Comparison · Australia
Melbourne vs Brisbane: Which Suits Your First Trip?
Laneway-and-tram Melbourne or river-and-ferry Brisbane? Airport transfers, days and budgets, southern-hemisphere weather by month, and what to do in each.
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The short answer
Melbourne is a cultural city in Australia's southeast, packed with graffiti lanes, cafes, galleries and parks, and easy to explore by tram. It's also the base for day trips to the Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island's little penguins.
Brisbane is Queensland's capital, a relaxed city strung along the winding Brisbane River, with the CBD, parks and cultural venues on its banks. You swim at the riverside beach, hop ferries along the river, and take easy trips to nearby islands or the Gold Coast.
Best for: Melbourne suits travelers who want laneway cafes, street art, galleries and trams, plus day trips for a coastal drive and penguin watching. Brisbane suits travelers who want riverside walks and ferries, a beach in the middle of the city, night views, a koala sanctuary and island day trips.
From the airport, and getting around
From Melbourne Airport (MEL), SkyBus runs to Southern Cross Station in the city, where you change to trams or trains. A taxi or ride-hailing is easiest with luggage or late at night; use the designated pickup areas.
From Brisbane Airport (BNE), the airport train runs straight to central city stations. With luggage or in a group, a taxi or ride-hailing from the airport ranks is easy.
In town, Melbourne runs on trams and Brisbane on ferries, buses and trains. Part of central Melbourne is a Free Tram Zone; outside it, use a myki card or tap-and-go contactless payment (the bus rollout is progressive, so check official information), and always tap on, as inspectors check fares. In Brisbane, the inner-city CityHopper ferry is free, and Translink buses, trains and ferries charge a 50-cent flat fare (Airtrain excluded; check official information).
- Melbourne SkyBus: about 20-40 min to the city depending on traffic, about A$22-26 (cheaper per trip with a return ticket; check official)
- Melbourne taxi or ride-hailing: about 30-45 min to the city, about A$60-90
- Brisbane airport train: about 20 min to the city, about A$20-25
- Brisbane taxi or ride-hailing: about 20-30 min to the city, about A$45-65
How many days, and daily budgets
The guides suggest 4 to 6 days for Melbourne, including day trips, and 4 days for Brisbane. The Brisbane guide suggests 6 days if you add the Gold Coast.
In each guide's 4-day itinerary, Melbourne gives one day to a Great Ocean Road day trip (early start, late return), and Brisbane uses the last day for an island day trip or a day on the Gold Coast by train.
The daily budgets per person below are exactly as each guide gives them. For food, café brunch is about A$20-35 and a meat pie about A$6-10 in both guides. A flat white in Melbourne is about A$5-6, and riverside fish and chips in Brisbane about A$15-25; Moreton Bay bugs are often market price, so check first.
- Melbourne budget: about A$100-150 per day (hostel, groceries, public transport)
- Melbourne mid-range: about A$250-350 per day (city hotel, cafes, restaurants)
- Melbourne high-end: about A$600+ per day (luxury hotel, fine dining, private tours)
- Brisbane budget: about A$130-180 per day (hostel, supermarket meals, public transport)
- Brisbane mid-range: about A$250-400 per day (city hotel, restaurants, tours)
- Brisbane high-end: about A$700+ per day (upscale riverside hotel, private tours)
Weather by month: the seasons are flipped
Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so December-February is summer and June-August is winter. The months both guides recommend are April-May and September-November. The Melbourne guide calls spring (September-November) and autumn (March-May) mild and great for walking, and the Brisbane guide calls April-May and September-November warm and pleasant.
In summer (December-February), Melbourne is hot, with occasional heatwaves. At the same time of year, Brisbane is hot and humid with frequent afternoon storms, so check the forecast. In winter (June-August), Melbourne is cool, while Brisbane has many clear, mild days.
By the normals, Brisbane's highs and lows are above Melbourne's in all twelve months. Brisbane is rainy from December to March, with February the wettest month at 147 mm, and July-September gets little rain in Brisbane, about 31-35 mm a month. The Melbourne guide says rain is fairly even through the year (about 33-60 mm a month); by the normals, Melbourne's wettest month is November at 60 mm and its driest is July at 33 mm. Melbourne's weather changes quickly in a single day, so carry a layer.
The figures below are 1991–2020 normals from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology submission · WMO normals collection (NOAA NCEI): Melbourne Airport station for Melbourne and Brisbane Airport station (Brisbane Aero) for Brisbane. Check the official forecast before you go for this year's weather.
- January (summer): Melbourne high 27°C, low 14°C, rainfall 39 mm / Brisbane high 29°C, low 22°C, rainfall 126 mm
- April (autumn): Melbourne high 21°C, low 10°C, rainfall 42 mm / Brisbane high 26°C, low 17°C, rainfall 67 mm
- July (winter): Melbourne high 13°C, low 6°C, rainfall 33 mm / Brisbane high 21°C, low 9°C, rainfall 31 mm
- October (spring): Melbourne high 20°C, low 9°C, rainfall 49 mm / Brisbane high 25°C, low 16°C, rainfall 72 mm
What you do there
Melbourne is a city for walking, riding trams and exploring laneways. Graffiti lanes such as Hosier Lane, the yellow Flinders Street Station facing Federation Square, the free Royal Botanic Gardens and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), whose permanent collection is generally free, are all in or right by the city. Queen Victoria Market opens Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (closed Monday and Wednesday). St Kilda Beach is about 30 minutes by tram.
Beyond Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road, a coastal drive past cliffs and sea stacks, takes a full day, and on Phillip Island you watch little penguins return from the sea at dusk. Tickets are required, and photos and video are not allowed during the Penguin Parade.
Brisbane centers on the river. The South Bank beach is a free sandy-beach lagoon on the riverside, and the Queensland Cultural Centre brings together the state galleries, the modern art gallery and the museum (permanent collections are generally free). At night, take in the CBD skyline from Kangaroo Point Cliffs; walk across Story Bridge, or look out over the city to the sea from Mount Coot-tha Lookout. There are also suburban koala sanctuaries, plus Moreton and North Stradbroke, sand islands reached by boat.
How to choose, and what to check before you go
Choose Melbourne for laneway cafes, galleries, trams and day trips to the Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island. Choose Brisbane for riverside walks, ferries, a beach in the middle of the city, koalas and nearby islands. For a first stay, Melbourne's central city (CBD) sits inside the Free Tram Zone, and in Brisbane the City (CBD), close to stations and ferry terminals, or riverside South Bank work well.
To visit both, split your days by city using each guide's itinerary, and check the official information before you go for ways to travel between the two cities and how long it takes.
Check official Australian government information on entry requirements (an electronic travel authority, a visa and so on) before you travel. The UV is very strong in both cities, so pack a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, and at beaches and the lagoon follow the lifeguards and the flags. Tipping isn't required, and some restaurants add a Sunday or public holiday surcharge.
Plan your Melbourne trip
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Plan your Brisbane trip
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FAQ
Melbourne or Brisbane for a first trip?
Pick Melbourne for laneway cafes, galleries, trams and day trips like the Great Ocean Road, and Brisbane for riverside walks, ferries, the riverside beach and a koala sanctuary. Both guides recommend April-May and September-November.
How many days does each need?
The guides suggest 4 to 6 days for Melbourne, including day trips, and 4 days for Brisbane. The Brisbane guide suggests 6 days if you add the Gold Coast.
What is it like in winter (June-August)?
The Melbourne guide calls winter (June-August) cool, and the Brisbane guide says it brings many clear, mild days. By the normals, the July high is 13°C in Melbourne and 21°C in Brisbane.
When does it rain most?
By the normals, Brisbane is rainy from December to March, and February is its wettest month at 147 mm. Rain in Melbourne is fairly even through the year, and November is its wettest month at 60 mm.
Related reading
ⓘ Photo credits
- Flinders Street Station and Federation Square · Yu Chu Chin / CC BY-SA 4.0
- South Bank beach · Kgbo / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Melbourne CBD skyline from the south · DXR / CC BY-SA 4.0