City Stories Index · Australia · 2026 edition
Melbourne vs Perth
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Melbourne leads 4–0. Character is a different question: Melbourne is the city of lanes and arcades; Perth is the indian ocean coast.
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| What we measure | Melbourne | Perth | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 47 | 33 | Melbourne |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 281 | 366 | Melbourne |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 4 | — | Melbourne |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 85 | 38 | Melbourne |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 23 | 19 | Melbourne |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 0 | — | Melbourne |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Melbourne in orange, Perth in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
MelbournePerth
22 places
arts & culture7 places
12 places
legends & myths2 places
10 places
parks & leisure4 places
Melbourne scorecard →
The city of lanes and arcades
Perth scorecard →
The Indian Ocean coast