Sydney
Definitively Sydney, Bondi is one of the world’s great beaches. It’s the closest ocean beach to the city centre (8km away), has consistently good (though…
Must-see attractions in New South Wales
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Sydneysiders love their giant 'coathanger', which opened in 1932. The best way to experience this majestic structure is on foot. Stairs and lifts ascend…
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
Sydney
A spectacular mix of sandstone, Australian bushland and tranquil water vistas, this 14,928-hectare park forms Sydney’s northern boundary. It’s located 20…
Sydney
Lovely Watsons Bay, east of the city centre and north of Bondi, was once a small fishing village, as evidenced by the heritage cottages that pepper the…
Sydney
A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, this forested harbour hillside is full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians, plus numerous…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, this magnificent building is Australia's most famous landmark. Visually referencing a yacht's sails, it's a…
-
Manly
About 3km south of central Manly, spectacular North Head offers dramatic cliffs, lookouts, secluded beaches, pretty paths through the native scrub, and…
-
South Coast NSW
Wildlife thrives on this small, pest-free island, 9km offshore from Narooma, where fur seals frolic and 90 bird species wheel overhead. Little penguins…
-
New South Wales
This is Dubbo's star attraction, not to mention one of the best zoos in regional Australia. You can walk the 6km circuit, ride a hire bike ($17 to $24 for…
Blue Mountains
Far from other Blue Mountains attractions, the limestone Jenolan Caves is one of the most extensive, accessible and complex systems in the world – a vast…
Sydney
This central section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a spectacular wilderness, with awe-inspiring vistas over Pittwater and Broken Bay, hidden beach…
City Centre & Haymarket
With its neoclassical Greek frontage and modern rear, this much-loved institution plays a prominent and gregarious role in Sydney society. Blockbuster…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Southeast of the Opera House, this garden was established in 1816 and features plant life from around the world. Within the gardens are hothouses with…
Sydney
Studded with photogenic industrial relics, convict architecture and art installations, fascinating Cockatoo Island (Wareamah) opened to the public in 2007…
Sydney
Scratched out of the sand in 1888 in grand Victorian style, Sydney’s biggest park is a rambling 189-hectare expanse full of horse riders, joggers,…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Built in the 1850s, Sydney’s copper-domed, Italianate sandstone observatory squats atop Observatory Hill, overlooking the harbour. Inside is an intriguing…
City Centre & Haymarket
This noble brick building was designed by the convict architect Francis Greenway to house prisoners arriving in the colony. Now a flagship museum, the…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Acclaimed local artist Brett Whiteley (1939–1992) lived fast and without restraint. Many of his multimillion-dollar paintings were created in this hard-to…
Kings Cross & Potts Point
Now dwarfed by 20th-century apartments, Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay's elegant Greek Revival mansion was one of the finest houses in the colony…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Divided into four displays – Warrane (pre-1788), Colony (1788–1820), Port (1820–1900) and Transformations (1900 to the present) – this small, excellent…
Byron Bay
This photogenic, 32-hectare green oasis outside Byron is shared by Three Blue Ducks restaurant, a produce store, the Bread Social bakery, an ice-creamery…
Lord Howe Island
The southernmost of the two magnificent peaks dominating the island, Mt Gower (875m) is a spectacular sight. Though it looks sheer at first glance, it's…
Lord Howe Island
Sticking out of the middle of the ocean some 23km southeast of Lord Howe Island, the memorably jagged silhouette of this crag stands 551m high. A volcano…
-
City Centre & Haymarket
Dixon St is the heart of Chinatown: a narrow, shady pedestrian mall with a string of restaurants and insistent spruikers. The ornate dragon gates (paifang…
Manly
Sydney's second most famous beach is a magnificent strand that stretches for nearly two golden kilometres, lined by Norfolk Island pines and midrise…
Manly
A hidden jewel on North Head, magical Store Beach can only be reached by kayak – you can hire them from Manly Kayak Centre – or boat. It’s a breeding…
Blue Mountains
Part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, this vast national park has over 140km of walking trails.
-
New South Wales
This National Heritage–listed park is the area's great attraction. Cut by the dramatic, volcanic Warrumbungles (the name means 'Crooked Mountains' in the…
-
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
One of Sydney's best museums revolves around a detailed and expertly curated exhibition on the Holocaust, with sobering personal testimonies and moving…
-
South Coast NSW
Divided into two sections north and south of Eden is 104.85-sq-km Ben Boyd National Park. Boyd was a Scottish entrepreneur in agriculture and whaling who…
-
South Coast NSW
Occupying Jervis Bay’s southeastern spit, this sublime national park, jointly managed by the government and the local Indigenous community, offers good…
-
Back O' Bourke Exhibition Centre
Outback NSW
This superb exhibition space follows the legends of the back country (both Indigenous and settler) through interactive displays. The centre also houses…
-
South Coast NSW
In a region already awash in scenic spots, Wollongong's botanic gardens still delight visitors with their attractive lily ponds, manicured lawns and…
-
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Closed for renovation at the time of research, this wonderful institution plans to reopen in mid-2020. Australia's first museum was established just 40…
-
Sydney
Sydney Harbour National Park protects large swathes of bushland around the harbour shoreline, plus several harbour islands. In among the greenery you’ll…
-
Northern Beaches
Long, lovely Palm Beach is a crescent of bliss that's famous as the setting for cheesy TV soap Home and Away. The 1881 Barrenjoey Lighthouse punctuates…
-
Newtown & the Inner West
Within the University of Sydney's quadrangle, this is a great under-the-radar attraction. Combining modern ideas with ancient artefacts, it's an…
-
South Coast NSW
Beautifully set on a verdant former dairy farm between Berry and Nowra, this crowd-pleasing winery makes a range of tasty drops. Swirl a glass of bright…
-
Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
New South Wales
Part of the Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, this 1452 sq km National Park is cut by spectacular gorges, waterfalls and rivers, and is a…
-
Newtown & the Inner West
In many ways Sydney's best contemporary-art gallery, White Rabbit is tucked away behind the Central Park development in Chippendale. It's the project of…
