Explore New South Wales (Click images below)
New South Wales – The Premier State.
Known as the Premier State, New South Wales was the first colony settled in Australia in 1788 after Captain James Cook had discovered the east coast of Australia in 1770. The colony of New South Wales then encompassed much of the Australian mainland as well as Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island and for a short time, New Zealand. (Source: Wikipedia).
Today New South Wales shares borders with three other Australian States. Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south and South Australia to the west, and completely encompasses The Australian Capital Territory which includes Australia’s Capital, Canberra.
New South Wales is Australia’s most populous State with a population of approximately 7.3 million people with it’s capital, Sydney accounting for some 4.5 million of those, and is the most populous of all Australian cities.
The holiday and travel experiences in NSW are as varied as the states cosmopolitan culture. From the spectacular Sydney Harbour with its famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and the equally famous Sydney Opera House, to the beautiful wine region of The Hunter Valley. From The Blue Mountains to the sensational surf beaches of Sydney and the North and South Coasts. The grandeur of The Snowy Mountains ski fields to the vast NSW Outback including Broken Hill and Lightning Ridge
You could spend a lifetime here and still miss something.
The following information on New South Wales is Courtesy of http://www.visitnsw.com/
Sydney City
Sydney is one of the busiest commercial hubs in the Asia-Pacific region with a cosmopolitan population, many historic sites, museums and parks. Sydney’s city centre offers visitors a huge variety of attractions, including designer boutiques, fine restaurants, hip bars and lavish department stores.
The city fans out from the focal point of Circular Quay. This transport hub is within walking distance of the city’s star attractions – Sydney Harbour Bridge and theSydney Opera House, hailed as a 20th-century architectural masterpiece.
Sydney has two World Heritage cultural sites – Sydney Opera House and Hyde Park Barracks, an Australian convict site
Country NSW
This vast region of NSW has plenty of exciting holiday choices for all ages. Some of Australia’s oldest country towns are here, offering a taste of pioneering history that can include a trip on a paddle steamer, uncovering 19th century colonial architecture and tasting wines made from some of the first grapes ever planted in Australia.
There are many fine regional art galleries such as the Western Plains Cultural Centre at Dubbo. Regional museums are well worth a visit to learn about cultural or natural heritage such as Griffith’s Italian Museum and Shear Outback in Hay.
Natural attractions such as the Warrumbungle National Park offer world-class walks; the highest waterfall in Australia is the Wollomombi Falls in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
The Blue Mountains.
Grand sandstone plateaus, deep valleys and heath-lands are some of the striking natural features of the Greater Blue Mountains Area. This World Heritage-listed landscape is the perfect backdrop if you enjoy adventure holidays, family fun outdoors or simply admiring the best of nature.
The Blue Mountains region is just 90 minutes’ drive west of Sydney. Some of the towns in the region include Leura, Katoomba, Blackheath, Hartley and Lithgow.
This is a refreshing and invigorating environment with plenty to see and do. Outdoors, bushwalking is a popular activity while soaking up the atmosphere of a heritage-listed guesthouse or luxurious resort – with great food and wine, spa treatments and clifftop golf courses- is just as rewarding.
The Hunter Valley
The Hunter includes the towns, vineyards and national parks of the Hunter Valley, the Upper Hunter and Barrington Tops. If you enjoy good food and wine, you’ll enjoy the Hunter where you can join a winery tour, a cooking school, and sample wines from boutique winemakers to the “bluebloods” of the industry.
Others things to do include pampering at a day spa or spa retreat, teeing off from a championship golf course or taking a hot-air balloon ride over the vineyards. Just follow the Legendary Pacific Coast touring route to uncover the best of the region.
Nearby Barrington Tops National Park is a World Heritage natural wonder. Choose your own adventure such as easy bushwalking, serious hiking or camping out, surrounded by beech forests and snow gum woodlands.
Outback NSW
Harsh but fragile, the rugged natural beauty of Outback NSW has been appreciated for millennia by the region’s Aboriginal inhabitants. Today, you can still admire Aboriginal artworks, some 30,000 years old, at sites in Mutawintji National Park. The remains of Mungo Man and Mungo Woman that date back 40,000 years can be found at Mungo National Park, situated within Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area.
Some of the most remote towns in NSW are here – Lightning Ridge, Broken Hill, White Cliffs and Tibooburra. Some things in the outback are simply unique – the Royal Flying Doctor Base at Broken Hill, underground hotels at White Cliffs and a stunning out door sculpture “symposium”.
The North Coast
On the scenic North Coast of NSW, you’ll discover a hinterland of lush river valleys and a coastline of sparkling uncrowded beaches that are easy to get to along the Legendary Pacific Coast touring route. The North Coast has some of the best, and most well known, beaches in Australia at Byron Bay, Lennox Head, around Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie, Port Stephens and Newcastle.
North Coast holiday choices are many and varied. You can tackle the vast sand dunes of Stockton Beach, north of Newcastle, by 4WD or go scuba diving at Solitary Islands Marine Park, off the coast at Coffs Harbour. Hiking through forests, thousands of years old, in World Heritage-listed Dorrigo National Park is a real adventure as is being part of the alternative vibe at famed Channon markets on the scenic, meandering drive to Lismore.
South Coast Region
More than 30 national parks, marine parks and nature reserves can be found on the South Coast of NSW that stretches from the Royal National Park near Sydney to Eden. The unspoilt natural beauty of the region makes it a perfect holiday destination, at any time of the year. Depending on the season, you’ll be able to see pods of dolphins and whales off the coast, Australia fur seals and little penguins at Montague Island.
A great way to explore the region is by following the Grand Pacific Drive from Sydney; the Sydney-Melbourne Coastal Drive will take you to the region’s don’t-miss attractions.
The Snowy Mountains
Mountain air in the Snowy Mountains doesn’t come any purer than this. Add an endless list of adventure activities, from winter sports to cycling, caving, rafting, kayaking and horse riding – plus bracing mountain walks – and you’ll find your stay very exhilarating. A highlight is fishing for trout in mountain streams, crisp lakes and deep dams (fishing licence required).
During summer, hiking to Kosciuszko peak is spectacular, with breathtaking views of this unique ecosystem. Australia’s highest mountain, Mt Kosciuszko, looks down on sub-alpine snowgum woodlands and tall forests of alpine ash and mountain gum.
In winter, there’s night skiing, downhill or cross-country skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing. All four NSW snow resorts are within Kosciuszko National Park; they cater for new skiers and boarders, those who are experienced skiers and family groups. They are Thredbo, Perisher, Charlotte Pass and Selwyn Snowfields.
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is a World Heritage-listed paradise that’s located off the North Coast of NSW. It’s less than two hours’ flight from Brisbane or Sydney.
At any one time, you’ll be one of only 400 visitors on this beautiful Pacific Ocean island. A holiday here is relaxing and unhurried, with bicycles the best way to get around and no mobile phone reception.
World Heritage-listed for its remarkable geology and rare collection of birds, plants and marine life, Lord Howe is surrounded by the world’s southernmost coral reef. Don’t miss the Lord Howe Island Hand Feeding Fish attraction. Crystal clear waters teem with marine life and rare coral, protected as part of the Lord Howe Island Marine Park. There’s a whole host of water-based activities on the island. A good place to start your holiday is with a visit to the Lord Howe Island Museum and Visitor Centre.