New South Wales [1] (NSW) is one of Australia’s south-eastern states, lying to the east of South Australia, to the south of Queensland and to the north of Victoria. With a population of 6.7 million, it is the country’s most populous state. As the core territory of the first British colony on the Australian continent (settled in 1788) which was gradually made smaller as the other states and territories formed, New South Wales is home to the country’s oldest and largest city, the state capital of Sydney. New South Wales also encloses the Australian Capital Territory, the location of the Australian national capital of Canberra, in its south-east. Lord Howe Island, a subtropical island 550km east of the mainland, is also part of the state.

Many tourists come to New South Wales to visit the city of Sydney and its attractions. While much tourism is focused on Sydney and the coastal areas, the whole of New South Wales offers a multitude of experiences, with plenty of things to see and do which suit all tastes and interests, whether that be natural wonders, white sandy beaches to relax on, historical sites, or friendly country communities. From the busyness of Sydney, to the unspoilt beaches and sleepy communities of the South Coast, to the rugged Snowy Mountains, to the wineries of Mudgeeand the Hunter Valley, to the red outback, to the rainforests of the North Coast and New England, wherever you spend time in New South Wales you are bound to enjoy yourself immensely.

Regions

New South Wales is a diverse state with many different types of climate, scenery and communities. The first list of regions are all within 3 hours’ drive or train trip from Sydney; the rest will take more time (unless you choose to fly).Airports are not always usable for short distance flights.

Sydney and surrounds

Sydney The capital of the state and largest city in Australia, and its suburban surroundings, forms its own vibrant region

 

Blue Mountains Located immediately to the west of Sydney, a region of unique scenery and wilderness

 

Central Coast Immediately north of Sydney, a region of bush, waterways and beaches.

 

Hunter Valley Home to NSW’s second city of Newcastle and some of the best vineyards in Australia

 

Illawarra Just south of Sydney: beaches, bushwalking, and the coastal cities of Wollongong and Shellharbour

 

Shoalhaven Beautiful coastal area, home to the city of Nowra, with sandy beaches, small communities, and rolling green meadows

 

Southern Highlands A day trip or a weekend away from Sydney. Bushwalking, forests, country pubs and cafes, antiques, crafts and country communities.

Further afield

Central West The rolling flat plains to the west of the Great Dividing Range. Home to the cities ofBathurst and Dubbo and the wine region of Mudgee

 

Far West Outback New South Wales, including the city of Broken Hill and the opal mining town ofLightning Ridge

 

Mid-North Coast Publicised as the “holiday coast”; includes Port Macquarie and the city of Coffs Harbour

 

New England Home to 4 World Heritage-listed parks, the country music capital of Tamworth, and the pretty seasonal city of Armidale

 

Northern Rivers Home to 5 World Heritage Listed National Parks, as well as the towns of Byron Bay and the cities of Lismore and Grafton

 

Riverina The state’s “food bowl” with small friendly communities, great food and wine, and unique scenery. Home to the cities of Wagga Wagga, Griffith andAlbury.

 

Snowy Mountains The roof of Australia, a region of mountains, unique scenery and winter sports, on the Victorian border

 

South Coast Hundreds of kilometres of unspoilt beaches, coves and bays; small coastal communities and specatacular scenery

Cities

·       Sydney – the state capital and the largest city in Australia

·       Newcastle – the second largest city in NSW is a coastal city and industrial capital of the Hunter Valley region, around 150km north of Sydney.

·       Wollongong – located around 100km south of Sydney between the escarpment and the coast, natural beauty and heavy industry sit adjacent in the Illawarraregion.

Other regional cities include:

·       Albury – Victorian border town on the banks of the Murray RIver.

·       Armidale – Centre of the Northern Tablelands region, a city with easy road access to several World Heritage-listed national parks.

·       Broken Hill – A poetically named ‘Wild West’ mining town, right in the Outback, with a small thriving arts scene

·       Coffs Harbour – A popular beachfront city for visitors and seachangers, with many accommodation options from the budget to resort.

·       Tamworth – Australia’s home of country music.

·       Wagga Wagga – The largest inland city in New South Wales, on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River.

Other destinations

·       Lord Howe Island, a World Heritage-listed island some 550km from the mainland, is part of New South Wales and is a popular getaway destination.

·       One of the many prime wilderness areas in the state. Some of these parks and reserves worth visiting include:

·       Blue Mountains National Park is a large World Heritage-listed park.

·       Jenolan Caves

·       Mt Warning National Park

·       Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is a large World Heritage-listed park that has several locations where 4WDs are permitted.

·       Warrumbungles (Warrumbungle National Park)

·       Wollemi National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed park

Understand

History

The home of a large number of Aboriginal tribes for thousands of years, New South Wales was only settled by Europeans in 1788 – spreading outwards from Sydney. The name was given by Captain Cook 18 years earlier during his first voyage of discovery, after the country of Wales. It is unknown whether he intended to name it afterSouth Wales, or whether this new land was the Wales of the South, but the cliffs he was passing to the south ofSydney bear a striking resemblance to the cliffs along the Welsh Cambrian Coast.

The first settlers were dependent of farming and fresh water, and the major settlements grew around Parramattaand Windsor, at the limit of navigation of the Parramatta and Hawkesbury rivers, inland from Sydney. Inland settlement was at first impeded by the rugged Blue Mountains for a time and settlers did not cross the mountains until 1813. However, once crossed settlement spread west rapidly, with the first road across the mountains finished in 1815, leading to the first inland town of Bathurst. Further regional and rural expansion occurred in the late 19th century as a result of the Gold Rush, although it did not have as much of an impact as in neighbouringVictoria.

From its inception until the time of federation in 1901, New South Wales was dependent largely on its agricultural resources; however, over the early 20th century this largely changed to a point where New South Wales led Australia in heavy industry. This was, and continues to be dominated by industries such as coal mining in the Hunter Valley and Illawarra regions.

From the 1970s, industries such as steel and shipbuilding began to diminish, and although agriculture remains important its share of the state’s income is smaller than at any other time in the state’s history. NSW, and in particular Sydney, have developed significant service industries in finance, information technology and tourism.

Geography

New South Wales is the most populous state in Australia. Most of that population is concentrated in Sydney, which has 4.2 million of the state’s 6.7 million inhabitants. The next largest cities are (in order) Newcastle and Wollongong. After that the larger cities and towns in the state are merely moderately-sized regional centres of 40,000-50,000 people. Many of the cultural sights are concentrated in Sydney and nearby. However, this isn’t true of historical or natural sights. Many of the state’s most beautiful natural sights, obviously enough, lie well outside the Sydney metropolitan area. Australian history and identity is to some extent tied up with rural settlement and lifestyle, and thus you will find many of the outlying regions of New South Wales base their tourism industry around pioneer and rural history.

Climate

New South Wales’ climate varies considerably depending on the area in the state.

In winter the Snowy Mountains can receive significant snowfalls, with an extensive ski fields operating between July and September. During cold snaps in mid-winter snow can fall down to 800 metres in inland New South Wales, giving a light snow cover to large areas of the state. The desert areas of inland New South Wales struggle to reach 15ºC, and southern coastal areas including Sydney range between 9-17ºC in July, the coldest month. However the north coast of New South Wales, towards Tweed Heads and Byron Bay, averages above 20ºC even during mid-winter. Winter generally isn’t the time for beach swimming in New South Wales, with the season generally being between October and March – maybe a little earlier up north, and maybe a little later down south.

In summer most head for coastal regions, with New South Wales having literally hundreds of clean patrolled beaches and coastal towns. The inland towns can be hot, with many averaging over 30ºC in summer, often peaking above 40ºC. After Christmas until the end of January can be difficult to find any available accommodation near the coast at short notice.

The best time to visit New South Wales depends on your interest. Most activities, transport, restaurants and other facilities operate year-round. For the beach holiday summer December to February is perfect. It can be hot, but if you are the beach, that is the way you want it. The best months for reliable snowfalls are August to September, although you are always at the whim of Mother Nature on the ski fields. Spring and Autumn are good for walking, and for country driving holiday.

If you are exploring Sydney and the cities, avoiding the summer period will reduce the crowds and peak accommodation costs. If you are used to the dry heat, then heading inland in the summer period is also an off-peak experience, with few crowds and accommodation hassles.
The Bureau of Meterology [2] provides weather forecasts across the state.

People

In common with most Australians, the people of New South Wales have a tradition of great sporting rivalry with neighbouring states. This is expressed each year, for example, in the State of Origin Series of Rugby League matches between NSW and Queensland (NB: Rugby League, somewhat distantly followed by Rugby Union, is the winter ball sport of choice in NSW and Queensland, as opposed to the rest of Australia which follows Australian Rules football). The wordfooty usually refers to Rugby League and not to soccer or Australian Rules Football. As you get down to the southern New South Wales border town of Albury, the Victorian Aussie Rules influence becomes stronger. If you go to see the Albury Football club play, they will be scoring goals and behinds rather than trys and conversions.

Sydney, in particular, is ethnically diverse. You will encounter people with many different cultural influences and language groups.

New South Wales people use some particular regional words which are not used in other states. The word cossie or swimmers (short for swimming costume) refer to a bathing suit – don’t call them “togs” as used in Queensland or “bathers” as used in Victoria. Swimsuit for women or Speedos for men are universally understood.

Time Zone

New South Wales is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and 18 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time (PST). Daylight Saving is observed from the first Sunday of October to the first Sunday of April the following year.

AEST – Australian Eastern Standard Time UTC+10

AEDT – Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time UTC+11

The area around the city of Broken Hill in the far west of New South Wales is on Australian Central Standard Time (the same as South Australia), UTC+9.5 or UTC+10.5 during daylight savings time.

Get in

Quarantine

Part of New South Wales is covered by the Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone [3]. This zone also covers parts of South Australia and Victoria, but the area covered in New South Wales encompasses most of the Riverina area in the southwest of the state, stretching north as far as Broken Hill and as far east as the town ofNarrandera. Don’t take fruit or vegetables into the Riverina area, including the cities of Broken Hill and Griffith and the town of Hay. Fines apply of up to $20,000. A tougher restriction zone, the Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area applies to some areas around the Victorian border near Mildura.

Motorists using highways to access New South Wales which pass through the area, including the Sturt Highway from Victoria and Barrier Highway from South Australia, and all plane travellers to the area should not take any fruit or vegetables with them. If you accidentally enter the zone with fruit or vegetables, there are amnesty bins at the entrances to the zone and at airports. Although there are not the permanent checkpoints in New South Wales like those used in other states, roadblocks and spot checks at airports can and do get set up from time to time, and if you are carrying prohibited produce, you will be fined.

By plane

Most air travellers to New South Wales arrive at Kingsford Smith International Airport [4], 8km from the Sydney central business district, which is Australia’s largest international and domestic airport. It is the only international airport in New South Wales. It is likely to offer the cheapest flights into the state.

Seven other airports in New South Wales have interstate flights:

·       Flights from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Canberra and Norfolk Island operate to Newcastle Airport [5].

·       Flights from Melbourne and Canberra [6] operate to Albury Airport [7].

·       Flights from Melbourne and Brisbane operate to Coffs Harbour Airport [8].

·       Flights from Melbourne operate to Ballina Byron Airport [9].

·       Flights from Brisbane operate to Port Macquarie Airport [10]

·       Flights from Brisbane operate to Tamworth Airport [11]

·       Flights from Adelaide operate to Broken Hill Airport [12].

Note that flights from some of these destinations do not operate every day.

International and domestic visitors to the Northern Rivers including Byron Bay should consider the Gold Coast Airport [13], which is only minutes from the New South Wales northern border, and has many domestic and some international flights. Similarly, interstate travellers visiting the south of New South Wales may choose to fly through Canberra Airport [14], to access the Snowy Mountains, South Coast or Riverina areas.

By road

Travellers arriving overland will usually pass through the (near) border towns of Broken Hill from South Australia, Albury-Wodonga or Eden from Victoria andTweed Heads from Queensland. New South Wales is linked by sealed highways to the three surrounding states. The main routes used by motorists into New South Wales are as follows:

·       From Queensland:

·       via the Pacific Highway, entering at Tweed Heads/Coolangatta, at the south end of the Gold Coast

·       via the New England Highway, entering at Wallangarra/Jennings, approximately 250km south-west of Brisbane

·       From South Australia:

·       via the Barrier Highway, entering at Cockburn, approximately 50km west of Broken Hill

·       From Victoria:

·       via the Hume Highway, entering at Albury

·       via the Princes Highway, entering just south of the town of Eden.

·       via the Sturt Highway (often used by motorists coming directly from Adelaide), entering just north of Mildura.

By rail

Sydney is one of the major hubs of rail services in Australia, and trains run from every mainland capital city in Australia (except Darwin) directly to Sydney. (Connecting services from Darwin are available in Adelaide.) The interstate rail providers are as follows:

·       NSW Trainlink Regional [15], run by the New South Wales Government, runs several interstate services. Trains run twice daily from Melbourne, three times daily from Canberra and once a day from Brisbane. These trains are much slower than flying, and slower than a coach, but are a relaxed way to see the Australian countryside.

·       Great Southern Railways [16] run interstate services which are more of a tourist train than a passenger service, but still provide a chance to see the spectacular countryside. The world-famous Indian Pacific connects Perth, Adelaide and Sydney via Broken Hill. Passengers from Darwin and the Northern Territory can change services from The Ghan in Adelaide.

Both providers stop at intermediate stations on their way to and from Sydney, where it may be possible to change to bus services if you are not travelling direct to Sydney. NSW TrainLink pricing is generally competitive with plane or bus travel. GSR offers a premium service, and will is only cost effective if you consider the train trip as more than a utilitarian means of transport.

By sea

·       Sydney Harbour is one of the major stops for cruise ships during the summer season. Vessels from all around the world including Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean all offer cruises to New South Wales. descend on Sydney every year and dock at various ports within Sydney, including the International Passenger Terminal.

·       Newcastle Harbour also receives some cruise ships, mainly from P&O Cruises to the Pacific.

·       If you wish to sail your own boat, for detailed information about sailing into NSW coastal ports contact the New South Wales Maritime Authority [17]. Ports with customs officers are also available at Eden on the South Coast and Yamba on the North Coast.

Get around

60% of the state’s population lives in Sydney and much of the inter-city transport infrastructure is dedicated to taking travellers to and from Sydney.

Transport connections between other New South Wales towns are often much less convenient. There is usually a reasonably direct road route between any two New South Wales towns, but public transport links are likely to be abysmal or non-existent, unless the two towns are on the same route to Sydney. As in the rest of Australia, there is very much a culture of making your own way by car.

It is common for travellers to make their way up or down the coast from Sydney by bus. Buses traverse these coastal routes several times a day, and it is quite possible to stop off at a few of the coastal towns of your choosing.

Expect public transport within cities or towns to be basic or non-existent outside Sydney. Much of the public transport there is largely designed for school children. There are some exceptions. The northeast corner of New South Wales including Tweed Heads and Kingscliff is reasonably well serviced by an extension of the Gold Coast transport network. Newcastle, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains have passable bus and train networks. In other New South Wales cities expect taxis, and an irregular bus services at best.

Travellers who wish to tour the regions of NSW have little option other than to travel by car or take a tour when travelling beyond the main transport routes in and out of Sydney.

Road signage and visitor radio

There is standardised road signage for attractions in NSW, that is a white text on a brown sign. All attractions signposted this way within the road reservation have to be approved have to meet a minimum standard of facilities for visitors. Similarly tourist information centres signposted within the road reservation must be official centres. They are indicated by the italic i on a blue background, in contrast to shops, etc, that display the sign in their window.

Visitor radio is available in many towns as you drive through. There will be a signpost with the frequency near the entry to the town. If the radio is signposted in the road reservation it is an approved service, and must carry at least 50% of content unpaid, so there must be some information between the advertisements.

Information bays are often located just outside of towns, where you can pull over a see the attractions of a region or a town before entering.

By plane

Most New South Wales cities are within a day’s drive of each other, there are a number of airlines that connect cities in the state:

·       Qantas [18] has flights between Sydney and many cities and towns throughout the regions;

·       Regional Express [19] has flights between Sydney and cities in the North Coast, New England, Riverina, Central West, Far West and South Coast regions;

·       Airlink [20] flies between Sydney, Bathurst and Dubbo, and has charter services available to a number of towns in the Central West and Far West of the state;

·       Aeropelican [21] flies between Sydney, Newcastle, Mudgee, Narrabri and the Snowy Mountains (in winter);

·       Brindabella Airlines [22] (based in Canberra) flies between Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour. It also serves a number of other destinations from airports outside New South Wales (most notably Brisbane and Canberra).

Flying within New South Wales is more typically far more expensive than flying between capital cities, particularly those cities only services by a single airline. The routes serviced by Virgin Blue to Albury, Ballina and Port Macquarie, and Jetstar’s service to Ballina are more competitive and offer comparable airfares to interstate fares.

To reach the Northern New South Wales towns, consider the Gold Coast airport as a cheaper alternative.

By car

Close to Sydney, there are dual carriageways and motorways linking Sydney with the cities to the North, South and West. The Hume Highway heading towardsAlbury and Melbourne is mostly dual carriageway for its entire length. The Pacific Highway towards Coffs Harbour changes rapidly between new sections of high quality freeway, and older sections of winding, two lane road. Most roads to major centres are reasonable quality, with a single lane in each direction. It isn’t uncommon when accessing smaller towns, or national parks to end up on gravel and dirt roads. You usually don’t need a 4 wheel drive to use them, just be sure to drive to conditions. See Driving in Australia for more information.

The State speed limit is 100 km/h outside of built-up areas unless otherwise signposted.

Roads are generally signposted to the next major town or city along the route. It pays to have at least a high level map of the state showing major towns along the route. If you are using a GPS, it pays to follow the signs through towns rather than following a short-cut suggested by the GPS. The GPS suggested shortcut along a minor or unpaved road won’t save you any time.

Some popular NSW roadtrips:

Some road trips are about getting to where you are going, others are about the towns along the way, and others are just about the drive.

·       The drive north from Sydney along the coast is all about the towns along the way. The road itself stays just far away from the coast to spoil the view, but each diversion to the coast is worthwhile.

·       The drive down the south coast from Sydney to Batemans Bay and Eden is the classic coastal drive. The road stays by the coastline for much of length, with numerous towns and villages to stop in. Divert at Batemans Bay for the pretty drive to Braidwood and Canberra.

·       Drive around the Snowy Mountains in summer. The as far as Cooma is just getting there. The real scenery starts there.

·       Take a trip along Waterfall Way is windy roads and waterfalls up across the range, passing through the village of Bellingen.

By train

Long distance

Countrylink [23] runs a network of trains to major destinations, and a network of connecting buses to offer a service to most New South Wales towns. It isn’t exactly quick, or frequent, however some sort of service is generally offered to most towns once a day.

·       Sydney to Coffs Harbour and Grafton via the Central Coast, Hunter Valley and North Coast, with some services continuing to Brisbane

·       Sydney to Tamworth and Armidale via the Central Coast, Hunter Valley and New England.

·       Sydney to Dubbo via the Blue Mountains and Central West.

·       Sydney to Canberra via the Southern Highlands.

·       Sydney to Albury on the Victorian Border, via the Southern Highlands and the Riverina, and continuing to Melbourne

·       Sydney to Broken Hill (weekly, Monday to Broken Hill, and Tuesday return).

Countrylink trains are air-conditioned and equipped with comfortable seats. The overnight interstate trains to Melbourne and Brisbane have limited sleeping room available at a surcharge over a first class ticket.

Food, including hot meals, are available from a buffet car on board.

It is usual to book Countrylink tickets in advance. Tickets can be bought online, from agents, stations, or by phone. Some stations have very limited hours or no facilities for selling Countrylink tickets. Discounts are often available for advance purchase. You can buy tickets up until the time of departure, and services rarely run completely full outside of peak periods. It is essential to book Countrylink tickets in advance in some country towns as the stations do not open until the train is due. Some country towns are some distance from a rail station and a shuttle bus does the final stretch. The details are available when you book your ticket. Examples is of this are at Port Macquarie and Walcha.

Cityrail trains run a surprisingly long distance from the Sydney city centre, even overlapping with the routes of some Countrylink services. Where they do overlap, it is usual for the Cityrail service to be cheaper, more flexible (in that no bookings are required), and to allow luggage and bikes in the carriage. They are, however, a little slower. See destination articles for details and alternatives. You will not get an assigned seat, but that is never a problem except for peak hour for the first 30 minutes away from the city during peak commuter period. Locals don’t often use the Cityrall trains for holiday travel, so you won’t see any evidence of crowds on holidays and weekends.

·       Sydney to Newcastle via the Central Coast

·       Newcastle to Scone and Dungog via Maitland and the Hunter Valley. Taking this service from Sydney is very indirect service, and taking Cityrail over Countrylink will add considerable travel time.

·       Sydney to Lithgow via the Blue Mountains (with bus connection to Bathurst).

·       Sydney to Goulburn via the Southern Highlands

·       Sydney to Nowra via the Wollongong and South Coast.

See the Sydney article for more information on Cityrail and Cityrail ticketing.

By bus

The bus routes in New South Wales are more extensive than the train routes but share the same fundamental design: they take travellers to and from Sydney, or to the region’s major hub. Many towns have a bus service especially to meet the trains to and from Sydney in a nearby town.

There are some exceptions to the rule, and some long distance cross country bus services do run, often to provide connections to other state capitals, or between state major centres. These services can be run only a few times a week, and you will have to be lucky to make connections.

There is no official trip planner for bus and train journeys throughout the state. The tripfinder service [24] will find journeys about around Sydney, and for around an hour or so beyond, up through Newcastle the Hunter Valley, Illawarra and Southern Highlands. Travel further afield, particularly between complex destinations is left as an exercise for the traveller. See the local guides.

By bike

Boxed bicycles can be taken on Countrylink trains as baggage for a small extra charge. Many New South Wales towns then have wide roads that enable them to be easily explored by bike.

See

Landmarks

·       Sydney Harbour is one of the state’s favourite postcard scenes. See it from the side of a ferry or from one of the islands in the centre.

Wildlife

In captivity

·       Western Plains Zoo, an open-range zoo in Dubbo. See Australian and exotic animals roaming in large paddocks rather than pacing in small cages.

·       Taronga Zoo, across the Harbour from Sydney.

·       Featherdale Wildlife Park in the Outer West of Sydney. Smaller than Taronga, but flat and emphasising Australian fauna.

·       Australian Reptile Park in Gosford about an hour north of Sydney, with much more than reptiles. (Hint: Go early, move slowly, stay quiet and you can pet the ‘roos.)

·       Australian Wildlife World in Darling Harbour

·       Mogo Zoo near Batemans Bay

 

In the wild

Many coastal towns offer whale watching cruises during the season, including Sydney. Alternatively, there are many coastal vantage points where you can catch a glimpse if you are lucky.

·       Go on a dolphin cruise in Jervis Bay

Do

·       Surf your way up the coast from Sydney to the north coast of New South Wales.

·       Go on one of the bushwalks from Katoomba into the Jamison Valley.

·       Hire a houseboat in any one of many bays, lakes and rivers.

·       Ski in the Snowy Mountains in winter.

·       Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge and see the sun set over Sydney.

·       Go to the Royal Easter Show in Sydney.

·       Byron Bay’s annual Blues and Roots festival is the state’s largest roots music festival.

·       Tamworth is Australia’s country music capital and holds a country music festival in January each year.

·       Camp in one of the many National Parks. (See www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au)

·       Go wine tasting in the Hunter Valley

Eat

The city of Sydney, unsurprisingly, represents the main food lovers’ haven in New South Wales. It’s the best place in the state to seek out both gourmet foodand international cuisine. Particular highlights are Sydney’s growing wave of Thai and fusion restaurants, and those top end restaurants whose chefs were often trained in some of the best international kitchens. Sydney’s cosmopolitan population guarantees that just about every major cuisine on the planet is authentically and easily available – and generally at a great price.

Most coastal regions, including the Mid-North Coast, Northern Rivers, Central Coast, Sydney and the South Coast are a good place for seafood lovers to eat. Inland the catch may be a little less fresh.

Parts of the Central West specialise in meals made from local produce. Several of these restaurants feature regularly in the Sydney restaurant reviews, and they are beginning to have prices to match.

Vegetarians should be able to find a meal or two to suit them in almost every restaurant in the state, but are best catered for in Sydney and after that, on the somewhat “alternative” Northern Rivers.

Drink

Pubs, Clubs and Bars

·       Sydney has much busier nightlife than the rest of the state and is the best place to find everything from international touring acts to backpacker bars and big beats. Other cities like Wollongong and Newcastle also have a diverse scene, with lots of choice of venues.

·       Towns that cater to travellers and backpackers, like Byron Bay, Tweed Heads, Batemans Bay, also have a selection of venues to choose from.

·       Just about every country town in New South Wales will have at least one pub to choose from, from historical to the modern and upmarket. There is usually at least one club, being a bowling club, services club, etc. Visitors are welcome at pubs and clubs, and clubs usually have a sign out the front saying so. Meals and drinks are usually cheaper in the club, and depending on the town it can be slightly less rough and ready. Even country pubs will often have a band one or two nights a week, a pool table, juke box etc.

Wine

Wines are grown in many parts of New South Wales.

·       The Hunter Valley is the state’s major wine-growing region, and has a wine tourism industry to match. There are many winery tours from genteel wine-and-cheese tasting trips to minibuses full of partying backpackers and girls out on hens nights. It’s a couple of hours drive north of Sydney, and is just a little too far for a comfortable day trip, although it can be done.

·       Mudgee is another area of wine production, over the Blue Mountains.

Although tasting at the cellar door has a certain appeal, the wines themselves will certainly be cheaper at the bottle shop down the road.

Beer

Tooheys New (Lion) and Victoria Bitter (Carlton United) are the two big brands that will be on tap in most pubs around the state. Tooheys being the traditional New South Wales brand. Beer is served in schooners (smaller than a pint), or middies (about half a pint), so it is entirely reasonable to walk into most pubs and ask for ‘schooner of new’, and one will appear on bar. Beer glass sizes have different names and sizes in other states. On a hot day in a hot pub in the country, you will find more people drinking middles, as they stay colder. James Squire is a now premium brand of Lion, generally making richer beers, and commonly available by the bottle and sometimes on tap, much awarded a better quality beer than the mainstream, with a consistent flavour.

Bluetongue is a New South Wales independent brewer also commonly available, with a taste remarkably similar to the major brewers.

There are around a dozen other independent microbreweries in New South Wales. The beers aren’t hard to find if you look, but you’ll have to seek them out rather than relying on the local pub to serve them. Outside of Sydney, try Scharers Little Brewery, in Picton for a high alcohol content Bock guaranteed by the brewer to leave you hangover free the next day.

Sleep

Hotels

These are many hotels in New South Wales. Consult the sleep entries for the particular city you wish to visit.

Motels

Outside of weekends and school holidays it is usually possible to just drive and find accommodation along the road. Most towns of any size will have a motel or two on the road into town. Sometimes in low season they will display discounted standby rates at the gate as your drive past. If not, sometimes if they are not busy, a little discount can be negotiated at the counter. Generally expect motels to be cheaper the smaller the town, and the further away from the coast, the mountains, and Sydney that you are. Expect to pay a steep premium on weekends for those motels that are a “weekend away”, for Sydneysiders.

Pubs

Just about every town has a pub offering accommodation. The standard varies from newly renovated to run-down, with many quaint places in-between. In winter it can even be an idea to take a small heater, as the heating in some can often be a little inadequate.

Serviced Apartments

Serviced apartments are alternative to traditional hotel accommodation with more space, and cooking facilities.

Stay safe

Dangerous fauna

There are no box jellyfish or crocodiles in New South Wales.

There can be sharks along the beaches, but shark attacks are rare, especially on patrolled beaches.

Natural disasters

There are no tropical cyclones or hurricanes, and tornados are very rare in New South Wales.

Some areas are prone to flooding, but it is highly unusual for the major transport routes to be closed.

Violent crime

Please see destination articles for any area specific advice.

Cope

As in the rest of Australia, Smoking is banned indoors in all public buildings, bars, restaurants and transport, and in private cars with children.