Sydney, Melbourne or Auckland? I can’t decide! – Fodor’s Travel Talk Forums

Richard, I have not been to Auckland, other than to land there for refuelling. However, according to the 2001 census, the population was 367,734. Speaking for myself, a city of that size typically does not hold my attention for 6 days. But maybe someone who knows Auckland will tell you about it.

Sydney and Melbourne can hold my attention for that long. Each of them has a population of about 3.5 million.

Sydney has its famous harbour, bridge, opera house, and wonderful beaches. The downtown core is fairly intense, somewhat like a North American city, with high rise buildings, etc. That said, some of the close-in residential neighbourhoods have a charming, Edwardian flare. Then there are all those inlets from the ocean, with yachts moored in them — just magical.

Melbourne’s downtown is not as intense as Sydney’s. Some of its downtown streets are wide boulevards with trees planted down the middle. There are some high rise buildings, of course, but some downtown streets have an almost Parisian feel to them, because there are some lower rise buildings, and some wide streets as I mentioned before. Several of the neighbourhoods surrounding Melbourne’s downtown core have a great deal of Edwardian charm. It is delightful to explore these neighbourhoods.

Both Sydney and Melbourne have beautiful botanical gardens, art galleries, etc. The National Gallery of Victoria (in Melbourne) is gorgeous IMO.

Since Melbourne is situated at the top end of Port Phillip Bay, its ocean waters are very quiet and its beaches are much more boring than those of Sydney IMO. That said, the St. Kilda Esplanade still is a lovely place to walk, rollerblade or cycle. There also are nice restaurants and cafes on the banks of the Yarra River at Southbank, immediately south of the downtown core.

The debate as to which city is better, Sydney or Melbourne, rages on indefinitely. My own opinion is that, while Sydney’s harbour, bridge and beaches are more spectacular, Melbourne is a more mellow, laid back, artsy city, and the better of the two when it comes to just hanging out.

In the case of both cities, one greatly enhances one’s experience if one is willing to venture out on day trips or even an overnight trip into the surrounding countryside.

In the case of Sydney, the two out of town trips are the Blue Mountains to the west and the Hunter Valley and Port Stephen to the north. (The Blue Mountains are lovely, but you will avoid disappointment if you realise that they are not mountains like the Rockies. Think of them as the Blue Hills, and your expectations will be more realistic.)

In the case of Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road beckons to the SW, and the Dandenong Ranges to the east. (Again, the Dandenongs are hills rather than mountains.)

Now we come to the question of weather. One can get some brilliant weather in Melbourne in April. The trees are wearing their autumn splendour, and one can get warm days with clear blue skies and cool evenings. The average high in April is 68 deg F, the average low is 51 deg F, the highest temperature ever recorded in April was 94 deg F, the lowest temperature ever recorded in April was 38 deg F, and the average rainfall for the month is 1.9 inches. I have experienced some glorious April weather in Melbourne, and also some crappy weather (cool and rainy).

Here are Sydney’s statistics for April. The average high temperature is 73 deg F, the average low is 57 deg F, the highest temperature ever recorded was 96 deg F, the lowest temperature ever recorded was 43 deg F, and the average rainfall for the month is 4.2 inches.

Although I have visited Sydney several times, I have not spent as much time there as I’ve spent in Melbourne, where I lived for 2.5 years, and where I experienced a fuller range of weather possibilities. When I visited Sydney in April, it was lovely (warm and sunny), but that was just a weekend.

Much as I LOVE Melbourne, I do believe that Sydney’s harbour belongs on the list of things that one should see in this lifetime if possible. So, while it is tough for me to choose between the two, my vote goes to Sydney.