Brisbane or Sydney?

This is where the two differ most. In Brisbane, swimming in town means the man-made lagoon at South Bank or a public pool. Moreton Bay at Redcliffe and Wynnum is calm but murky, and the proper surf beaches of the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, or the islands across the bay, each take a day.

Sydney has its beaches inside the city. Bondi, Bronte and Coogee are a bus ride away and Manly is a ferry ride. The harbour coves at Balmoral and Nielsen Park have gentle water, so you can swim before breakfast and be back in town for lunch.

Brisbane eats well on a modest scale. It has cheap Greek and Vietnamese cooking in West End, polished dining rooms on James Street and breweries in the Teneriffe warehouses, with Moreton Bay bugs and tropical fruit from close by.

Sydney goes further and wider. Vietnamese Cabramatta, Lebanese Lakemba and Indian Harris Park each repay a train ride, the Pyrmont fish market anchors the seafood, and Surry Hills and Potts Point have serious chef-led kitchens. Both cities run on café brunches and good coffee, and neither has a dish of its own.

Brisbane's culture is concentrated at the South Bank Cultural Centre, where the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art are strong on Asia-Pacific and Aboriginal work. Add a few sandstone public buildings and the timber Queenslanders of Paddington, and two or three days are enough.

Sydney has more to see, including two landmarks known worldwide in the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. It also has the colonial lanes of The Rocks and the convict-era Hyde Park Barracks. Neither city has a dense historic centre, but Sydney offers history and a famous setting that Brisbane largely lacks.

Neither city is a reason to travel for the nightlife, and both quieten well before dawn. The difference is in shape. Brisbane's going out is concentrated in Fortitude Valley, where pubs, rooftop bars and clubs fill with a young crowd at weekends.

Sydney spreads across several districts and leans towards bars, with laneway cocktail bars in the CBD and the LGBTQ scene on Oxford Street. Newtown and Enmore have a later, more alternative night.

Both have real wild country close by. Brisbane's is mostly inland. Mount Coot-tha and D'Aguilar are on the city's edge, and further out are the Gondwana rainforests of Lamington and Springbrook, with glow worms and waterfalls. The dunes of Moreton Island are across the bay.

Sydney has nature woven into the city. There are clifftop walks from Bondi to Coogee, national park on the harbour headlands, the Royal National Park's coastal trails just to the south and surfing and sailing close at hand. The Blue Mountains are two hours west. If you want good walking without a long drive first, Sydney is the stronger choice.

Day trips are much the same from both cities: they are about scenery more than heritage, and a car helps. From Brisbane they mean coast and hills, with Noosa, the Gold Coast and the gallery villages of Maleny and Montville. Sydney's list leans towards wine and old streets, with Hunter Valley cellar doors, Leura in the Blue Mountains, colonial Berrima and the early buildings of Parramatta.

Both are easy with children, with parks everywhere and ferry rides that children enjoy. Brisbane's best family places are free and central: the South Bank lagoon and the Queensland Museum's science centre. Lone Pine has koalas, and the Gold Coast theme parks and Australia Zoo are each about an hour away.

Sydney's highlights are on the harbour. Taronga Zoo is a ferry ride away, Darling Harbour has the aquarium and real ships to board, and Luna Park has its old rides. It has nothing to match the Gold Coast's cluster of theme parks.

Brisbane's centre is compact, and the CityCat ferries make the river the nicest way across it. Beyond the inner suburbs the network thins quickly, and the hinterland calls for a car.

Sydney's system is larger. Trains, metro, light rail and a harbour ferry network reaching Manly, Watsons Bay and Taronga all take one tap-on card. The city sprawls more, and Bondi still means a bus, but if you stay near the harbour you will rarely need a car.

Brisbane's shopping is pleasant but thin. There are chains on Queen Street Mall, a short run of luxury labels on Edward Street, local fashion on James Street and antiques along Paddington's ridge road.

Sydney has more depth and a speciality of its own. International flagships line Pitt Street Mall, and Australian designers fill the Victorian galleries of the Queen Victoria Building and the Strand Arcade. Australian swimwear and resort fashion are worth seeking out, and the weekend markets at Glebe and The Rocks add vintage clothes and design.

Neither city is cheap, but Brisbane is easier on the budget. Meals and drinks cost much the same across Australia, but Brisbane's hotels cost less than Sydney's rooms near the harbour and the beaches, and the free galleries and lagoon help.

Sydney is the costlier place to stay. Its free beaches, coastal walks and Asian food courts are the main ways to keep spending down.

Brisbane's formal scene gathers at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, home to the state's orchestra, opera, ballet and theatre companies. The Powerhouse in New Farm stages cabaret and comedy, and Fortitude Valley has a long tradition of producing bands.

Sydney has more depth. The Opera House has performances nearly every night, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra has an international name. Belvoir stages Australian drama, Bangarra performs Aboriginal dance, and George Street's theatres run long musicals. Each city has a big annual festival, Brisbane's in September and Sydney's in January.

Brisbane's nearest thing to a bathing ritual is the open-air public pool, and the heritage Spring Hill Baths are the finest of them. Otherwise the city relies on its slow pace, and for a proper spa retreat you head about an hour and a half out to the rainforest hinterlands.

Sydney's ocean pools, cut into the rock at Bondi, Bronte and Clovelly, are a ritual of their own. Wylie's Baths in Coogee keeps an old-fashioned feel, and Korean-style bathhouses add steam and soaking. Thermal springs are missing in both cities, but a dawn swim in the sea baths gives Sydney the edge.