Sydney, New South Wales

Where work meets play

In addition to being a showstopper when it comes to beauty—Sydney has 40 beaches to choose from, just minutes from the central business district—Australia's largest city is also turning heads in business. The nation's stock market has broken the magical 5,000 mark, as Australia prepares itself to become America's gateway to China.

Property prices have more than doubled in the past five years, and Sydney's four million inhabitants enjoy an enviable lifestyle. After business hours, life here is all about wining, dining and beaching. Sydney's quirks endure. Have a bottle of champagne at lunch to celebrate life—why not? It may sound like a cliché, but many of the city's office workers really do surf before and after work, as well as sunbathe in the city parks or play tennis at lunchtime.

Getting around: Taxis are easy for inner-city jaunts and traveling to and from the airport. To get to beach suburbs like Bondi and Tamarama, about a 20-minute drive from the city, buses are inexpensive and a good option (around A$7 round-trip).

Hotels: The Four Seasons (199 George Street, +61 02 9238 0000, A$350 and up), is in the heart of the city and has a luxurious new spa. Also offering stunning harbor views is Shangri-La Hotel (176 Cumberland Street, +61 02 9250 6000, A$250 and up), which just had a A$40 million makeover and has a private club level serving drinks, snacks and breakfast, as well as a spa. The Observatory Hotel (89–113 Kent Street, +61 02 9256 2222, A$350 and up) is tucked away behind The Rocks, but only a short walk from major city offices and the harbor.

Restaurants: A string of sleek new restaurants has reaffirmed Sydney's status as a food capital. The best newcomers offering modern Australian cuisine (French- or Asian-influenced, with fresh local produce) are Glass Brasserie (488 George Street, +61 02 9265 6068), Sydney's version of New York City's Balthazar, a 240-seat brasserie and wine bar run by renowned local chef Luke Mangan and designed by New York architect Tony Chi; and Est at The Establishment (252 George Street, +61 02 9240 3010), which features Sydney's top seafood chef, Peter Doyle, and attracts serious foodies. Icebergs Dining Room & Bar (Notts Avenue, +61 02 9365 9000) offers a good-looking crowd and a panoramic view of Bondi Beach. Stop by for just a cocktail, or stay for excellent Italian dining and an impressive wine list.

In the city, Misto café (127 Kent Street, +61 02 9251 9669) by the Observatory Hotel serves delicious biscotti and flat whites (that's Australian for latte, with less foam) to locals and visitors in the know.

It's just a pie cart with no place to sit, and there's often a queue, but it serves the best Australian pies with mash and mushy peas, ideal for a late-night snack: Harry's Café de Wheels (harryscafedewheels.com.au) is not to be missed. It's at Woolloomooloo, right by Russell Crowe's house.

Leisure: In the evening, the wine bars come alive. Zeta bar at the Hilton (Level 4, 488 George Street, +61 02 9265 6070) has a terrace boasting city views; while Blue Horizon bar (Shangri-La Hotel, 176 Cumberland Street, +61 02 9250 6013) has delicious cocktails and serves light food. Take in the floor-to-ceiling harbor views from this cozy bar, where stools run the length of the room, looking out.

If you're in the mood for clubbing, Tank (3 Bridge Lane, Friday and Saturday 10 p.m.–6 a.m., +61 02 9240 3114), located underneath the Establishment Hotel, is the hotspot, with a cool VIP area and a secret side entrance.

Business, Sydney-style: Austral-ians can be exceptionally polite and professional, but their business manner is to the point. Sydneysiders aren't known for mincing their words, and they take work very seriously. Work is work—but when it's time to play, get ready for some serious fun.

If you have a free hour: Tours of the world-famous Sydney Opera House (+61 02 9250 7250, tours every half hour 9 a.m.–5 p.m.) show off the inside of the city's most famous building.

If you have a free day: Put on your sneakers and do the Bondi-Beach-to-Bronte ocean walk, passing through Tamarama, a small sheltered bay. Tamarama Kiosk has been there for more than 20 years and serves up delicious fruit smoothies. Then continue to Bronte, where Rupert Murdoch's son, Lachlan, has a chic beach home. Stop for lunch at Swell Café (465 Bronte Road, Bronte Beach, +61 02 9386 5001).

If you have a free weekend: Head to the Hunter Valley, just two hours north of Sydney and home to more than 100 wineries and a winemaking tradition that dates back 150 years. The area is especially noted for its shiraz and semillon.

Getting there

Overview: Sydney International Airport (sydneyairport.com.au) is divided into three numbered terminals that are simple to navigate: T1 is for international passengers, T2 is for domestic travelers, and T3 is the terminal for the Australian carrier, Qantas.

Internet access: Samsung provides free Internet kiosks throughout the T1 terminal for checking your email or surfing the Web before departure.

Waiting around: There are 150 shops to browse, selling everything from Australian wine (by region, not by type of grape) to nature books and calendars of Australian animals. Australian Wine Growers and Australian Geographic, both in the departures area, are worthy stop-offs.

Security and customs: Both are marked clearly for international arrivals.

Transportation: Taxis can be an efficient way from the airport to the city, depending on traffic. Taxi fare runs A$25 (A$4 extra to North Sydney) while limousines make the same trip for around A$50. You can also try the Airport Link train that runs every 10 minutes from the airport. The journey takes only 13 minutes to Circular Quay.

Melbourne, Victoria

The business capital

Melbourne may be Australia's most fabulous city, with impressive architecture and art, where you can savor Australian cuisine, watch a fast-paced football game or just unwind in a gorgeous spa.

Melbourne is a serious business capital, with telecommunication companies, top banks and mining companies such as Telstra, National Australia Bank and BHP Billiton leading the charge. The central business district sits by the Yarra River. More than 400,000 international visitors a month come to the city for business and pleasure.

This is a meticulously planned city, a tidy, balanced grid of neatly angled streets and grand Victorian train stations, tree-lined avenues and manicured parks that remind visitors of London. But beneath it all, Melbourne has tremendous creative energy and style. Federation Square, a collection of modern buildings near the neo-Gothic twin towers of St. Paul's Cathedral and the domed facade of Flinders Railway Station, is a good place to start exploring.

Getting around: Taxis are the fastest, simplest way from the airport to downtown and from the city center to the suburbs, but the tram system—another 19th-century feature that Melbourne has retained—is still an efficient way of moving around the inner city.

Hotels: The Langham Hotel (1 Southgate Avenue, Southbank, +61 03 8696 8888, A$350 and up, including breakfast) is close to the Crown Casino in the heart of the city. Located next to the Victorian Arts Centre and National Gallery, it also hosts the gorgeous Chaun Spa (chaun means "flowing water" in Chinese), a sleek retreat with dark wood and warm, soothing orange tones. Guests can use the sauna and steam rooms or do laps in the pool, which has city views. The Lyall Hotel (14 Murphy Street, South Yarra, +61 03 9868 8222, large studio from A$400) is a chic property close to the city, perfectly located for checking out fashion boutiques.

Restaurants: Dine at Vue de Monde (430 Little Collins Street, Normandy Chambers, +61 03 9691 3888), where chef Shannon Bennett is one of the country's top emerging talents. Vue de Monde has been voted the best French restaurant in the country, and its thinly sliced Wagyu beef with tobacco onions and chickpea fries and Kingfish tartare on parmesan gnocchi are among locals' favorites. Book well in advance, and expect to pay around A$400 for two people. Taxi (Flinders and Swanson Streets, +61 03 9654 8808), located on level one of the Transport Hotel, was recently named Victoria's best restaurant by The Age Good Food Guide 2006 (considered Melbourne's food bible). Chef Michael Lambie presents dishes like confit of roast organic duck with daikon, fresh mint salad and honey-and-sour-plum relish.

Leisure: Melbourne has a sophisticated bar scene. The new Upper and Lower House, right at Federation Square (enter via Flinders Street, +61 03 9663 3134) has a wine bar with an impressive list and snacks like Australian cheeses and asparagus tart. The Transit Lounge (Flinders and Swanson Streets, +61 03 9654 8808), above the Transport Hotel, has an outdoor terrace with striking views of Federation Square, the Yarra River and Southgate.

Business, Melbourne-style: Sydney is more casual than Melbourne, where the weather can be more temperamental, cool one day and boiling hot the next. Dress accordingly, but make sure you look sophisticated enough to please the fashion-savvy locals.

If you have a free hour: Learn about one of the oldest living cultures in the world at the Koorie Heritage Trust Cultural Centre (295 King Street, +61 03 8622 2600). The trust, set up in 1986 to preserve the living culture of the Aborigines of southeastern Australia, has two gallery spaces for emerging and established artists. Guides can explain the dream symbolism and culture of Aboriginal art, as well as show visitors the permanent collection of more than 3,000 objects.

If you have a free day: Melbourne is the birthplace of Australian Rules Football (afl.com.au), also known as "Aussie Rules" or "Footy," an often ferocious game and the country's premier spectator sport. Watch an Aussie Rules match with a guide from Melbourne Sports Tours (melbournesportstours.com.au), who can explain the unique 18-players-per-side game. While you're there, try some real Aussie tucker—a meat pie with sauce—and Melbourne-brewed beer, Fosters Lager and VB (Victoria Bitter).

If you have a free weekend: The Great Ocean Road on Victoria's rugged southwest coast is one of the most beautiful and remote parts of Australia. Hire a car in the city, and start driving: Tourist offices and hotels supply maps and suggestions on where to stop for lunch and even overnight stays. The top stops are Queenscliff and seaside resort towns such as Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Fairy.

Getting there

Overview: Melbourne International Airport is well-laid-out and simple to navigate. One fifth of arrivals are here for business with New Zealand and the U.K., with U.S. visitors next on the list.

Internet access: There are Internet kiosks located throughout the terminals.

Waiting around: Boost Juice in T3 Departures is the perfect place for a healthy and refreshing drink, or try Chow Mein (+61 03 9330 0668) for spicy Singapore noodles and fresh sushi.

Security and customs: Both are straightforward and clearly marked for international visitors.

Transportation: Expect to pay around A$80–85 for a round-trip fare between the airport and the city, plus a A$2 taxi parking fee at the airport. Parking at the airport is much cheaper than taking a taxi. There is also a shuttle bus service, Skybus, that runs from the airport to city hotels for A$15 one-way or A$24 round-trip. The airport has five car rental companies onsite, with cars for as little as A$39 a day if you reserve for at least four days—just the right amount of time for a Great Ocean Road sojourn.

Brisbane, Queensland

Urban wonderland

Brisbane, in the heart of southeast Queensland, is becoming the fastest-growing region in Australia, as Sydneysiders and Melbournians move here for the tropical weather and relaxed lifestyle. Many visitors stop in briefly on their way to the world-famous Great Barrier Reef in north Queensland; but Brisbane, Australia's third largest city, is much more than a layover. Home to two million people, it also has spectacular beaches (the Gold Coast to the south and the Sunshine Coast to the north) just an hour's drive away.

Brisbane is a major business hub. Its central business district, situated in a curve of the Brisbane River, is easily walkable. Leading companies in information technology, financial services, biotechnology, education and tourism are all located here, and many electronics companies take advantage of the city's strategic ports and airports as distribution hubs.

The city has reinvented itself since it hosted World Expo '88 at South Bank, opposite the city's central business district. Although the skyline has changed considerably, Brisbane is still a green, breezy city where it is not unusual to see wildlife, including koalas and kangaroos close to the suburbs. There is also a spectacular wildlife park—the world's first and largest koala sanctuary, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, set on 50 acres next to the Brisbane River.

Getting around: Brisbane's public transport system is one of the largest and best in the world, with regular suburban rail, bus services and ferries. The central business district has the Queen Street bus station, while Roma Street and Central Station serve as major hubs for trains. North Quay is the central hub for ferries.

Hotels: The newly refurbished Brisbane Marriott Hotel (515 Queen Street, +61 07 3303 8000, A$310 and up) is home to a sought-after day spa, the Dome Retreat, with a swimming pool, sauna and riverside views. The Conrad Treasury Brisbane (Queen Street, +61 07 3306 8888, A$300 and up) occupies two grand city buildings across the road from the 24-hour Treasury Casino; and the new Saville apartments (161 Grey Street, +61 07 3305 2500, studio apartments from A$200), in the heart of South Bank, are a short walk to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and entertainment venues.

Dining: Go to Cha Cha Char (Eagle Street Pier, +61 07 3211 9944) for delicious steaks, or try Philip Johnson's E'cco Bistro (100 Boundary Street, +61 07 3831 8344, eccobistro.com) recognized by The New York Times for its fine menu. Order the local sand-crab lasagna or lamb rump with roasted parsnips and garlic purée.

Leisure: Family (McLachlan Street, thefamily.com.au), a funky spot in inner-city Fortitude Valley, has five bars and two huge dance floors on four levels—Russell Crowe's band, among many others, has performed here. For more live music, go to The Zoo (711 Ann Street, +61 07 3854 1381). If you're looking for quieter daytime fun, the Brisbane is due to open its brand-new gallery of modern art, a standalone addition to the much loved Queensland Art Gallery, by the end of 2006.

Business, Brisbane-style: Dress here can be more casual—many people don't wear jackets, even for business, because of the intense summer heat. Finishing the workday with a nice cold local beer, such as Fourex, is not uncommon.

If you have a free hour: The Brisbane River is one of the city's best attributes. It winds through the city, making traffic difficult, but river-cruising easy and perfect. CityCat ferries (+61 07 3867 2051) leave every two minutes from a number of locations at peak hours. They stop at South Bank, where there are cafés, shops and a manmade beach for swimming.

If you have a free day: Head to Moreton Island's Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort (+61 07 3268 6333), located on a sandy island where you can hand-feed dolphins, take a tour on all-terrain quad bikes or swim in crystal-clear water.

If you have a free weekend: Go to Noosa, an hour's drive north on the Sunshine Coast, for beautiful beaches, coastal walks and surfing. This small seaside town has paths that cross rainforests, so you can scope out kookaburras, koalas and wallabies. Stay at Noosa Blue Resort (16 Noosa Drive, +61 07 5447 5699).

Getting there

Overview: Brisbane Airport (bne.com.au) is Queensland's largest international and domestic airport, with interactive terminal maps located throughout.

Internet access: The international terminal offers Wi-Fi hotspots.

Waiting around: The international terminal has a wide range of shops, cafés and bars, as well as a revamped Tourist Information Centre. Stores are located on Level 4 (before Customs) and Level 3 (after Customs). There are also cafés and services in Arrivals on Level 2.

Security and customs: Both are clearly laid-out and well-marked for international visitors.

Transportation: Taxis are quick to the central business district (just 22 minutes, give or take a little traffic) and cost about A$32, plus a A$2 fee for departing taxis. To hire a car, go to the service desks on L2. An airport rail link, AirTrain, links Brisbane Airport and the Gold Coast; trains leave every hour and take just 20 minutes, while driving time for the same route is at least an hour.

JULIE EARLE-LEVINE is a freelance writer based in New York.