Hermitage Foreshore Track, VaucluseCredit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying scenic harbour views along the Hermitage Foreshore Track, Vaucluse.
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These four uplifting New South Wales walking destinations will nourish you on the inside and out. Get your walking shoes on to tread a new path.
Sydney
If you’re partial to a scenic coastal walk, you’re spoiled for choice in Sydney. Among the best-known walk is the Bondi to Coogee Walk, which traces the coastline of Sydney’s eastern beaches for 6km, passing beaches, parks, cliffs, bays, ocean pools and even a cliffside cemetery (allow 2.5 hours each way). North of Sydney Harbour, the 10km Manly Scenic Walkway (also known as the Manly to Spit Bridge Walk; allow three to four hours each way) is another popular hike which weaves past gorgeous beaches and through coastal bushland; don’t miss the Aboriginal rock engravings near Grotto Point. For a short walk with superb harbour views, the 1.8km Hermitage Foreshore Track from Nielsen Park in Vaucluse to Bayview Hill Road in Rose Bay (allow 30 minutes each way) also takes in some of Sydney’s most exclusive real estate.
Lord Howe Island
Less than two hours’ flight from Sydney, Lord Howe Island’s famous twin peaks and natural forest provide a spectacular setting for walking. Challenge yourself on a one-day guided climb of Mount Gower (875m), which must be undertaken with a licenced guide (try Lord Howe Island Tours), or take a more leisurely walk under lush forest canopies in the Valley of the Shadows (1.2km return). Other popular walks include Muttonbird Track — the only place on the island to see ground-nesting masked boobies — and the scenic Max Nicholls Track to secluded North Bay (1.5km each way).
Spit to Manly Walk, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a walk along Forty Baskets Beach, Balgowlah.
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Spit to Manly Walk, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a walk along Forty Baskets Beach, Balgowlah.
Mount Gower, Lord Howe Island Credit: Destination NSW
Small group enjoying a scenic hike up Mount Gower, Lord Howe Island.
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Mount Gower, Lord Howe Island Credit: Destination NSW
Small group enjoying a scenic hike up Mount Gower, Lord Howe Island.
Blue Mountains
Just 90 minutes west of Sydney, the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains has many bushwalks ranging from easy strolls to longer walks, such as the Grand Canyon Track, a 6.3km loop that starts at Evans Lookout near Blackheath and passes a series of lush waterfalls (allow three to four hours). In nearby Katoomba, the 0.8km-return Three Sisters Walk offers some of the most iconic views of the Blue Mountains National Park. Another accessible walk is the Kanangra-Boyd Lookout in Jenolan, 79km southwest of Katoomba. Just a 10-minute stroll down a wheelchair-accessible track, the lookout boasts superb views towards Mount Cloudmaker, which is often ringed in mist.
Byron Bay
Completing the 3.7km Cape Byron Walking Track (allow at least an hour to complete the loop) is a quintessential experience in the North Coast beach town of Byron Bay. But there are plenty of other walking trails close by. Just 10km (or a 15-minute drive) south of Byron, the 1.6km-return Three Sisters Walking Track (starting from Broken Head carpark) is one of the region’s best-kept secrets. Taking you through lush coastal rainforest and opening out onto a grassy headland overlooking Kings Beach, the walk offers great views of the rock formation it’s named after, with interpretative signage revealing its fascinating significance to the Arakwal Bundjalung people, the area’s Traditional Aboriginal Owners. To learn more, sign up for an Aboriginal-led tour with Explore Byron Bay.
Honeymoon Bridge, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Honeymoon Bridge on the Three Sisters Walk, Blue Mountains.
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Honeymoon Bridge, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Honeymoon Bridge on the Three Sisters Walk, Blue Mountains.
Cape Byron Walking Track, Byron Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Cape Byron Walking Track, Byron Bay.
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Cape Byron Walking Track, Byron Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Cape Byron Walking Track, Byron Bay.
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Look At Me Now Headland, Emerald BeachCredit: Destination NSW
See wildlife in a whole new way in New South Wales.
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NSW’s animals are as welcoming as its locals. From kangaroos to snoozing koalas — and everything furry or finned in between — Australia’s wild animals are as unforgettable as the land they call home. Here’s where to find these incredible creatures in their natural habitat across New South Wales.
See kangaroos by the sea
Thrill to the sight of kangaroos, one of Australia’s most iconic native animals, in the wild all across Country NSW. Keep an eye out for eastern grey kangaroos at beautiful Diamond Head Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park on the Barrington Coast, a 3.5-hour drive north of Sydney. Let the unforgettable sight of a mob of ’roos backdropped by the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean put a spring in your step as you stroll along the 1.6km loop trail at the Look At Me Now Headland in the Moonee Beach Nature Reserve, at Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast. And refresh with a dip in the ocean as curious eastern greys look on from grassy clearings at Depot Beach and Pebbly Beach in Murramarang National Park, a four-hour drive from Sydney on the spectacular NSW South Coast.
Gaze up at koalas
Discover the eucalypt forests around eastern NSW and you may well spot a koala snoozing among the gum-trees. Marvel at these tree-dwelling marsupials from viewing platforms in the stunning bushland at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, less than an hour’s drive from Newcastle, or three hours north of Sydney. Then settle into your four-star glamping tent, studio room or deluxe suite at the sanctuary for a night among these iconic creatures. Head to Guula Ngurra National Park, an easy two-hour drive south of Sydney in the Southern Highlands, to hike through some of the 3,358 hectares of protected koala habitat in the recently created park (Guula Ngurra means “Koala Country” in the local Gundungurra Aboriginal language). Or hone your spotting skills at Narrandera Koala Reserve, around an hour’s drive from the regional town of Griffith in the Riverina region in the state’s southwest, where more than 200 koalas live among river red gums.
Dive in with wild dolphins
Come fin to fin with wild dolphins with Dolphin Swim Australia in Port Stephens, just an hour’s drive north of Newcastle or three hours from Sydney. Feel a surge of adrenaline as a catamaran tows you through the ocean among these playful creatures. Prefer to stay dry? See Port Stephens’s resident pod of bottlenose dolphins, many of them so friendly that the locals know them by name, on an outing with Imagine Cruises. Or head south for close encounters with dolphins in sheltered Jervis Bay, on the NSW South Coast, with Dolphin Watch Cruises Jervis Bay and Jervis Bay Wild.
Shoal Bay, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Dolphins swimming in Shoal Bay, Port Stephens.
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Shoal Bay, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Dolphins swimming in Shoal Bay, Port Stephens.
Whale watching, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
A whale breaches out of the water off Sydney waters.
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Whale watching, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
A whale breaches out of the water off Sydney waters.
Let whales stir your spirit
Marvel at the majesty of humpback whales as they travel along the New South Wales coastline from May to November each year. Embrace the sublime as you witness some of the 40,000 humpback and southern right whales that make their way along on the ‘Humpback Highway’ from Antarctica to the warm waters of their breeding grounds in the north. Clamber aboard a boat for an unforgettable day of whale watching in Sydney, join a cruise from seaside towns or find the perfect vantage point on land to see these magnificent creatures leap from the water all along the NSW coastline.
Meet a Tasmanian devil
Get up close with free-roaming Tasmanian devils without leaving mainland Australia at Aussie Ark’s wildlife sanctuary in the rugged Barrington Tops, a five-hour drive northeast of Sydney. Feel yourself moved by the stories you’ll hear on Aussie Ark’s 2.5-hour guided Devils in the Wild tour — the team behind this conservation initiative is breeding a wild population of the endangered carnivores to ensure their survival. And be astonished as you see Tasmanian devils thriving in the wild and, if you visit in breeding season, dote on super-cute devil joeys exploring their surroundings.
Play with seals
Come alive with a sense of joy at Montague Island Nature Reserve, a revered wildlife destination that’s home to little penguins, a huge colony of Australian fur seals and 90 types of birds just 9km off the town of Narooma, in the South Coast’s Eurobodalla region. Be delighted by their playfulness as you discover why friendly fur seals are called the puppies of the sea on a seal snorkel with Narooma Charters. Or delight to the sight of penguins waddling back to their nests after a day of fishing on a sunset tour with Montague Island Discovery Tours.
Montague Island Highlight Selects Credit: Destination NSW
Be immersed in wildlife experiences off Montague Island.
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Montague Island Highlight Selects Credit: Destination NSW
Be immersed in wildlife experiences off Montague Island.
Be captivated by a platypus
Be rewarded for your patience when you spot a platypus in the wild: while platypus inhabit a number of regions in NSW, these shy little icons can be very tricky to find. Increase your chances by visiting Bombala, about an hour’s drive from Cooma in the Snowy Mountains — it’s known as ‘Platypus Country’ because a large number of these mysterious monotremes (egg-laying mammals) live there. Practise mindfulness at the Bombala Platypus Reserve, 4.5km outside of town, where a viewing platform over the river makes spotting them easier. Or try a guided Platypus Walk with Vision Walks Eco-Tours near Byron Bay, on the far North Coast.
Bliss out with turtles
Discover the underwater wonderlands of the North Coast at Cook Island, less than 1km offshore from Fingal Head, just south of Tweed Heads on the far North Coast of New South Wales, to encounter astonishing numbers of green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles. Deepen your respect for the incredible beauty of the underwater world on a memorable snorkelling tour with local operators such as Watersports Guru or Cooly Eco Adventures.
Take off to an island of seabirds
Look at the skies with awe as hundreds of thousands of seabirds wheel above you on Lord Howe Island, 700km northeast of Sydney in the Pacific Ocean. Fill your diary with sightings of the 130-odd permanent and migratory bird species found on the country’s premier bird-watching destination. Come in winter to see providence petrels circle in spectacular courtship rituals during their breeding season, while shearwaters return in awe-inspiring flocks at dusk each day from spring to late autumn (September to May).