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TravelTips24 : Oceania : Australasia : Australia : New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales [1] (NSW) is one of Australia's south-eastern states and with a population of 6.7 million, the country's most populous. As the core territory of the first British colony on the Australian continent (settled in 1788), NSW is home to the country's oldest and largest city, the state capital of Sydney. The state also encloses the Australian Capital Territory, the location of the Australian national capital of Canberra, in its south-east. NSW is bordered by three other Australian states: Victoria to the south, South Australia to the west, and Queensland to the north.

Regions

Cities

New South Wales boasts a number of large cities that are well worth the traveller's attention:

  • Sydney - the state capital and largest metropolitan area in Australia
  • Newcastle - located to the north of Sydney, NSW's second largest city and industrial capital of the Hunter Valley region
  • Wollongong - located to the south of Sydney and industrial capital of the Illawarra region

Other regional cities include:

Other destinations

Many of the prime wilderness areas in the state are administered by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) [2] - national parks and nature reserves in NSW currently number over 600 and cover over 7% of the state's surface area

Culture and History

No, there is not a New North Wales. The state is somewhat awkwardly named after Wales, a principality in the United Kingdom, but was given the added name South to reinforce the fact it was a different place.

History

The home of a large number of Aboriginal tribes for thousands of years, New South Wales was only settled by Europeans in 1788 - spreading outwards from Sydney. Inland settlement was at first impeded by the rugged Blue Mountains for a time and settlers did not cross the mountains until 1813. The first inland town of Bathurst was founded in 1815.

Geography

New South Wales is the most populous state in Australia. Most of that population is concentrated in Sydney, which has 4.2 million of the state's 6.7 million inhabitants. The next largest cities are (in order) Newcastle and Wollongong - after that the larger towns are merely moderately-sized country towns of 40,000-50,000 people. Hence, many of the cultural sights are concentrated in Sydney and nearby. That isn't true of historical or natural sights though. Many of the state's most beautiful natural sights, obviously enough, lie well outside the Sydney metropolitan area. Australian history and identity is to some extent tied up with rural settlement and lifestyle, and thus you will find many of the outlying regions of New South Wales base their tourism industry around pioneer and rural history.

People

In common with most Australians, the people of NSW have a tradition of great sporting rivalry with neighbouring states. This is expressed each year, for example, in the State of Origin Series of Rugby League matches between NSW and Queensland (NB: Rugby League, somewhat distantly followed by Rugby Union, is the winter ball sport of choice in NSW, as opposed to most of the rest of Australia - apart from Queensland - which follows Australian Rules football).

Travel to New South Wales & Visa Requirements

By air

Most air travellers arrive in Sydney, which has Australia's largest international and domestic airport. Interstate flights from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne also operate from Newcastle airport.

Some out-of-state travellers visiting the south of New South Wales may choose to fly through Canberra Airport in the Australian Capital Territory. Similarly visitors to the north could consider the Gold Coast airport, which is only minutes from the New South Wales northern border, and has many domestic and some international flights.

By land

Travellers arriving overland will usually pass through the (near) border towns of Broken Hill from South Australia, Albury-Wodonga or Eden from Victoria and Tweed Heads from Queensland.

By sea

For detailed information about sailing into NSW coastal ports:

Tours & Getting around New South Wales

60% of the state's population lives in Sydney and much of the inter-city transport infrastructure is dedicated to taking travellers to and from Sydney.

Transport connections between other New South Wales towns are often much less convenient. There is usually a reasonably direct road route between any two New South Wales towns, but public transport links are likely to be abysmal or non-existent, unless the two towns are on the same route to Sydney. As in the rest of Australia, there is very much a culture of making your own way by car.

It is however, reasonably common for some travellers to make their way up or down the cost from Sydney by bus. Buses traverse these coastal routes several times a day, and it is quite possible to stop off at a few of the coastal towns of your choosing.

Expect intra-city public transport to be terrible outside Sydney: other New South Wales cities have small or non-existent commuter infrastructure aside from roads, and the public transport there is largely designed for school children. Travellers who wish to tour the outback regions of NSW would be well-advised to consider hiring a car or travelling within the main transport routes in and out of Sydney.

Flights and airtickets to New South Wales

Even though most New South Wales cities are within a day's drive of each other, there are a number of airlines that connect cities in the state:

  • Qantas has flights between Sydney and cities in the North Coast, New England, Riverina, Central West and Far West regions.
  • Regional Express has flights between Sydney and cities in the North Coast, New England, Riverina, Central West, Far West and South Coast regions.

By car

Close to Sydney, there are dual carriageways and motorways linking Sydney with the cities to the North, South and West. The Hume Highway heading towards Albury and Melbourne is mostly dual carriageway for its entire length. The Pacific Highway towards Coffs Harbour changes rapidly between new sections of high quality freeway, and older sections of winding, two lane road. Most roads to major centres are reasonable quality, with a single lane in each direction. It isn't uncommon when accessing smaller towns, or national parks to end up gravel and dirt roads. You usually don't need a 4 wheel drive to use them, just be sure to drive to conditions. See Driving in Australia for more information.

The State speed limit is 100km/h outside of built-up areas unless otherwise signposted.

Some popular NSW roadtrips:

  • Drive down the south coast from Sydney to Batemans Bay and Eden. The road stays by the coastline for much of length, with numerous towns and villages to stop in. Divert at Batemans Bay for the pretty drive to Braidwood and Canberra.

By train

Countrylink [3] runs a network of trains to major destinations, and a network of connecting buses to offer a service to most New South Wales towns. It isn't exactly quick, or frequent, however some sort of service is generally offered to most towns once a day.

Countrylink trains are air-conditioned and equipped with comfortable seats. The overnight interstate trains have limited sleeping room available. Food, including hot lunches and dinners, is available from a buffet car onboard. It is essential to book Countrylink tickets in advance.

Sydney's Cityrail [4] (tel 13 15 00) commuter train system also runs inter-city trains to areas within three hours of Sydney. Tickets on Cityrail trains are much cheaper than Countrylink tickets, but you will not get an assigned seat. Countrylink does not serve many of the stations within the inter-city Cityrail network. The network covers the following areas:

  • Sydney to Newcastle via the Central Coast
  • Newcastle to Scone and Dungog via Maitland and the Hunter Valley
  • Sydney to Lithgow via the Blue Mountains
  • Sydney to Goulburn via the Southern Highlands
  • Sydney to Nowra via the Illawarra and South Coast.

See the Sydney article for more information on Cityrail and Cityrail ticketing.

Buses to New South Wales

The bus routes in New South Wales are more extensive than the train routes but share the same fundamental design: they take travellers to and from Sydney, or to the region's major hub. Many towns have a bus service especially to meet the trains to and from Sydney in a nearby town.

New South Wales attractions and sightseeing

  • Sydney Harbour is one of the state's favourite postcard scenes. See it from the side of a ferry or from one of the islands in the centre.
  • See animals at
    • Western Plains Zoo, an open-range zoo in Dubbo. See Australian and exotic animals roaming in large paddocks rather than pacing in small cages.
    • Taronga Zoo, across the Harbour from Sydney.
    • Featherdale Wildlife Park, in Western Sydney. Smaller than Taronga, but flat and emphasising Australian fauna. Visit www.featherdale.com.au/
    • Australian Reptile Park [5], about an hour north of Sydney, with much more than reptiles. (Hint: Go early, move slowly, stay quiet and you can pet the roos.)
  • Go on a dolphin cruise in Jervis Bay

New South Wales city tours

  • Surf your way up the coast from Sydney to the North Coast.
  • Go on one of the bushwalks from Katoomba into the Jamison Valley.
  • Hire a houseboat in any one of many bays, lakes and rivers.
  • Ski in the Snowy Mountains in winter.
  • Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge and see the sun set over Sydney.
  • Go to the Royal Easter Show in Sydney.
  • Byron Bay's annual Blues and Roots festival is the state's largest roots music festival.
  • Tamworth is Australia's country music capital and holds a country music festival in January each year.
  • Camp in one of the many National Parks. (See www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au)

New South Wales Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

The city of Sydney, unsurprisingly, represents the main food lovers' haven in New South Wales. It's the best place in the state to seek out both gourmet food and international cuisine. Particular highlights are Sydney's growing wave of Thai and fusion restaurants, and those top end restaurants whose chefs were often trained in some of the best international kitchens. Sydney's cosmopolitan population guarantees that just about every major cuisine on the planet is authentically and easily available - and generally at a great price.

Most coastal regions, including the North Coast, Central Coast, Sydney and the South Coast are a good place for seafood lovers to eat. Inland the prices will be high, the variety limited, and obviously the catch will be a little less fresh.

Parts of the Central West are specialising in meals made from local produce. Several of these restaurants feature regularly in the Sydney restaurant reviews, and they are beginning to have prices to match.

Vegetarians should be able to find a meal or two to suit them in almost every restaurant in the state, but are best catered for in Sydney and after that, on the somewhat "alternative" far North Coast.

New South Wales nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs

Pubs, Clubs and Bars

  • Sydney has much busier nightlife than the rest of the state and is the best place to find everything from international touring acts to backpacker bars and big beats.
  • Just about every country town in New South Wales will have at least one pub to choose from, from historical to the modern and upmarket. There is usually also a club, be in a bowling club, services club, etc. Visitors are welcome at pubc and clubs, and clubs usually have a sign out the front saying so. Meals and drinks are usually cheaper in the club, and depending on the town it can be slightly less rough and ready.

Wine

Wines are grown in many parts of New South Wales.

  • The Hunter Valley is the state's major wine-growing region, and has a wine tourism industry to match. There are many winery tours from genteel wine-and-cheese tasting trips to minibuses full of partying backpackers and girls out on hens nights. Its a couple of hours drive north of Sydney, and is just a little to far for a comfortable day trip, although it can be done.

Although tasting at the cellar door has a certain appeal, the wines themselves will certainly be cheaper at the bottle shop down the road.

Beer

Tooheys New (lion Nathan) and Victoria Bitter (Carlton United) are the two big brands that will be on tap in most pubs around the state. Tooheys being the traiditonal New South Wales brand. Beer is served in schooners (smaller than a pint), or middies (about half a pint), so it is entirely reasonable to walk into most pubs and ask for 'schooner of new', and one will appear on bar. Beer glass sizes have different names and sizes in other states. On a hot day in a hot pub in the country, you will find more people drinking middles, as they stay colder.

New South Wales cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels & lodging

These are many hotels in New South Wales. Consult the sleep entries for the particular city you wish to visit. Some of the chains covering many centres across New South Wales are:

  • Best Western Motels [7]
  • Choice Hotels [8]

Stay safe

Cope

Smoking is banned indoor in all public buildings, transport, and restaurants and bars.

Get out

Use the Hume Highway to exit New South Wales to Victoria, or the New England Highway and Pacific Highways to travel to Queensland. Thunderbolts Way through Gloucester is a very scenic and shorter alternative route to take to Queensland.

This page was last edited at 05:52, on 12 November 2008 by Wikitravel user Cgoodwin. Based on work by Ian Sergeant, Valtteri Päivinen and Tom Holland, Wikitravel user(s) JRG, Morph and Eunice, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.

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