I'm more inclined to say Melbourne would be better in this scenario.
Optometry actually doesn't require a med degree, unless you're specifically after a specialist area like ophthalmology (which you'd be a doctor for eye conditions and disorders) or eye surgery. Optometry at the postgrad level, which is what I'm assuming what Tiffanyxha is after, is available in its own separate degree at Melbourne (Master of Clinical Optometry or Doctor of Optometry) or Deakin (Master of Optometry). I think there's a couple more beyond that, but these are the main two from major Victorian universities I can find. If you did your postgrad course at Monash, you'd be doing postgrad med, which doesn't specialise in optometry (so you'd have to do more studying on top of the postgrad med course, which costs more time and money).
Moreover, 2 hrs is quite a commute, which if you're hoping to hold down a part-time/ casual job on top of studies and/or hoping to have much of a social life at uni (which is highly recommended), then that commute could become more of an inconvenience.
Some more things to consider that could help make this decision:
- Is the scholarship money something you desperately need?
- Was postgrad med actually your first choice before ATARs came out?
- What's your career goal at the end of the course, ultimately? Straight up optometrist, or an eye specialist that will require a med degree?