New South Wales Holiday

The Heritage State

Like all Australian states, New South Wales (NSW) is a holiday desination all on its own.  Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales and is probably Australia's best known city.  Lets look at this great state region by region.

Sydney and Surrounds

Sydney is set on the beautiful and spectacular Sydney Harbour.  It is vibrant and cosmopolitan, and in addition to the Habour it boasts Australia's two greatest icons:  The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.  Sydney is Ausytralia's oldest city, and the historic Rocks area in Sydney is the site of Australia's first settlement colony in 1788.

If you like the fast lane Sydney has it all.  Nightlife, casinos, 5-star hotels, top eateries, excellent day trips and tourist attractions, and some of Australia's best known beaches (Bondi and Manly), all within easy reach of the CBD.  Grab yourself a public transport day pass and enjoy.  Check out the Sydney Visitor Centre for more information.

Botany Bay, the Royal National Park and Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park are also within easy reach of Sydney.

Blue Mountains

Just west of Sydney is the Blue Mountains.  You can reach them by taking a train to Katoomba, but a short car trip will enable you to take in all the sites that this region has to offer.  This area is the bushwalkers dream, and towns are filled with an arty type of culture that are very different to the City.  There are tons of bed & breakfast accomodation houses as well as 5-star resorts to rest your weary feet in after a long days trek.

The town of Katoomba is where the train line ends, and is a great place for lunch or dinner or to while away a hot afternoon looking through the many boutique shops it offers.

If bush walking is your go, the Jameison Valley and Grose Valley areas should suit you well, and the Jenolan Caevs are well worth the look.  'Echo Point' and 'The Three Sisters' are the Blue Mountains most photographed sights to see. 

Coastal New South Wales

The North Coast of NSW stretches from Sydney all the way to the Queensland border.  This area can be summed up in three words: sun, surf and sand.  The entire coast is dotted with pretty and bustling coastal tourist towns including Coffs Habour, Byron Bay, Port Macquarie. Inland of the coast is the famous Hunter Valley wine region.

The South Coast is similar to the North, except that the waters are slightly cooler, and as such less populated.  In addition to the excellent beaches of the South Coast is also some of Australia's best coastal fishing.  The South Coast is definately a more popular family location.  Must sees are Wollongong, Nowra, Ulladulla, Narooma, Merimbula (my personal favourite), and the aptly named town of Eden.

Inland New South Wales

Inland of NSW to the South is the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) which houses the Australian capital city of Canberra.  This area is also home to the Snowy Mountains, Kosciusko National Park, and some of Australia best snowfields.  Other big town of note in this area are Wagga Wagga and Albury/Wodonga on the mighty Murray River.

Inland North NSW towns of interest are Dubbo, Tamworth, Armidale.

Outback New South Wales

A large slice of NSW is East of the Great Dividing Range.  It fairly quickly changes from rich farming land to true outback Australia as you approcah the Western border of NSW.  The best knwo towns in outback NSW are the mining town of Broken Hill in the South and Bourke in the North.  In these areas the sun and surf of the coast and the the cool breezes and scenery of the range soon give way way to het flies and dust.  Don't let this put you off visiting these centres.  The drive there is an adventure in itself and the destintions wont disappoint.  When travelling in the outback make sure you are fully prepared as the towns are far apart and conditions can be very harsh.

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