Originally Posted by CLELOSER
You have the Penguin Parade, Ballarat for historical reinactements, Great Ocean Road where I saw REAL wild koala and great unspoiled beaches, The various gardens around Melbourne, trams, Dandeong ranges, Yarra wine country, Grampians for yet more wildlife(although suffering from forest fires). Its very easy for this American to say he spent 2 1/2 weeks in Australia but didn't see Sydney and didn't really miss it.
Personally, I prefer Melbourne to live in... but Sydney (IMO) has better tourist attractions. My parents (who hail from a country town in upstate NY) have come out for 4-month stays in both cities. They would tell you that Sydney-siders (in their day to day interactions) were friendlier and far more welcoming than Melburnians.
Most of my overseas visitors find Sydney to be "easier" - probably because in Sydney you can go sailing on the harbour, go to Taronga Zoo (which is FAR superior to the Melbourne Zoo in both design and locale), see world famous beaches in both Bondi & Manly, take historical walks though the city, do the Bridgeclimb, hike in the Blue Mountains, catch a seaplane up to Palm Beach, visit the various gardens, go on Hunter Valley winery tours, the cliff/coast walk from Bondi to Bronte, etc. and its all far more accessible than the available tourist attractions in Melbourne. With limited time in Australia, they're trying to get the most bang for their buck.