New York vs Los Angeles, Madrid vs Barcelona, Shanghai vs Beijing; almost every country hosts an intercity rivalry. In Australia, this classic battle is fought out between Sydney and Melbourne.
With a world-famous harbor and two of the world’s most iconic structures, Sydney remains the country’s classic beauty. Throw in lush city parks and the golden sands of Bondi Beach, and it’s easy to see why Sydney ranks among the world's top cities each year.
The Opera House and Harbor Bridge, Sydney's most recognizable landmarks
Overlooking the bridge, the Rocks District (named so as it’s literally carved into the rocky headland) contains many of Sydney's historic buildings. Australia’s first settlers — a flotilla of British Marines and convicts — landed here in 1788. They carved out a colony from the barren, coastal scrubland; over 200 years later, the area has grown into a thicket of restaurants, bars and markets that bely its humble origins. The rest of the city intersperses neighborhoods like Surry Hills, where traditional terraced houses have been reborn as swanky restaurants and bars, with more traditional spaces, including the stately fountains of Hyde Park and an adjoining Gothic cathedral.
St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney's Gothic masterpiece
And while million-dollar yachts tie up in Darling Harbor, eastern beaches connect to Sydney’s center via a regular network of busses. The most famous is Bondi Beach — and for good reason — but a handful of smaller beaches are easily accessed via a cliffside coastal walk. The first one, Tamarama Bay, is popular with surfers, while sheltered Bronte and Clovelly beaches offer more family-friendly swimming. Nearby, beautiful Waverley Cemetery is the final resting place of many historic figures, including Australia’s first prime minister, Sir Edmund Barton.
Bondi Beach, Sydney
All of this puts Melbourne in a tight spot, because the one-time Gold Rush town doesn’t come close to Sydney in terms of tourist attractions. Still, the old center of town, Federation Square, offers a lively feeling with bustling bars, boutiques and bookshops spilling out from old Victorian buildings. Meanwhile, a sprawling tram network makes it easy to navigate Melbourne’s main neighborhoods, each offering a distinctive character that inspired The Economist to dub this place "The World's Most Livable City" in 2016.
Parliament House, Melbourne
Down at the beach, wooden roller coasters, live music and a bustling boardwalk lend St. Kilda’s a lively festival feel. While the beach itself doesn't rival Bondi for beauty, we enjoyed a free open air music festival twinned with views of the marina, kitesurfers and skyscrapers across the harbor.
Step right up! Luna Park, St Kilda's Beach, Melbourne
Melbourne is also Australia's undisputed sporting capital, which is no mean feat in a country obsessed by sport. Every year, the city hosts the Australian Grand Prix and Australian Open Tennis, which happened to be on while we were in town. Unfortunately, the city was also suffering a massive heat wave, so we opted to take an air-conditioned rental car down the nearby Great Ocean Road instead.
Widely considered one of the world’s best drives, this windy stretch of asphalt traces a section of southern Australian coastline. Built by and for soldiers returning from WW1, the road also doubles as the world’s largest war memorial. Attractions include the Twelve Apostles, a series of massive stone stacks carved into limestone headlands by the ceaseless pounding of ocean waves, and other unique rock formations. From some clifftops, you can see colonies of little penguins paddling ashore just after dusk.
The Twelve Apostles
Along the way, the dormant volcano of Tower Hill provides a unique habitat for Australia's most iconic animal species. Emus wander throughout the picnic area looking for snacks while Koalas — nestled high in the branches — blink sleepily down at passing travelers.
Nap time!
After a surprisingly cold night of camping, we turned the car inland towards the Grampians National Park, a mountainous area known for otherworldly rock formations and craggy, scrub-strewn slopes. Set amid the soaring peaks, the tiny town of Halls Gap is also packed with wildlife. Enormous cockatoos shriek from the treetops, while kangaroos lazily graze on the local cricket pitch and — conveniently — in the the field right beside our motel.
Kangaroos outside our window, Halls Gap
We spent most of the way back to Melbourne debating which Australian city we preferred — and after spending a week in each place, the jury’s still out. Both offer great beaches, heritage architecture, cool bars and delicious food; at the Bondi Beach Hotel, we ordered a local take on surf and turf that paired calamari with perfectly-cooked steak, and weeks later, we’re still talking about it. In the end, we realized there's no need to pick a side. In this great Australian rivalry, the race is just too close to call.
Tom Mountford