Brisbane or Darwin?

Brisbane is clearly the better choice for a sea swim, even though it has no surf of its own. The long, patrolled beaches of the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast are about an hour away, and North Stradbroke and Moreton islands, across the bay, have emptier sand and clearer water. In town, the South Bank lagoon and the big outdoor pools fill the gap. The bayside at Wynnum and Redcliffe is calm but muddy at low tide.

Darwin's beaches at Mindil, Casuarina and East Point are right in town, but box jellyfish and saltwater crocodiles keep locals out of the sea. The sand is for sunsets and markets. For a swim you go to the netted Waterfront lagoon, the wave pool or the waterholes of Litchfield, and some of those close in the wet.

Brisbane has much more depth. There are polished dining rooms around Fortitude Valley and James Street, cheap immigrant cooking in West End and breweries in the Newstead and Teneriffe warehouses. A strong café culture runs on local mangoes, prawns and Moreton Bay bugs.

Darwin's food is narrower but leans further towards Southeast Asia. The meals to plan around are laksa at Parap on a Saturday and the sunset market at Mindil Beach in the dry season, and barramundi and mud crab are on most menus. After a few days, though, you run short of restaurants.

Brisbane has more to see. At South Bank the Queensland Art Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art, the State Library and the Queensland Museum stand together, and the city adds colonial sandstone buildings and the timber Queenslander houses of Paddington and New Farm.

Darwin has fewer sights, but they are closely tied to its own story: Aboriginal art and the Cyclone Tracy gallery at Fannie Bay, the wartime oil tunnels and the gun emplacements at East Point. Neither centre has much old architecture, and an afternoon's walk covers Darwin's few stone survivors.

Going out is bigger and more varied in Brisbane. Fortitude Valley packs pubs, rooftop bars and clubs around its malls, while West End, Paddington and the Eagle Street riverfront add neighbourhood pubs, craft beer and terraces with skyline views.

Darwin has a single strip, Mitchell Street, where open-air pubs and backpacker bars get loud at weekends and through the dry season. Beyond a sunset drink on the waterfront or at the sailing club there is little else, and almost no clubbing.

Both cities are strong for the outdoors, but the landscapes could hardly be less alike. Brisbane's is green and good for walking: Mount Coot-tha and D'Aguilar on the edge of the city, the Gondwana rainforest of Lamington and Springbrook, the Glass House Mountains, and dunes, dolphins and whales out in Moreton Bay.

Darwin's is wilder and more about watching animals: the waterfalls and termite mounds of Litchfield, crocodiles and birdlife on the Adelaide and Mary river wetlands, and Kakadu beyond. Both are at their best from May to September, but Darwin's wet season can close roads altogether.

Brisbane offers a far wider choice of days out. You can take the train to the Gold Coast or go up to Noosa, visit the gallery and winery villages of Montville, Maleny and Tamborine Mountain, or cross the range to Toowoomba. Historic towns are few, but there is plenty of variety.

From Darwin, nearly every outing goes to a national park or a wetland. The main exceptions are the Tiwi Islands, reached by plane or ferry, and the war cemetery at Adelaide River, while Katherine is a long day away.

Brisbane is the easier city with children. The free South Bank lagoon, the Queensland Museum's science centre, the koalas at Lone Pine and the river ferries are all close to the centre. The Gold Coast theme parks and Australia Zoo are about an hour away.

Darwin makes a memorable trip for children who love animals, with huge crocodiles to see in the centre, jumping-crocodile cruises and the netted Waterfront lagoon. But the sea is not for swimming, the heat wears small children out and most outings need a car.

Brisbane is much easier without a car, at least inside the city. The CityCat ferries also make a good sightseeing ride along the river. Suburban trains run out to the bay, and one line goes through to the Gold Coast. Busways fill the gaps, and trains, buses and ferries all use one fare system. The rainforest parks, the hinterland villages and most trips along the coast are still far easier by car.

Darwin's centre is small enough to walk when the heat allows, but the buses don't run often and there is no train for visitors. For Litchfield, the wetlands and anything further out, you need a hire car or a tour.

Brisbane suits the general shopper better. It has the department stores of the Queen Street Mall, heritage arcades, a few luxury labels on Edward Street, local fashion on James Street and the antique shops along Paddington's ridge road.

Darwin has one thing Brisbane cannot match: paintings, bark art and weavings from Arnhem Land, the Tiwi Islands and the desert, best bought from galleries linked to community art centres. Beyond that, it is everyday malls and souvenirs from the markets.

Both are expensive in the usual Australian way, with dear restaurant meals and drinks, and neither is much cheaper than the other. The difference is where the money goes. In Brisbane most of it goes on hotels and restaurants, and cheap public transport, free galleries and the free lagoon help to offset that.

In Darwin the city costs about the same, but getting out of it adds a hire car or guided tours, and rooms are pricey in the dry season. The markets and the cheaper rooms of the wet season are the main savings.

Brisbane has a real year-round scene. The Queensland Performing Arts Centre houses the state's symphony, opera, ballet and theatre companies, the Powerhouse in New Farm puts on comedy and cabaret, and the music rooms of Fortitude Valley carry on the city's long record of producing bands.

Darwin comes alive for its festival each August, with outdoor stages and Aboriginal performance. For the rest of the year there are touring shows at the Entertainment Centre, local theatre at Brown's Mart and cover bands on Mitchell Street.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, but Brisbane is the more restful. It has heritage pools such as the Spring Hill Baths, slow café mornings by the river, and rainforest spa lodges in the hinterland about an hour and a half away.

Darwin has hotel day spas, sunsets on the foreshore and the spring-fed pools at Berry Springs, which are lovely in the dry season. From October to April, though, the heat and humidity make it tiring rather than restorative.