New South Wales is perhaps the most varied of all the States. The landscape ranges from snow-capped mountains with excellent skiing facilities to long, golden sandy beaches, and from the utter emptiness of the Outback to the cosmopolitan vitality of the State capital, Sydney.
Sydney The State capital is perhaps best known abroad for the Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point, a building whose distinctive shape is echoed by the sails of the boats in the almost equally famous Sydney Harbour. Tours of the Opera House are available daily (0830-1700), except Christmas Day and Good Friday.
The Opera House hosts many of Australia’s opera, ballet and theater companies and symphony orchestras. Sydney is also a major commercial and business center with first-class conference and exhibition facilities. The city-center skyline rivals that of Manhattan, with the added attraction that Sydney is far more likely to be seen under a clear blue sky. There is a spectacular view of the city and its surroundings from the 305m-high (1000ft) Sydney Tower above the Centerpoint Shopping Complex (daily 0900-2145). The city has a great number of concert halls, museums, art galleries and theaters. Among the many other interesting sights Sydney has to offer are the Harbour Bridge (the third-longest single span bridge in the world), Taronga Zoo, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Museum. The Rocks area (the site of Australia’s first European settlement) has been largely restored to its original state and features cobbled streets, gas lamps, craft shops and small restaurants. This district of the city also contains one of Sydney’s oldest buildings, Cadman’s Cottage (1816), as well as the ’Lord Nelson’ and the ’Hero of Waterloo’, the city’s oldest pubs. Tours around Olympic Park – venue of the 2000 Olympic Games – have become a popular visitor attraction, and include a visit to the Olympic Village. Apart from exploring various quarters such as Chinatown, Paddington and Kings Cross on foot, there is Darling Harbour, one of Sydney’s newest precincts, which is a five-minute monorail ride from the city center. This bustling area contains numerous attractions, including the Harbourside Shopping Center, Gavala Aboriginal and Cultural Education Center, Panasonic IMAX Theater, the Chinese Garden, the Powerhouse Museum (design and science), the National Maritime Museum, Cockle Bay Wharf and the Sydney Aquarium. The city can also be enjoyed from the water, with harbor cruises departing from Circular Quay. Other ways of seeing the city are from the bright red Sydney Explorer Bus which stops at 26 popular tourist spots on its 36km- (22 mile-) loop around the city, to the monorail train, to a scenic flight aboard a seaplane or helicopter. The city has many beautiful green spaces including Hyde Park, The Domain and Centennial Park, as well as the stunning Botanic Gardens with views of the Bridge, Opera House and Harbour. Sydney is also justly famous for its many excellent beaches in and around the city, such as Manly, on the north shore (15 minutes by JetCat), or Bondi, Watson’s Bay, Bronte, Clovelly or Coogee to the south. Most beaches are within reach of public transport. For reasons of safety, people should swim in the areas marked with flags only. Botany Bay, the first foothold of British settlers, is still a botanist’s delight, with mangrove swamps and native wildlife as well as museums and picturesque walks.
Beyond Sydney New South Wales caters for all kinds of holiday, whatever the time of year. Visits to the Hunter Valley wine district and the Blue Mountains (a World Heritage-listed National Park), to the west of Sydney, are highly recommended. Home to famous wine makers such as Wyndham Estate, Rosemount and McGuigans, the Hunter Valley has over 80 wineries and many restaurants. Nearby Port Stephens is a great spot for watersports and dolphin and whale watching. Lightning Ridge, to the northwest, is a frontier town where the world’s only source of black opal is to be found. The region of the Snowy Mountains in the southeast of the State, including Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest peak, is popular during the skiing season (June to October) as well as in summer for bushwalking. Resorts in the Snowy Mountain region include Thredbo and Perisher Blue, the latter incorporating Guthega, Perisher Valley, Blue Cow and Smiggins. Uncommercialized and unpretentious, Broken Hill and the surrounding national parks of the New South Wales outback offer a taste of the original Australian wilderness. Featuring ancient landscapes, aboriginal culture and unusual flora and fauna, they are among the highlights of the region. The Menindee Lakes, 113km (70 miles) from the town by a good road, cover an area of water eight times the size of Sydney Harbour with an abundance of birdlife, and provide a major attraction for motor boat and sailing craft owners.
World Heritage Regions Areas listed according to the World Heritage Convention are internationally recognized as cultural and natural places of such outstanding value that they ought to be preserved for the benefit of humanity. Natural World Heritage areas often represent an important stage in the Earth’s evolutionary history. For further information, contact the Australian Heritage Council, GPO Box 787, Canberra, ACT 2601 (tel: (02) 6274 1111; fax: (02) 6274 2095; website: www.ahc.gov.au). New South Wales has several major World Heritage-listed regions as outlined below (additional World Heritage areas are indicated in the National Parks section).
Lord Howe Island Group This island group is situated 700km (400 miles) northeast of Sydney, covering 146,300 hectares (361,520 acres) and comprising Lord Howe Island, the Admiralty Islands, the Mutton Bird Islands and Ball’s Pyramid. Lord Howe Island consists of rich lowland and mountains covered with lush vegetation, surrounded by white sandy beaches. Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird (875m/2695ft and 777m/2394ft respectively) are both of volcanic origin and provide a stark contrast to the low-lying areas along the coast. Lord Howe Island has the southernmost coral reef in the world and boasts some of the rarest flora, bird and marine life. Owing to a strict conservation policy, the number of visitors on the island at any one time is limited to 393 and the number of cars is also restricted. The bicycle is the main mode of transport.
Willandra Lakes Region This region covers 370,000 hectares (913,000 acres) of semi-arid country in the southwest center of New South Wales and is renowned as one of the world’s earliest known cremation sites; the archaeological discovery of skeletal remains and stone tools indicated that homo sapiens inhabited the area 40,000 years ago. The region also contains a system of Pleistocene lakes formed over the last two million years, most of which are fringed on the eastern shore by dunes. The area incorporates the Mungo National Park, which is open to visitors daily. The park offers good opportunities for walks along the famous Walls of China, orange-and-white dunes, as well as many native species of birds and animals.
National Parks For further information about parks and nature reserves in New South Wales contact NSW National Parks Center, Level 14, 59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney, NSW 1232 (tel: (2) 9253 4600 or (1300) 361 967 (in Australia only); fax: (2) 9251 9192; e-mail: info@environment.nsa.gov.au; website: www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au).
Greater Metropolitan Area Sydney Harbour National Park features forts, secluded beaches and spectacular views. Guided tours to historic buildings are available; the most popular trails for walkers are the '5Bluff’ track to Watson’s Bay, the ‘Hermitage Foreshore’ track to Vaucluse and the ‘Manly’ scenic walkway; the ‘Fairfax’ walk on North Head is suitable for wheelchair access. The Royal National Park is the oldest park in Australia and the second-oldest in the world. Wattamolla and Garie are popular swimming spots while Garie, Era and Burning Palms are best for surfing. The park offers a variety of walking tracks along its 30km- (19 mile-) procession of headlands, cliffs, forests and beaches. Camping is possible at Bonnie Vale; for bush camping, a permit is required. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (40 minutes north of Sydney) is noted for its Aboriginal rock carvings (which can be seen on the ‘Aboriginal Heritage Walk’) and extensive walking tracks (one of which, the ‘Discovery’ track, has wheelchair access); beautiful water views and good sailing facilities are available at West Head and picnic areas can be found throughout the park. The park also includes a koala sanctuary. The Blue Mountains National Park (a World Heritage listed park), just 90 minutes' drive west of Sydney, offers waterfalls and panoramic views featuring landmarks such as the ’Three Sisters’. There are numerous bushwalks on offer; the ’Fairfax Heritage Walk’ at Blackheath is a wheelchair-friendly track to Govetts Leap lookout.
Northeast The Myall Lakes National Park near Port Stephens is the largest coastal lake system in the State and an important habitat for many species of waterbirds. Visitors are offered a range of activities, including a rainforest walk at Mungo Brush, campsites, caravans and cabins along the lake shores and beaches, as well as houseboat accommodation facilities. The mountainous Barrington Tops National Park in the Hunter wine-making region is crossed by six rivers and is known for its dramatic altitude variations, allowing visitors to experience snow-capped mountains and subtropical rainforests in a day’s walk. The best views and walking trails are at Gloucester Tops, Carey’s Peak and Williams River. The ‘Riverside’ walk is suitable for wheelchairs. Mount Warning National Park, 12km (7 miles) from Murwillumbah, offers a fantastic trek through rainforest communities, culminating in a challenging rock scramble, to reach the 1100m (3608ft) summit of the ancient volcano. Views from the top take in the expanse of the bowl-shaped Tweed Valley. Dorrigo National Park and Border Ranges National Park, both in tropical New South Wales, contain large stretches of rainforest, with walking tracks, educational tours, picnicking and camping all available; at Border Ranges, the rainforest grows on the rim of an extinct volcano.
Central Rock climbing and mountain walks attract visitors to Warrumbungle National Park, near Coonabarabran, whose ‘Grand High Tops’ track through the remnants of ancient volcanoes ranks high among Australia’s many spectacular walks. The park is noted for its bizarre rock outcrops.
Outback The Mutawintji National Park, situated 130km (82 miles) northeast of the old mining town of Broken Hill, offers the classic Outback experience. Homestead Creek is the main camping base (booking required) in this park on the back of an ancient mountain range, with spectacular gorges and a variety of native animals. Tours to the Mutawintji Historic Site, which contains an important collection of Aboriginal art engraved on a hillside, are also available. The nearby Kinchega National Park is similarly rich in Aboriginal sites and contains large areas of forest backwaters and lakes; camping and accommodation in former sheep shearers’ quarters are possible (booking required).
Southeast South of Sydney by 450km (281 miles), the Kosciuszko National Park and Snowy Mountains National Park feature some of Australia’s highest mountains, including Mount Kosciuszko (the highest) as well as the great Snowy, Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers. Wintersports are popular from June to September while, in the summer, nature enthusiasts can enjoy rare alpine flora. The main attractions of Morton National Park are its waterfalls – one at Fitzroy Falls, the other at Bundanoon. Camping is possible (booking required).
