Places to Visit in New South Wales

10 BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN NEW SOUTH WALES

New South Wales, Australia has some unique and beautiful places to visit. When flying internationally into Australia, most visitors fly to Sydney. Sydney and the surrounding area is the easiest place in Australia to travel around and explore. After a few days of visiting Sydney, our suggestion is to rent a car and take a road trip. Attractions are super accessible. Within a couple of hours, you can hike in the mountains or explore desolate beaches. We found the coastline stunning, from insane rock formations to picture-perfect white sand beaches. So for all those of you who are thinking of bolting up to Queensland or elsewhere, here are our top places to visit in New South Wales and suggested itineraries.

Best Time to Visit Sydney & NSW

The best time to go to New South Wales is during the summer (Nov – Apr) when it is perfect beach weather. Average temperatures during the summer range between 23 °C and 26 °C. If swimming is not in your plans and you don’t mind cooler temperatures, the winter months have way fewer crowds. Temperatures get around 17 °C between June and August with lows possible around 10 °C.

Getting Around New South Wales

The easiest way to get around New South Wales is by renting or buying a campervan, depending on your length of stay. Below are several companies to book with and typical costs to get around NSW.

Car Rental

APEX Car Rentals has compact car rentals starting from $25/day. For one-way trips (i.e. Sydney to Brisbane), they require a two-week rental. They are the lowest priced rentals we could find. Jucy has affordable campervans for rent, with their budget campervans costing $80 – $100 per day. This is good for 2 people to sleep, with cooking equipment, chairs, and plenty of accessories.

Bus

Several bus companies offer direct routes or stop at cities located nearby major sights. Greyhound has some pricey rates. For example, a ticket from Sydney to Byron Bay is $90. (if booked in advance flights are much cheaper) If you intend to travel throughout parts of Australia by bus, they also have an Oz Experience package which covers different routes and itineraries. This is a young backpacker sort of experience which is alright if it’s your cup of tea.

Train

Trains are a great way to get around Sydney, with local tickets costing between $3 – $7 depending on the destination. There is a train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains for $8.50 each way, and there are also long-haul regional trains from Sydney to Byron Bay for $85 each way.

Plane

If booked in advance there are some great deals to be had on domestic travel in Australia. Tickets are as cheap as $40 AUS for a flight from Sydney to Brisbane. Good airlines to check are Jetstar, Tigerair, and Virgin Australia.

10 Best Places to Visit in New South Wales

Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge

It’s no wonder Sydney attracts over 13 million tourists annually (domestic and international). Within the city limits are several iconic landmarks, such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The botanical gardens and the Rocks neighborhood are nice places to stroll around and explore. If you only have a half day or even several days in Sydney, these two should be your first stop.

Sydney Beaches

Sydney has some exceptional beaches, several are in close proximity to the CBD. Manly, a short ferry ride from CBD (Circular Quay), is an upscale beach town has some good surf and trendy shops and restaurants. North coast Sydney has some of my favorite rock pools, such as North Curl Curl and Mona Vale. The more popular south coast beaches are centered around the iconic Bondi Beach. Filled with surfers and backpackers in the summer, this beach is lined up with hostels and pubs. Coogee Beach was one of my favorite, a blend of Bondi and Manly, but not as crowded. The coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee is a short walk between the two beaches with nice coastal views.

Catching surf at Bondi Beach
Sydney is known for all of their rock pools, including this one at North Curl Curl Beach

Jervis Bay

Jervis Bay, located three hours south of Sydney (200 km), has some of the whitest sand in the world. Yup, whiter than the Whitsunday Islands, the Maldives, the Caribbean, or any other exotic place you can think of. Hyams Beach is outstanding. There is a nice coastal walk between four different beaches that is a good way to explore the area. Aside from the White Sands Walk, popular destinations are Steamers Beach, Honeymoon Bay, and the Point Perpendicular lighthouse. Just south of Hyams Beach is Booderee National Park. Park highlights include Murrays Beach, Cape St George Lighthouse, Steamers Beach, and Caves Beach.

Bombo Quarry and Cathedral Rock, Kiama

One of the places that most surprised us was the Kiama area. For photographers, it is a must to stop here. We spent four days in the area trying to capture as many sunrises and sunsets as possible. This is a little long for the average tourist, but there are several incredible landscapes in the area to explore. The Bombo Quarry and Headlands just north of town are one of the most bizarre landscapes in Australia. Come during high tide when the waves are crashing against the massive rock formations. Views from the top of the headlands are worth the track past the giant sewage treatment plant; trust me, the views get better! Cathedral Rock is a remarkable rock formation at the south end of the beach in Kiama Downs. Access to the rocks is only available during low tide. If careful, you can reach the cave which is a perfect spot for photography. In addition to these two spots, it is worth a visit to the Kiama Lighthouse and blowhole.

Distance from Sydney: 2 hours south

Cathedral Rock from inside the cave

Figure 8 Pools, Royal National Park

Royal National Park is located just a short hour drive south of Sydney. For such close proximity to the city, I was stunned by the coastline and its beauty. It is a perfect place to watch whales migrating to Southern Australia, and there are several short hikes with nice coastal scenery. At the south end of the park from the Garrawarra Farm car park is a 3-4 hour (6 km) hike to the Figure 8 Pools. The hike is a descent from the car park down to Burning Palms Beach. The trail continues along the rocky coastline and ends by the tide pools. The walk can only be done at low tide, or it can be extremely dangerous. Rogue waves crash over the side of the tide pools that have been known to cause deaths.  The figure 8 pool cannot be seen if the tide is not low.

Distance from Sydney: One and half hours south

Figure 8 Pools, Royal National Park

Wedding Cake Rock, Royal National Park

The Wedding Cake Rock, or White Rock, is a famous rock/cliff that has now been fenced off due to erosion. It is expected to collapse from the cliff wall in the next 10-20 years. The stacked rocks are pure white and have layers like a wedding cake. On this easy 1-hour walk, there are spectacular coastal views and several areas that are excellent for whale watching during the migration season.

Distance from Sydney: One and half hours south

Wedding Cake Rocks, Royal National Park

Sea Cliff Bridge

Sea Cliff Bridge was built in 2005, it is one of seven off-shore coastal parallel bridged in the world. It is located thirty minutes south of Royal National Park. For the best views pull over on the southern end of the bridge. Otherwise, there is a large car park after the bridge in Coalcliff. At the most southern point of the bridge, there is a short but steep hike up over to a precarious viewpoint. There are no signs but its possible to see a small trail in the bush.

Distance from Sydney: 2 hours south

Sea Cliff Bridge, an hour and a half south of Sydney
Aerial view of the Sea Cliff Bridge

Old Helensburgh Train Station

The Old Helensburgh Station is an abandoned train station that is taken over by the lush foliage in the area. Just after rain, water runs down the entryway to the tunnel which is nice for long exposure photography. This is just a quick stop, but a cool one to add to the trip.

Distance from Sydney: One and half hours south

Abandoned Helensburgh Train Station

Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains, or the Blueys as the Aussies like to call it, was our favorite mountain range in Australia outside of Tasmania. There are incredible hiking opportunities for impressive viewpoints, waterfalls, gorges, as well as a few overnight hikes. The Three Sisters is probably the most famous and recognizable landmark in the Blue Mountains, and it is worth a visit, but we recommend going to places where the tour buses don’t go. For the best hikes, check out the Grand Canyon Track, the Ruined Castle, Wentworth Falls and the National Pass track. For the best lookouts, stop at Govetts Leap, Pulpit Rock, Evans Lookout, the Three Sisters lookout, and Echo Point. If you do not have a car, hitchhiking is quite easy to most major spots, otherwise, Blue Mountains Explorer Bus has a $50 3-day pass to nearly all major places in the Blueys.

Distance from Sydney: 2 hours west

Three Sisters, Blue Mountains

Cape Byron

Byron Bay is a tourist hotspot that is a perfect blend of Aussie hippy culture, great food, and really nice scenery. Cape Byron and the Byron Bay Lighthouse is a beautiful area with several small beaches and coves to explore. Tallows Beach is a massive beach where you can easily find solitude. Just south of Byron Bay are two very picturesque beaches, Shelly Beach and Boulder Beach, both near Lennox Head. The laid-back coastal vibe has delicious cuisine with a variety of price points, so be sure to check out some of the yummy eats in town. While it is a pretty chilled out vibe, there are also lots of places to grab a drink and party into the night. Some favorites include Byron Bay Brewery, La La Land, Cheeky Monkeys, or Woody’s Surf Shack.

Distance from Sydney: 9 hours north

The scenic Byron Bay Lighthouse

A colourful sunset at Boulder Beach in Lennox Head, New South Wales.

Other Suggested Places to Visit in New South Wales

Kosciuszko National Park – On the border of Victoria, the Snowy Mountains are the tallest peaks in mainland Australia with an abundance of hiking trails and skiing during the winter.

Kanangra-Boyd National Park – Little crowds and large valleys with similar scenery as the Blue Mountains.

Stockton Sand Dunes – A large coastal area 2 hours north of Sydney with sand dunes.

Port Macquarie – A sleepy coastal fishing village with scenic beaches and coastline.

Nambucca Heads – Another sleepy coastal fishing village with nice beaches.

Wollomombi Falls and Ebor Falls – Two impressive waterfalls 2 hours inland from Coffs Harbour.

Nimbin – One hour from Byron Bay in the rolling hills is the bizarre hippy town of Nimbin. It also is known for its cannabis counterculture.

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