New South Wales Travel Guide

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New South Wales is blessed with a combination of history (it's Australia's oldest state), natural beauty (snow-capped mountains, forests and miles of spectacular coastline) and urban glitz (Sydney).

The echo of Australian settlement rings through graceful sandstone edifices while historic pubs are sprinkled around the countryside. Large tracts of pristine bushland are protected in a series of state and national parks that virtually surround the capital city and make for wonderful exploration. The coastline delivers miles of white sandy beaches and pounding surf.

Sydney has a bounty of quality beaches on its doorstep, including the world-famous Bondi Beach and Manly. Sydney itself is the dynamic hub of the southern hemisphere, and one of the most stunning cities in the world, surrounded by World Heritage areas.

Geography

The landscape ranges from the subtropical, rainforest clad regions of the north to the Snowy Mountains in the south, which contain Australia's highest point, Mt Kosciuszko (2,228m/7,310ft), prominent alongside glacial lakes and stunning valleys.

The southern coastline of New South Wales is home to 30 national parks, an abundance of bays and coves and dazzling beaches, especially around Jervis Bay and the Sapphire Coast. Contrasting that is the rugged outback territory found at Mungo and Mutawintji National Park, where previous settlements and old mining towns unearthed the mineral rich deposits of the area.

There are over 1,300km (800 miles) of coastline and four UNESCO World Heritage sites including Lord Howe Island, the Greater Blue Mountains area, Willandra Lakes and the Gondwana Rainforests.