As your travel around New South Wales, you can utilise the helpful service and information provided by the local Visitor Information Centre. Visit www.visitnsw.com for a comprehensive guide to New South Wales Visitor Information Centres.
The population of NSW is 6,774,200
Sydney summers are long, with an average maximum temperature of 25°C. Winters are short and mild, with temperatures rarely falling below 10°C.
Sydney is a melting pot of cultures, predominantly Anglo-saxon, but, intermixed with a myriad of Asian cultures, middle Eastern and European.
Sydney is famous for its beaches, hosting 2000 Olympic Games & 2003 Rugby World Cup, food and wine, Sydney Harbour = Opera House and Bridge
Sydney boasts a strong transport system, including excellent roadways, trains, buses, ferries & taxis
Artists
Pro Hart, Brett Whiteley
Musicians
INXS, Kylie Minogue, The Vines, Jet, Powderfinger, Silverchair, Natalie Imbruglia
Actors
Toni Collette, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Naomi Watts, Heath Ledger, Julian McMahon
Writers
Thomas Keneally, Colleen McCullough, Di Morrissey
Chefs
Neil Perry- Rockpool, Tetsuya Wakada – Tetsuyas, Luke Mangan – Glass Brasserie
There are plenty of ways to enjoy gourmet food and a wine tasting adventure in NSW. Award-winning top-rated restaurants are liberally sprinkled across New South Wales from Leura to Orange, Byron to Mildura with committed chefs attracted by the abundant, quality, seasonal produce. You can stock up on delicious gourmet goodies at the farm gate, artisan bakeries, family-owned wineries and the regular farmers’ markets that are now a tourist feature of most major NSW towns.
Enjoy a regional cooking class or wine tasting course. Impress your friends with rare vintages, organic hand-made cheeses and fresh seafood from some of the cleanest waters in the world or a box of succulent organic figs, juicy peaches or crisp apples.
On your travels you’ll also discover that some foodie pleasures never fade. Lunch on the veranda of an old country pub, fish and chips on the beach, an afternoon cream tea in a quaint café or tasting fine wine made by a third generation wine-maker.
Hunter Valley - Australia’s oldest continuously-planted wine region, the Hunter Valley, is just two hours’ drive north of Sydney. The region is an acclaimed producer of the world’s finest Semillon as well as Australia’s best shiraz. More than 120 wineries and cellar doors are spread through the seven sub-regions of the Hunter Valley, many open for tastings every day, some with wine tours and cooking schools as well as major events.
The Hunter Valley also has a vibrant food culture to match its beautiful wines. Handmade, boutique cheeses, smokehouse goods, olives and olive oil, beef and poultry have inspired chefs here. You’ll enjoy their fine fare at sleek and contemporary restaurants overlooking vineyards or in relaxed, vine-covered cafes.
As well as great food and wine you’ll find plenty to keep you entertained in the Hunter Valley. There is a wide range of stylish accommodation, treks and tours, galleries and golf courses, beautiful spas and exclusive retreats.
The Murray - The blend of European food culture and a bounty of locally grown ingredients have combined to create truly regional cuisine in this region. Meander along the river and you’ll discover famous restaurants, food and wine matching opportunities and the world famous wines.
Pack your picnic basket full with fresh produce from the Hume Murray Farmers' Market or pick your own at a local strawberry or yabby farm, or the Farm Gate Trail around Cobram-Barooga.
The Murray Darling wine region produces one fifth of Australia’s total grape crush. Make sure you explore the award-winning wineries along the river from Rutherglen and its world class fortified wines to the sun-drenched vineyards of Mildura. Don’t miss an Italian-style family feast at Stefano's Restaurant in the cellar of Mildura's Grand Hotel, cooked by Slow Food movement apostle, Stefano de Pieri.
The region also has several major food and wine events throughout the year.
Orange - Central NSW is a great place to discover some of the best produce, wines and dining experiences in the State. Fertile soils and river valleys have produced some of Australia’s richest agricultural land – you can taste the bounty at regular farmers’ markets from Bathurst to Mudgee, Orange to Cowra.
In the Orange region there are around 50 wineries producing cool-climate varieties suited to the high altitude – sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. Enjoy wine tasting at local cellar doors or one of the welcoming bars in Orange where you can match food with wine.
The region’s serious food credentials are helped along by creative chefs who use the best of seasonal produce on their menus. Choose one of the acclaimed restaurants serving French-provincial cuisine, Italian-influenced or contemporary Australian fare. Or make holiday of it and head to Central NSW for one of its seasonal food and wine events.
Port MacQuarie - Some of NSW’s loveliest scenery surrounds the wine region of the Hastings River at Port Macquarie. It provides the perfect backdrop for a relaxed beach holiday with some of the best surfing beaches in NSW.
The temperate maritime climate has also proven successful in the growth of a number of grape varieties, including the French red variety of chambourcin. Other varieties are chardonnay, verdelho, semillon and merlot and you can sample them from one of the region’s fine cellar doors, in a pretty vineyard restaurants or riverside cafe.
Regional foods not to be missed are Hastings River oysters and local prawns, juicy and fresh from the ocean. Meet the growers of local produce at the monthly Wauchope markets – you’ll be amazed by the variety and quality from delicious Greek-style cheeses, yoghurts, organic tomatoes, creams, honey, olives to local macadamia nuts.
Strolling around New South Wales will reinvigorate your body and mind. There are mountain hikes that rise through wildflower meadows to glacier-carved lakes, rainforest rambles, coastal classics and city strolls:
Sydney Harbour Circle - this 26km walk takes you on a journey from the Harbour Bridge to Hunters Hill. You’ll walk along historic streets, across several bridges and through parks and gardens.
Federation Walk, Dover Heights to Vaucluse, Sydney - this two hour, 3km walk follows a spectacular strip of coastline overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Spot small reptiles such as geckos and skinks along the way or see dolphins and whales during the annual migration season.
Bondi to Bronte and Coogee, Sydney - start this 4.5km coastal walk at the south end of Bondi Beach and head south along the coast for ocean views, dramatic sandstone cliffs, beaches, inlets and coves where you can surf, dive, swim and sunbake. You may be lucky enough to glimpse dolphins, whales (in season) and other marine life.
Manly to Spit Bridge at Middle Harbour, Sydney - from Manly, pass through bushland, past secluded bays, harbour beaches, lookouts and rainforest on this 9km track. Go swimming or snap panoramas from the endless vantage points.
Headland Park, near Balmoral and Mosman, Sydney - several short walking tracks lead you to secluded beaches and through bushland, to harbour lookouts, cafes and an artist’s colony.
Glebe Foreshore Walk, Sydney - stretching from Bicentennial Park in Glebe to Sydney Fish Markets at Pyrmont, this short walk passes through parklands, past heritage sea walls and stone docks. It’s popular with pedestrians as well as cyclists.
Bouddi Coastal Walking Track, NSW - coastal walk that rambles through bushland to pristine beaches along the northern shore of Broken Bay. Around 8km of moderate walking winding through Bouddi National Park, the Bouddi Coastal Walk takes in several beautiful beaches, separated by forests, hills and cliffs, that are only accessible on foot.
White sands Walk, NSW - short but sensational stroll along pearl-white beaches, surrounded by Jervis Bay National Park. Jervis Bay is one of the coastal treasures of New South Wales, a chain of dazzling beaches strung around the vast bay boarded by parks and bushland. White Sands Walk starts at a boardwalk on Greenfields Beach, just south of Vincentia, crosses a creek and winds south along the bay. Interpretive signs along the track point out significant features of the bay.
NSW Golf Club - Surrounded by National Park, NSW Golf Club is located at Cape Banks on the northern headland of Botany Bay approximately 20 minutes from the Sydney CBD. The NSW Golf Course is rated in the top 50 golf courses in the world. In fact, it is the only Sydney course rated in the top 100 best golf courses listing. The character of the course is unique, a links style course set amongst the hills and valleys that hug the rugged Pacific Ocean coastline boasting magnificent ocean views as backdrop. Few layouts can offer such a diverse range of challenges over the course of a single round; even fewer can change so dramatically according to the vagaries of the weather.
The Vintage Golf Club features - an 18-hole Greg Norman designed golf course which has been ranked among the best in Australia. The 18-hole course measures 6,310 metres with a par of 71 and is the only Greg Norman designed public access golf course in the Hunter Valley and NSW.
Tuggerah Lakes Golf Club - located on the New South Wales Central Coast, and is situated at the eastern end of Shelly Beach Road, on the gentle undulating hills overlooking Shelly Beach, a leisurely 40 minute drive from Sydney's North Shore.
Riverside Oaks Golf Course - a stunning setting and course layout over 587 acres of unspoilt natural bushland, bordering the Hawkesbury River and wildlife reserve with a reputation for quality that attracts golfers and visitors across Australia and around the world. The 18-hole par 72 championship course is 6,311 metres long and is rated amongst the top resort courses in Australia. Immaculate presentation, expansive greens and world class facilities. The course layout is designed for golfers of all standards offering a challenging, rewarding game in a superb natural surround. Riverside Oaks has hosted many charity events and tournaments including The Australian TPC, The Australian PGA Championship, for three successive years and The NSW PGA Championships for two years.
