NSW

Fresh country air, sprawling hillsides, bloody good wine and 14 of your closest friends. Here, unique country houses perfect for group getaways.  By Alissa Jenkins and Megan Arkinstall Trelawney Farm, Mudgee, NSW Where: Four kilometres outside the quaint township of Mudgee. What we like: Set on 25 acres, this 150-year-old farmhouse in the heart of the Mudgee wine trail is perfectly located for a weekend of relaxation (or perhaps raging…). Either way, you’re doing it in style – the exterior is the ideal of country homesteads, with a fresh white bricked façade, colonial architraves, and a wraparound porch for views...

Shoalhaven in NSW is one of  four up-and-coming foodie hotspots to tantalise your tastebuds... The Shoalhaven region has long been the summer holiday playground for nearby city dwellers, who have been coming to bask on the pristine beaches of Jervis Bay and beyond for generations. With its proximity to Sydney and Canberra (a-two-and-a-half-hour drive from both), balmy climate, lush valleys and 160 kilometres of some of the purest, whitest coastline in New South Wales, it’s surprising how long the Shoalhaven has been flying under the radar, until recently. Now there’s another reason that this little jewel of a region is...

 Zoe Naylor makes an unexpected discovery in outback NSW...  Here’s a question: where can you go for an impromptu road trip out of Sydney, that you’ve probably never heard of and can accomplish in a weekend? Welcome to Gulargambone! Located just 576 kilometres from Sydney (or 75 minutes north of Dubbo), this quaint country town is situated on the banks of the Castlereagh River, in Coonamble Shire. Gulargambone was first inhabited by the Indigenous Weilwan people and is an Aboriginal word meaning plenty galah birds. Since the advent of European settlement in the 1800s, their way of life has sadly...

The Old Grafton Road (aka the Old Glen Innes Road if you come from Grafton) wasn’t always a back road; before the Gwydir Highway opened in 1962 it was the only way to get from the mountains to the sea, and it took days – a week if you were travelling by horse. Today it will take about four hours, if you don’t stop for a riverside picnic along the way.  From the Glen Innes end the trip begins in rainforest atop the aptly named Big Hill and winds down to the valley floor in a steep series of switchback...

Boutique chocolatiers, gourmet coffee, cheese, wineries, local farmers’ markets... The road west of Sydney is filled with serendipity, writes Sally Hammond Load the car. Slam the doors. Let’s go! Driving west from Sydney, once you leave the tangle of suburbia, there is just one road. The Great Western Highway roughly follows the track made by three young men – next year, it will be 200 years ago – as they headed for the line of blue hills beckoning them on the horizon. Beyond was... what? Mighty rivers, an inland sea, lush grazing lands? Their hopes high, they planned to cross the...

Georgia Rickard unwinds at the Golden Door Health Retreat in the NSW Hunter Valley...maybe a little too much. Confession: I’ve been wanting to go to this retreat since forever. OK, that’s not quite true – The Golden Door, hidden in the hills of New South Wales’ Hunter Valley, only opened ten years ago. But since then, the swathe of local and international celebrities who’ve beaten a path to its fabled doors has left me wanting. What is this mystical place? Are mere mortals allowed to go? And how do I justify the exorbitant cost? It’s late when I arrive – close...

 Ian Dodds explores the history of Manly ferries and the diamond in the rough - MV Baragoola. Images by Zoe Morley Today the Manly Ferry is still a Sydney icon, but for the first half of the 20th Century, the 40-minute ride was one of Australia’s most famous tourist attractions. For many of those years the ferry was operated by a private company, The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company, and it played a vital role in developing Manly as Sydney’s playground. Near the wharves they built public baths and invented a slogan still used today – “seven miles from...

Where is it? 180km west of Sydney, near Jenolan Caves How to see it for yourself? From Sydney, take the Great Western Highway to Jenolan Caves Road, on to Kanangra Walls Road.  Although it’s unsealed, 2WDs can still get through. Why I love it “Kanangra Walls overlook the wildest scenery in the Blue Mountains. From here there is a threeday bushwalk to Katoomba via Coxs River and Narrow Neck Plateau, or a five-day walk to Mittagong.” –  Julian Ledger, photographer Image by Julian Ledger...

Tor Cottage is just off the New England Highway between Tenterfield and Deepwater, NSW. Huge granite boulders are scattered across the landscape at Anketell Forest, a 2000-acre scenic hideaway that was once part of a larger sheep station in the New England Tablelands. The above vista of native bush and natural grassland can be surveyed at leisure from a sun lounge on the deck of Tor Cottage, a romantic studio-style retreat constructed from timber and clad in corrugated iron (see dining area, left). It’s one of two accommodation options available for holiday rental – the other being a renovated shearing...

Each issue Australian Traveller captures a stunning Aussie location. This time, we look at Ocean Farm on NSW's South Coast. The term “infinity pool” doesn’t really do this justice: it’s more like an art installation that you can actually swim in.   Even art lovers will be tempted to vandalise that glassy surface and dive in. True, it might be a tad chilly at this time of year and at this latitude. You’ll find Ocean Farm, the location in question, between Kiama and Gerringong on the south coast of New South Wales. Two hours south of Sydney, it’s an attractive option for city...

A short hop to Kangaroo Valley turns into a white-knuckle ride for Zoe Naylor, but once there she harnesses nature instead of fighting it. In a period when the carbon tax is on everyone’s lips in Australia and the state of the environment is a growing concern, my boyfriend Aaron and I decide to taste a more eco-friendly way of living. It’s an excellent excuse for a romantic weekend away. We choose picturesque Kangaroo Valley in the NSW Southern Highlands as our destination and, through a local bookings agent, track down a little wood cabin nestled in the hills. Restdown...

We countdown the ultimate Australian destinations where you can really unwind and indulge - #4 Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, Wolgan Valley, NSW  04 Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, Wolgan Valley, NSW TOP CAPACITY: A maximum of 90 guests can stay here at any time, in 40 stand-alone suites. WHAT TO EXPECT A luxurious, countrified resort in a valley that remains hidden until you are in it. Textured sandstone cliffs around the valley are a showstopper, with the lightshow provided by the sun, clouds and sometimes, misty showers. Just sit on your verandah, in your pool, on your horse or by...

Brian Johnston celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Dish with a trip to Parkes...and beyond! Out in a New South Wales sheep paddock, tens of millions of dollars of scientific equipment is sitting idle because the wind is blowing. The famous Dish might be turned to the heavens like a giant ear, but whatever signals are coming from outer space are drifting onto my upturned face and being lost forever. “Take a look at it!” says CSIRO operations scientist John Sarkissian, gesturing towards the huge metal parabola sitting delicately atop a concrete tower. “It’s basically a glorified beach umbrella and,...