Late August trip with no motive, except maybe to have gelato and admire art.

Vote now!

My vote is do them both. If you have been to one, do the other. If you have been to both then do Perth. Enjoy yourself in either or both places!!

Sydney has both. Never been to Perth, other than to turn around at the end of a mileage run (got a T-shirt at the airport, though) so I can't comment on differences, but ...

If you want gelato, how about Italy?

If you want serious suggestions, I'd suggest asking in the Australia/South Pacific forum. It gets lots of visits from folks who actually know what they're talking about.

As a tourist I have been to both.

I liked Perth better...but be prepared to drive. Perths is a very clean city, that did not have much to do within the city. We visitied the Pinnacles (4 horus north, Wave wrock 5 hours east, Maragaret River 4 hours south, Tree Walk, 2 hours south of Maragaret River), Freeport 30 minutes away. I wish we had more days to drive to Monkey Mia and further west into the Gold Towns.

In Sydney is a very nice CITY were you have 2-3 days of attractions w/o driving.

Sydney...just got back a couple of days ago. Lovely city. Had a great time (4th trip there in the last 24 months). Australia in general is nice, you really can't go wrong.

Going to SYD and BNE in May 2006. Possible side trip up to northern coastal Queensland, kind of curious how bad Cyclone Larry was up there. Will have to poke around the Australia/South Pac forum.

Hi, you will find plenty of gelatisseries (sic?), cafes and galleries in Sydney, along with a spectrum of dining from a United Nations of local/suburban ethnic restaurants, suburbs with Italian, Greek, etc - all cuisines and cultures represented in so many ways through different people.

If you are looking for a multicultural, diverse yet laid-back and fun-loving and tolerant society, you'll get that (plus everything else...) in Sydney. You just need to get out of the CBD and into the inner suburbs.
August-September is the best time of year weatherwise, as it is mild and usually perfect days.

Without having been there, but hearing of friends' stays there (), it seems the attractions of Western Australia are primarily outside of Perth, so if you had specific interests, make sure you will find them there. Perth is very isolated from the rest f the country, is in a resources boom, and is parochial compared to the rest of the country (secession was debated and almost happened around the start of the 20th century)

With a population between Sydney and nearby cities around the 4m+ level, with maybe 50% made up of people who migrated here in the past couple of generations, you can get a taste of so many things here, without blowing a huge budget, and without any troubles.

Whatever you decide, make sure you get some local contacts, find outwhere you want to go, and get outside of the usual hotel/harbour/city-beach areas if you have time! You can get into beautiful national parks for bushwalking within a few miles of the city too. Sydney must be one of the greenest big cities in the world, so make sure you make time to see more than the touristy bits!

I'm sure if you looked in the Australia thread and some trip reports you'd find a ton of info to start, then ask some more questions. I'm not a big fan of italian food, but you can find gelato on any corner of busy shopping streets, good to very good espresso coffee on every street, and a sense of humour from 90% of Aussies!

"Where the bloody hell are you...?"

Cheers
Ben

I have not been to Perth, but loved Sydney. Going to the rocks bazaar on the weekend, BridgeClimb, Manly Beach, Darling Harbour. It was very nice.

Not that you cant find gelato or arts in Australia, but you may be better off going to Italy instead if these are your main interests.

I have been to both Sydney and Perth several times, and I love them both. As a place to visit I would vote for Sydney for its "wow" factor, though I would think Perth being less congested is a more pleasant city to live.

I've been to Perth but not Sydney. The city is pleasant and clean but not a great attraction in itself. Fremantle also has a certain charm, and the Indian Ocean beaches and sunsets are great. I rented a car and drove around the Margaret River region, which is a wonderful combination of beaches and wine country. Also went down to Walpole and Denmark Beach. Walpole has the canopy tree walk, which was interesting. Seeing kangaroo by the roadside like you'd see deer in the U.S. at night was also a thrill. Driving distances can be substantial, but the region is rich in natural beauty.

In Cairns, really only branches of trees down. All cleared up now. Power was off for 4 days - but you don't want to hear my problems North of Cairns - no problems anyway. South of Cairns for 100 kilometres - lots of devastation but you are unlikely to go there if the aim is reef and rainforests.

A lot of what Perth has to offer tends to revolve around the beach and outdoor pursuits. August is winter-time so you're a chance to get some nasty weather, especially if you venture south of Perth. I'd say Sydney might be a better bet.

If you want art, gelato and decent coffee - skip both and go to Melbourne. ^

I don't like Melbourne, for some reason.