New South Wales travel guide
New South Wales's greatest asset is its diversity. From Sydney you can head north for tropical banana plantations, south for snowcapped mountains or west for the expanses of the Outback.
To many visitors, the names ‘Sydney’ and ‘New South Wales’ are synonymous. However, there’s a lot more to Australia’s most populous state than its capital city. Here, visitors can unwind by hiking in a rainforest, diving on a coral reef, visiting a vineyard set amidst rolling green hills or watching a cattle muster in the dry and dusty Outback.
New South Wales: humble beginnings
When the First Fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour on 26 January 1788, the first passengers to disembark were a seasick gaggle of male convicts and their jailers. After a shaky start, the colony began to prosper in the early 19th century, largely due to the development of a successful wool industry serviced by Sydney, Newcastle (founded in 1797) and Bathurst (founded 1815). By the 1820s the colony’s interior was being surveyed and settled by ‘squatters’, free settlers who occupied large tracts of Crown land in order to graze livestock – at first illegally and then under licence. The properties and towns they established still thrive today.
Places to visit in New South Wales
Sydney - to see most of the symbols that define Australia
If the world had a lifestyle capital, Sydney would be a strong contender. Read more about Sydney...
The incredible Blue Mountains
Sixty-five kilometres (40 miles) west of Sydney lie the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains, a dramatic region of forested ravines and pristine bushland. The name derives from the mountains’ distinctive blue haze, produced by eucalyptus oil evaporating from millions of gum trees. Well-marked walking trails of all grades crisscross Blue Mountains National Park, passing streams and waterfalls, descending into cool, impressive gorges, and snaking around sheer cliffs.
Hunter Valley - for wine connoisseurs
Accessed via the New England Highway (A15) is the Lower Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s premier wine-growing districts. From Maitland, a city rich in historic buildings, roads lead west through one winery after another, with most centred around the town of Pokolbin, home to The Hunter Valley Tourism and Visitors Information Centre (455 Wine Country Drive; www.winecountry.com.au), a veritable vat of information about the local wine industry.
The stunning beaches of Byron Bay
Byron Bay (‘Byron’) is surrounded by almost 30km (19 miles) of sandy beaches fringed by a fertile hinterland. This magnificent setting combined with the town’s vibrant festival programme, spas and excellent cafés has made it a favoured destination for wealthy holiday-makers from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – meaning that staying here has become a pricey proposition.
Mungo National Park - for nature lovers
In the west of the state is the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Site, a 370,000-hectare (950,000-acre) system of Pleistocene lakes that contains the longest continuous record on Aboriginal habitation in Australia, stretching back 40,000 years. The most accessible part of Willandra is Mungo National Park, about 150km (93 miles) north of Balranald. Its star attraction is the Walls of China, a geological phenomenon with 30m (100ft) -high walls of white sand running for 30km (19 miles). A good base for visiting the park is the sleepy town of Wentworth, positioned at the confluence of the Murray and Darling rivers.
Discover more of New South Wales
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