NSW Road Trips
This is something I get asked about a lot and it’s something I wanted to blog about because once some of these quarantine restrictions start to lift we can start to explore more of the amazing places around our home towns. This is especially important for NSW as so many small towns and businesses have been destroyed by the 2019-2020 bushfires. These are my top 5 road trip destinations.
Leura – Blue Mountains
If you aren’t feeling like a road trip as far away as Tilba, I would definitely recommend the small town of Leura in the Blue Mountains. Only two hours from Sydney the tree-lines streets, nineteenth century cottages and gorgeous gardens make it worth the trip. Take a step back in time and explore the old lolly shop, old toy stores, vintage clothes and home-made chocolates. After exploring the Leura township we went to the heritage listed Hydro Majestic to look at the heritage and history of this old hotel. If high-tea is your thing, they also do a great high-tea!
Beside the Hydro Majestic is an old boiler house which has been turned into a restaurant. This is an awesome place for lunch with traditional pizzas, pastas, seafood hot pot and Australian cuisine showcasing regional produce from the blue mountains. Finally one last stop before driving back home to Sydney, watch the sun set over the mountains from the look-out at Lincon’s rock.
Hunter Valley
Nothing beats a weekend of wine, cheese, chocolate and fresh air with the girls for a weekend road trip away.
Kirkton Park is a great place to stay. This luxury hotel is located on 70 acres of beautifully manicured gardens and overlooks the Brokeback ranges. The hotel offers amazing on-site restraints and bars. In the evenings, we enjoyed a range of cocktails and mules wile while we roasted marshmallows in the outdoor fire pits and enjoyed star gazing in the heat of Pokolbin close to the Hunter’s best wineries and cellar door experience. If you do get the chance to visit this country, classic hotel, make sure to venture down to the pig pens after breakfast to meet the farm’s pet pigs and gave them some of your breakfast scraps.
Austinmer Beach & Sea Cliff Bridge
Headlands Hotel at Austinmire Beach is only an hour from Sydney but it offers beautiful coastal walks, beautiful beaches, great restaurants, bars with local live music and cafes. During our stay we did a hike which overlooks the Sea-cliff bridge. The view is truly beautiful and showcases Australia’s unique coastal landscapes.
Central Tilba – Tilba Tilba
The lush countryside and striking Mount Gulaga provide an idyllic backdrop for the National Trust-classifies villages of Tilba Tilba. Spend some time browsing the small country town shops and galleries, sample some local produce and admire the surrounding gardens and mountains. Once you’ve visited the town of Tilba, also have a look at the near by town of Bermagui and visit the Blue Pools, if you’re there in summer it’s a great place for a swim!
NSW National Parks
For years now everyone has been hiking down to wedding cake rock or the figure 8 rock pools in the Royal National Park. These hikes are a definite must do if you haven’t already ventured to these places but one of my favorite places is still the Upper Gledhill Falls in Ku-Ring-Gai National park. Slightly off the beaten track this waterfall is a great swimming spot. Although the water is usually quite cold, it makes a refreshing dip amongst the surrounding ferns and native Australian bush.
