Sydney tops Aussie holiday destinations

Sydney has pipped Melbourne in the Australian holiday destination stakes, according to the world's largest travel review site.

Queensland's theme-park-packed city of the Gold Coast trumped Melbourne for second place in the list of top ten destinations in the country, while the sunshine state's capital Brisbane came in at fourth place.

NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres welcomed the accolade, saying the 33 million domestic and international visitors who travelled to Sydney last year spent $16.5 billion.

TOP TEN DESTINATIONS IN AUSTRALIA

1. SYDNEY, NSW

2. GOLD COAST, QLD

3. MELBOURNE, VIC

4. BRISBANE, QLD

5. CAIRNS, QLD

6. PORT DOUGLAS, QLD

7. PERTH, WA

8. HOBART, TAS

9. ADELAIDE, SA

10. NOOSA, QLD

Source: TripAdvisor