Byron Bay or Gold Coast?

Byron Bay's beaches curve around one north-facing bay, so a single morning's walk takes in very different water. There is patrolled sand at Main Beach and Clarkes, the sheltered point break at The Pass, the small Wategos cove in the morning sun, and the long empty arcs of Tallow and Belongil.

The Gold Coast is a long straight line of sand from Main Beach to Coolangatta, with surf clubs and flagged areas all the way along, so you choose a beach to suit your mood, from tower-backed Surfers Paradise to the grassy headland at Burleigh. Rainbow Bay and Greenmount on the southern points are the gentlest for a swim. The Broadwater lagoon and the creek mouths at Tallebudgera and Currumbin add a wider choice of truly flat water for small children.

Neither is a place to travel to for the food, but the two eat differently. Byron Bay has the slight edge because of its farmland. The hinterland supplies macadamias, avocados, fruit and beef to the farmers' markets and café menus, and plant-based cooking is everywhere. Dinners, though, end early.

The Gold Coast has more places to eat but less character. Burleigh Heads and Mermaid Beach have the best cafés, Broadbeach has a long run of restaurants, and prawns, Moreton Bay bugs and fish and chips on the sand are the local favourites. Surfers Paradise is mostly chains.

Sightseeing is thin in both, so neither suits a trip built around museums. In Byron Bay it comes down to the Cape Byron lighthouse and the Arakwal Bumberlin people's connection to the coast, which you learn about on guided walks. The Gold Coast adds a little more: the gallery at HOTA, the view from the SkyPoint observation deck, and a direct train to Brisbane's museums.

The Gold Coast is clearly the place for a big night out. Cavill Avenue and Orchid Avenue in Surfers Paradise have large clubs that stay open into the small hours. Broadbeach has wine and cocktail bars for an older crowd, and Burleigh and Miami have rooftop bars and brewery taprooms.

Byron Bay's evenings are smaller and barefoot. A few beer gardens near Main Beach, some cocktail bars and a couple of late venues full of backpackers, and most nights are over soon after midnight.

Byron Bay's best nature is under the water. A short boat ride out, the Julian Rocks marine reserve has turtles, rays and grey nurse sharks. On land, the cape track climbs through rainforest and over clifftops to the lighthouse, often with dolphins in the bay below, and Minyon Falls and Nightcap are about an hour inland.

The Gold Coast answers with World Heritage rainforest at Springbrook and Lamington, where you can see the glow-worm cave at Natural Bridge and walk among ancient trees. Its point breaks at Snapper Rocks, Kirra and Burleigh are famous among surfers everywhere, and the Broadwater suits kayaking and paddleboarding.

Each is a natural day trip from the other, about an hour apart. From Byron Bay the outings are to small towns: Bangalow's heritage main street, Mullumbimby, Nimbin's 1970s counterculture and the art gallery at Murwillumbah. All of them need a car.

The Gold Coast has the one big-city trip: Brisbane, reached by train, with South Bank and its galleries. It also has Tamborine Mountain's wineries and a longer day out to North Stradbroke Island.

The Gold Coast is far easier with children. It has a whole cluster of theme parks between Coomera and the Spit, plus Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary for koalas and kangaroos, big playgrounds by the beach, and pool resorts with self-catering apartments.

Byron Bay is good for gentle beach days at The Pass and Wategos, with rock pools, the easy lighthouse walk and dolphins in the bay. Once those are done, though, families drive north to the Gold Coast's parks, and the backpacker crowd makes the centre loud at night.

Byron Bay is a small, flat town you can cover on foot. Main Beach, Clarkes and Belongil are a short walk from the centre, and a bicycle suits the coastal paths. Beyond the edge of town, though, buses are infrequent and there is no train.

The Gold Coast is a long, thin strip held together by the G:link light rail through Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. It meets the Brisbane train at Helensvale, buses carry on to Coolangatta, and the theme parks run shuttles. For the rainforest ranges or the villages over the border, you will still need a hire car.

Neither is a shopping destination, and the styles are opposite. Byron Bay sells its own look, with linen, surfwear and boho resort fashion in a few blocks of boutiques, and makers' studios at the Arts and Industry Estate. The Gold Coast is about malls and bargains: Pacific Fair, the Harbour Town outlets, surf shops along the coast and the big weekend market at Carrara.

Byron Bay is by far the costlier stay, and rates rise again in summer, over school vacations and on festival weekends. Backpackers can get by in the hostels and campsites, and the cape walk, the beaches and the hinterland waterfalls are free. A comfortable trip, though, means resort-priced cafés and a hire car on top of the room.

The Gold Coast is gentler on the wallet, and easier than Australia's big southern cities. The money goes on eating out, drinks and theme-park tickets, which add up quickly for a family. Much of the best is free: the long run of patrolled beaches, the coastal paths and the national parks at Springbrook and Lamington.

Both are small on the stage and send you to Brisbane for opera, orchestras or big musicals. Byron Bay's live music is local songwriters and roots bands in the pubs, and its long-running writers' festival is a highlight. The Gold Coast has a proper venue in HOTA's theatres and outdoor stage, plus festival weekends such as Blues on Broadbeach.

Wellness is much more central in Byron Bay, where it shapes the whole town. There are yoga classes all day, breathwork, sound healing and massage, and residential retreats in the hinterland hills, and the days begin and end around the beach. Peak weekends crowd it, so winter is calmer.

The Gold Coast has resort day spas and rainforest retreats around Tamborine and Currumbin Valley. To rest you need to stay in the slower southern suburbs such as Palm Beach or Coolangatta, as Surfers Paradise is far too noisy.