4 epic trips to help you make the most of New South Wales
There aren’t many people who know New South Wales better than the experts at Travelbag – here are some of their best trips to take you straight to the soul of
From bar hopping in sea breezy cities and wine quaffing in vineyards to bush walking around rugged ranges and snorkelling over coral reefs, New South Wales has everything you could want (and more) on an Aussie adventure. It’s also home to the country’s most iconic landmarks and best beaches. Who better to show you its must-see sights and help you unearth its unexpected treasures than Aussie experts Travelbag?
1. Spend Christmas and New Year in Australia
Watching the fireworks in Sydney is an unforgettable way to spend New Year (Destination New South Wales)
Once you’ve experienced the festive season Down Under, it’s hard to go back. A swim in the ocean, seafood platters with a crisp semillon and a sun-kissed snooze sure beats the usual cooped up celebrations. Not to mention watching the dazzling fireworks light up Sydney Harbour on a balmy New Year’s Eve. Travelbag’s Christmas holiday to remember starts on the sandy shores of Coogee in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, combining urban pleasures with a road trip into the remarkable wilderness of the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains and cellar door tour of the picturesque Hunter Valley.
Highlights
Hot air ballooning over the Hunter Valley
Two hours north of Sydney, the Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest wine-growing region and a gorgeous one to boot. Float above the verdant valley in a hot air balloon: you’ll see quaint villages and architect-designed wineries, most home to swoon-worthy restaurants, sitting prettily amid the grapevines and paddocks. Spot one you like the look of? Make a plan to eat (and drink) there when you come back down to earth.
Hot air balloon ride over Hunter Valley (Shutterstock)
Coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi
A quintessential Sydney experience, this scenic 6km stretch is a hive of activity from dawn to dusk as locals jog, walk, swim and workout en route. From Coogee, you’ll first pass rocky little Gordon’s Bay then Clovelly with its ocean pool. Stop for a dip or carry on to Bronte (grab a coffee here) before pretty Tamarama. The scenery gets even more spectacular on the last stretch before Bondi’s sweep of sand comes into view.
Top sleeps
Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains
A warm welcoming feel and wide-ranging facilities set this large hotel near Leura apart. With dreamy views of the Jamison Valley, bushwalking tracks lie just outside your room, or you can amble around its extensive grounds, take a swim, go skating on the ice rink or play tennis.
Intercontinental Sydney
Right by Sydney Harbour, this well-located hotel offers a front-row seat to the action on New Year’s Eve and easy access to the city’s landmark sights. Rooms overlook either sparkling Sydney Harbour, the CBD skyline or the Royal Botanic Gardens.
2. Mix Sydney, wine and the wilderness
A boardwalk at Bondi Beach (James Horan/Destination New South Wales)
Combine a sojourn in Sydney’s hippest beach suburb, Bondi (all chic boutiques, bars, restaurants and tousled-haired surfers), with city sightseeing and a road trip to the wineries of the Hunter Valley. As well as swirling and sipping world-class shiraz and semillon at cellar doors, you can follow bush trails to discover age-old rock art in Yengo National Park, a little known patch of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Next up, circuit south to the beach-blessed Shoalhaven region where implausibly powder white sands and iridescent waters await before returning for one last blast of fun in Sydney.
Highlights
Explore the trails and Aboriginal sites of Yengo National Park
A remote and rugged landscape in the southern Hunter region, this national park delivers untold drama. It’s also rich in Aboriginal cultural sites. Follow trails around its untouched rainforest and rocky ridges and learn the creation story of Mount Yengo. A hugely sacred site to its traditional owners, the volcanic remnant is etched with ancient rock engravings. For sweeping views, make a beeline for Finchley lookout. And keep watch for wombats, wallabies and goannas as you roam.
Spy the marine life of Jervis Bay
A jaunt to this string of sandy shores on New South Wales’ south coast is one for beach lovers and wildlife spotters. Sink into its silky white sands or set off to explore the cerulean waters by kayak, snorkel, paddleboard or boat. You’ll soon spy some of the abundant wildlife that inhabit Jervis Bay Marine Park: bottlenose dolphins, Australian and New Zealand fur seals and fairy penguins can be seen year-round while humpbacks pass close to shore during their migration.
Migrating humpback whales off New South Wales’ south coast (Jordan Robins)
Top sleeps
Paperbark Camp
Perched among paperbark and eucalyptus trees, this bush retreat offers an enchanting immersion in nature. Sleep in solar-powered safari-style tents with wraparound decks and wallow in free-standing baths where you can watch out for passing ’roos. Its treetop restaurant is also magical.
QT Bondi Hotel
A flip-flop away from bustling Bondi Beach, this easy-breezy stay sits on the main seaside strip of Campbell Parade. Enjoy plenty of space and cool, contemporary interiors in its collection of studios and apartments, and having an array of excellent places to eat and drink nearby.
3. Soak up New South Wales’ art and culture
A walking tour in The Rocks district with a First Nations guide gives you a unique perspective of Sydney (Destination New South Wales)
Sydney isn’t only about its looks. This seaside stunner has some of the country’s most significant cultural landmarks and heaves with history. Discover the city from a traditional perspective on walking tours led by First Nations guides then marvel at modern and age-old Aboriginal art in the thought-provoking new Sydney Modern Project. Head over Sydney Harbour Bridge to uncover the diverse delights of New South Wales’ northern coast. Strung with knockout beaches, both Newcastle and Coffs Harbour – all craggy headlands, pristine marine parks and uncrowded sands – are must stops. Keep going north to Byron Bay, a surfy and wellness haven with a subtropical climate and serious food scene.
Highlights
Bushtucker tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens
Unearth the history of the homelands of the Gadigal of the Eora Nation on an Aboriginal-led walk around the oldest botanic gardens in the country. Tours around this 74-acre urban oasis showcase Sydney Cove’s ancient heritage and offer insights into the First Nations’ spiritual connection with the land and its plants. You’ll also learn how to recognise bush tucker and taste some intriguing indigenous ingredients.
Spy Aboriginal art at Sydney Modern Project
Part of a huge transformation of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the city’s newest gallery is a bold space filled with contemporary works and the country’s largest collections of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork. A hotly anticipated living artwork called bíal gwiyúŋo (the fire is not yet lighted) by Wiradyuri and Kamilaroi artist Jonathan Jones is set to open in its public Art Garden imminently.
The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney (Destination New South Wales)
Top sleeps
Aanuka Beach Resort
A lazy stroll from Diggers Beach, this beachfront bolthole is in a prime spot for enjoying Coffs Harbour. Perfect for family and friends, it has a choice of hotel rooms, spa bures and villas, plenty of pools and fun things for the kids.
Byron at Byron, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort
Unwind, reset and snooze to forest sounds in this serene all-suite escape. Cocooned in 18 hectares of rainforest, it’s an easy stroll from the beach and short drive from the buzz of Byron Bay. Book a healing treatment in its spa to embrace the region’s spiritual side.
4. Go unique and boutique in New South Wales
Lord Howe Island (tom-archer.com)
There are few major cities where you can go from sipping cocktails on rooftops and eating small plates in laneways to feeling utterly ensconced in the wilderness. Sydney is one of them. This itinerary takes you from the storied cobblestone streets of the Rocks to following the serene bushwalking trails that trace the harbour. You’ll find more wild beauty in the Blue Mountains before you fly to Lord Howe Island, for an unforgettable adventure. A volcanic crescent, this is one of the country’s most precious isles, where reefs and rainforests run riot with rare wildlife.
Highlights
See Sydney’s natural side
Rich with Aboriginal, colonial and natural history, Sydney Harbour National Park has a raft of walks and activities. Go kayaking on the harbour, picnic on uninhabited islands and hike to secluded harbour coves – the Spit Bridge to Manly Walk is a belter. Blissfully empty beaches and untouched wilderness lie just on the city’s fringes in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park to the north and Royal National Park to the south.
Snorkel coral reefs from Lord Howe Island
A tiny sliver of an isle set 600km off the New South Wales coast, UNESCO-listed Lord Howe Island is a nature lover’s paradise. It’s home to some extraordinary rare and endemic species, both on land and in its waters, which has the world’s most southerly coral reef. Snorkel in tranquil lagoons straight from the beach or join guided tours to learn about its tropical and temperate marine life.
The Hermitage Foreshore Walk delivers fine views across to Sydney (Destination New South Wales)
Top sleeps
Harbour Rocks Hotel
Heaving with historic charm with a touch of industrial cool, this five-star hotel is set in a handsome 1887-era sandstone building in the Rocks, Sydney’s oldest area. Each room, available in different sizes and price points, is utterly unique.
Arajilla Retreat
Shrouded by a forest of banyan and kentia palm trees, this serene and stylish nature retreat is just steps from Old Settlement Beach, where green turtles surf the waves. Arajilla has 12 suites, a spa, open-air lounge and acclaimed restaurant.
About the experts
Planning a trip to New South Wales? Let Travelbag help you create the ultimate itinerary. Australia is a part of the world this long-running travel consultancy knows extremely well. Its travel experts also understand their customers and that they want something a little different from their time away. That’s why it customises every Aussie itinerary it creates. They’ll help you see Sydney’s quintessential sights and hidden gems, plan the most show-stopping route for rural road trips and book you into some seriously special places to stay along the way.
