Street Art, NewtownCredit: Destination NSW
Street art on Phillip Street, off Enmore Road, Newtown.
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A network of villages, all within approximately 20 minutes’ drive of the city centre, Sydney’s Inner West is your go-to destination if you’re a lover of art and design. Immerse yourself in the buzzy atmosphere of former working-class areas reborn with distinctive personalities, such as Newtown, Marrickville, Glebe, Leichhardt and Balmain, as you rub shoulders with locals at live-music venues, theatres, art galleries, vintage fashion boutiques and quirky bookstores.
Browse the day away in boutiques and markets
Join the locals in observing an Inner West tradition by spending your Saturday morning browsing through neighbourhood markets, which are usually set up in the grounds of a school. Follow keen-eyed shoppers to Glebe Markets, on Glebe’s main road, to leisurely pick your way through stall after stall of recycled fashion, music and books, and Rozelle Collectors Market in Rozelle, next to Balmain, for more recycled fashion, jewellery, art and music, as well as antiques and collectibles. After browsing Rozelle Collectors Market, drive a couple of minutes to the Balmain end of Darling Street for stylish fashion boutiques and designer homewares stores.
Haunt an eclectic collection of second-hand fashion boutiques, ranging from charity shops like Vinnies and Red Cross to vintage clothing at U-Turn and one-off high-end pieces at SWOP, on Newtown’s King Street and Enmore’s Enmore Road. Support a worthy social program by snapping up colourful clothing at The Social Outfit, an ethical employer offering free training to refugees. Linger on King Street to pick up vintage LPs at Repressed Records, something new to read at second-hand specialist Elizabeth’s Bookshop, or the latest must-read novel at Better Read Than Dead.
Indulge your love of the written word in the treasure trove of fiction, academic and cookbooks that is Gleebooks in Glebe, one of the city’s most famous bookstores, which also hosts regular events with renowned authors. Then soak up the literary atmosphere over a vegan-friendly lunch at Sappho Books, a second-hand bookstore next door to Gleebooks.
Repressed Records, Newtown Credit: Destination NSW
Man browsing through records at Repressed Records store on King St, Newtown in Sydney's inner west.
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Repressed Records, Newtown Credit: Destination NSW
Man browsing through records at Repressed Records store on King St, Newtown in Sydney's inner west.
The Vanguard, Newtown Credit: Destination NSW
Patrons enjoying drinks and live music at The Vanguard, Newtown in Sydney's inner west.
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The Vanguard, Newtown Credit: Destination NSW
Patrons enjoying drinks and live music at The Vanguard, Newtown in Sydney's inner west.
Feel your senses come alive with great art and design
Immerse in the creative arts at galleries right across the Inner West. Be instantly engrossed in one of the world’s most significant collections of contemporary Chinese art at the White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale, before recharging and collecting your thoughts over handmade dumplings and fine Chinese and Taiwanese tea at the gallery’s Tea House.
From the White Rabbit Gallery, take a pleasant 20-minute walk through streets of Victorian terrace houses and a leafy park to Chau Chak Wing Museum, the University of Sydney’s museum of art, science, history and ancient cultures. Soak up a sense of serenity in the light-filled galleries as you immerse in the largest collection of antiquities in the southern hemisphere and commune with large-scale Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks and objects.
Connect with the art of the world’s oldest living culture at Aboriginal art specialist Kate Owen Gallery in Rozelle. Exult in the diversity of techniques and practices of Indigenous artists across current exhibitions of artworks, artists in residence and authentic museum-quality works from leading Indigenous artists, such as Clifford Possum and Emily Kngwarreye. Then take a 10-minute detour from Kate Owen Gallery to walk down King George Park to view a public artwork depicting traditional Aboriginal fish traps on the banks of the Parramatta River.
Get your fill of street art as you sample Newtown’s multicultural food offerings with a Newtown Chewtown – Food & Street Art with Local Sauce Tours. And keep an eye on the Annandale Galleries website for exhibitions of prominent Australian contemporary and Indigenous artists in a striking space in a former church in Annandale.
Shimmy your way to the front of the stage to see innovative musicians perform across the Inner West. Catch a gig at the longest-running live music venue in New South Wales, the 1908 Enmore Theatre. Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Coldplay and Oasis have all stepped on stage here. At the university end of King Street, see your new favourite acts at The Vanguard, an intimate stage with restaurant seating. Or head to nearby Marrickville for an eclectic mix of world music, jazz, blues and cabaret at Camelot Lounge.
Balance your culture fix with some sunshine in open spaces as you discover that a lot of the Inner West actually sits on Sydney Harbour. Follow the Glebe Foreshore Walk from Bicentennial Park to the Sydney Fish Market to enjoy great views of the Anzac Bridge and the working inner harbour (and plenty of dogs at play).
Take in million-dollar views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from Illoura Reserve in Balmain before cooling off with a dip in Sydney’s oldest pool, the Dawn Fraser Baths, just around the corner. You’ll be soaking in history — the tidal saltwater pool was built into the harbour in 1880 and is surrounded by Victorian-era wooden pavilions.
Recharge in luxury — or in Inner West style
Tap into the energy of both the Inner West and central Sydney by staying in Chippendale, on the edge of both parts of the city. Feel the sense of community and creativity imbued in The Old Clare Hotel, a quirky luxury boutique hotel created from a heritage-listed pub and the former Carlton United Brewery on Broadway, a busy thoroughfare heading west from the city. Recharge for another day of exploring the city in a chic room with quirky original features, a super-soft king-sized bed and huge windows, and refresh with a dip in the rooftop pool. A block further down Broadway from the Old Clare, check into a room at Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park to unwind in the sanctuary of a spacious living room and re-energise in a rain shower in a roomy bathroom.
In Newtown, settle in for a longer stay at The Urban Newtown, just steps away from the buzz of King Street, where your sleek, modern studio has a full kitchen and there are laundry facilities on-site. Get a taste for old-school pub accommodation at Sydney Park Hotel, at the southern end of King Street where Newtown morphs into St Peters, or nearby The Erko Hotel in the heart of Erskineville. Both offer simple traveller’s rooms with shared bathrooms.
And in Glebe, ease into a comfortable room and enjoy a touch of quirkiness at Haven Glebe, in a central location on Glebe Point Road.
The Old Clare Hotel, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a drink at The Old Clare Hotel, Chippendale.
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The Old Clare Hotel, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a drink at The Old Clare Hotel, Chippendale.
White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale.
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White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale.
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Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, CorowaCredit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa.
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Feast on the riches of one of Australia’s most important food bowls on a road trip through the Murray, named after the mighty river that flows through this southwest area of New South Wales. Float down the river on a historic paddlesteamer wine cruise, stop by farm gates to sample incredible fresh produce, and dine at chic restaurants and bars in this unique culinary playground.
Take the back roads for gourmet treats
Head off the beaten path along The Backroads Trail, a 250km driving route that passes through the small pastoral towns of Barham, Moama, Mathoura and Deniliquin on the upper reaches of the Murray River. Sink your teeth into fresh olives, avocados, free-range pork, honey and citrus fruit from farm gates along its loops and trails, and taste the region’s wines at vineyards such as Restdown Wines. While you’re at this winery, venture out along the Restdown Wetland Walk to encounter Aboriginal cooking hearths and an old sheep camp.
Cruise along to The Old School Winery & Meadery in Womboota to pick up wine, pottery and honey mead. Or seek out Ivy Joyce in Barham to indulge in a warm space, offering local produce from farms for a truly paddock to plate experience in the heart of Murray River country. For more snacks and meaty fare such as British-style pork pies and sausages, head to Pacdon Park’s factory shop in Moama.
You can work up an appetite as you build your own itinerary on the theme of food, paddocks and produce, and find suggested routes and maps to Murray River farm gates, at the Echuca Moama Visitor Centre.
Wine and dine along the river
Embark on a wine tour by water in Moama, where the first steamboats made their way up the Murray in 1853. Take a Murray River Paddlesteamers Wharf to Winery Cruise from the town to Morrisons Riverview Winery for a leisurely lunch. Or drive along the river, stopping in at Three Black Sheep for risotto and woodfired pizzas, and tasting crisp dry whites and full-flavoured reds at St Anne’s Vineyards, where you can nibble on a cheese platter overlooking a scenic lake.
Head east along the riverside roads to rest and recharge in the town of Tocumwal, known for its riverside beaches, golf courses, glider flying and iconic Big Murray Cod statue. Start the following day with a solid foundation of breakfast pizza (topped with bacon, eggs and a hash brown) at The Old Bank and indulge in a scoop of ice-cream or sorbet from Tocumwal Ice Creamery – flavours include rocky road, green apple or macadamia. If you’re in town on a Saturday, pick up honey, fruit, vegetables, olive oil, dressings and other condiments made by local producers at the Tocumwal Foreshore Markets.
Continue your odyssey along the river to Corowa, the birthplace of Australian Federation. Immerse in the town’s rich turn-of-the-20th-century colonial heritage as you make your way to the former 1920s flour mill housing Corowa Distilling Co. Here you can book a whisky tasting and behind-the-scenes tour and buy locally made chocolates and sweets from sister shop Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory. Work off an indulgent afternoon with a walk along the river before settling into the stylish Circa 1936 hotel, which is housed in an Art Deco former bank on the main street of Corowa.
Celebrate regional ingredients in Albury
From Corowa, follow the Riverina Highway eastward to the city of Albury, a food, wine and culture hub. Taste how seasonality and locality are expressed at The Proprietor, a former butcher shop turned cafe offering brunch treats such as fruit toast with Beechworth honey and whipped ricotta, and banana waffles with Gundowring vanilla ice-cream. Or try the all-day breakfast offering at Mr Benedict, from cheesy bacon waffle with popcorn chicken to one of its signature eggs benedicts, including one with cider-braised ham hock.
At The River Deck restaurant, local ingredients are celebrated alongside stunning river views, and dishes may include chicken Caesar salad with Milawa eggs or beef brisket braised in coffee by Albury roaster The Brothers Cup. At tiny and elegant Bistro Selle, complement warm Gooramadda olives with a buttery Australian chardonnay and fresh market fish. Yardbird offers a bold-flavoured menu featuring dishes like scorched Albacore tuna, along with meats grilled in a Spanish woodfired oven.
In between meals, stroll along the Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk and take in the contemporary artworks by Aboriginal artists that line the Wagirra Trail. Meander through the Murray Art Museum Albury’s contemporary photographic collection, Aboriginal art and works by renowned Australian artist Sir Russell Drysdale. Afterwards, order lunch or dinner at the museum’s excellent Canvas Eatery – try the saltbush lamb rump or one of their Neapolitan-style pizzas.
The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
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The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
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Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
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Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.
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Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.