If you're more into a more relaxed go with the flow feel I'd go for Sydney, although I've never been to Sydney.
But Melbourne isn't rated #1 Most livable city in the world twice in a row by the rest of the world for no reason
