Top Towns for 2022: Explore Leura's magical cold-climate gardens

Leura’s collection of private gardens

Accessible by rail since the opening of its station in the late 1800s, the well-heeled residents of Sydney flocked to the budding hill station in the 1920s and ’30s to build generously proportioned weekenders surrounded by fanciful cold-climate gardens. This history has endowed Leura with one of its most delightful drawcards – its elaborate private gardens – and resulted in one of its most celebrated events, the Leura Gardens Festival, which takes place annually in October.

Leura wears its unique identity proudly. (Image: Destination NSW)

Leura Gardens Festival

Established in 1965, the festival started with just four gardens and the aim of raising much-needed funds for the Blue Mountains District Anzac Memorial Hospital; in the ensuing 57 years it has added a number of gardens to the program and raised millions in the process.

Explore the beauty of Leura’s gardens. (Image: Kristen Greaves/ Destination NSW)

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The Everglades

With varieties such as azaleas, rhododendrons, dogwoods and camellias thriving in the cool mountain air, spring presents as a riot of vibrant colour in Leura. One of the most famed local gardens on the festival program is the 5.2-hectare Everglades.

Amble through the Everglades garden. (Image: Destination NSW)

National Trust listed along with the graceful Art Deco-style house it surrounds, the layout was designed by Danish-born Paul Sorensen, quite the celebrity landscape gardener in the day, and boasts a reflection pool, grotto pool, paths winding down through the terraced gardens and exuberant plantings, with panoramic views over the Jamison Valley to Mt Solitary as a bonus.

A town in full bloom

And if you can’t make it to town for the official festival, walking the residential streets at any time of the year, up hill and down dale, is definitely the next best thing, taking in abundant blooms spilling over picket fences and neat flowering hedges framing chocolate-box mountain cottages.

See Leura in full bloom. (Image: Destination NSW)

Your Devonshire tea (book a table at the stunning Sorensen’s Glasshouse & Garden to try its freshly made scones) will taste that much better after all that fresh mountain air.

Bate Bay’s sweep of beaches has been crowned Australia’s best for 2026, placing Sutherland Shire in the spotlight as a top coastal destination just south of Sydney’s CBD.

The beaches fringing Bate Bay – Cronulla, North Cronulla, Wanda, Elouera and Greenhills – have topped Tourism Australia’s 2026 list of best Australian beaches (as curated by Beach Ambassador Brad Farmer). For locals, it’s less revelation, more recognition.

The mood shifts from the moment you step off the T4 train service from Central to Cronulla and catch a glimpse of the ocean. At dawn, the Esplanade is already buzzing with regulars, and by mid-morning, parents have staked out a toasty spot on Cronulla Beach where excited toddlers clamber over rocks, and the Jellybean swim squad at Oak Park have donned their bright pink caps while singing Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.

By the afternoon, towels are being collected from across the sand as visitors wander back to Cronulla in loose formation.

North Cronulla beach — Dive into the world’s best beaches.

That’s the thing about Bate Bay beaches. This isn’t a story about a single beach. This long, uninterrupted sweep of sand and sea, where you can walk for kilometres without breaking stride, is not just enjoyed over summer; it’s a year-round destination. Here, Cronulla’s buzz gives way to Wanda’s wild edges, before stretching out to the quieter reaches of Greenhills.

But while Bate Bay’s beaches may have taken top honours in the 2026 Best Australian Beaches list, they’re only part of the drawcard. Sutherland Shire stacks up as a full-spectrum coastal escape, where good food, national park adventures and on-the-water experiences sit within easy reach of the shoreline. Whether you’re planning a long weekend or stretching out a stay, here’s how to make the most of Cronulla beyond the sand, sea and surf.

Beyond the beaches

Dining

The Sutherland Shire dining scene delivers from early morning to late at night with a mix of vibrant cafes, bars and pubs. Start your day at Grind Espresso, where the coffee comes strong and fast. From there, drift towards HAM for pastries, best eaten buttery warm.

By midday, locals linger across sun-lit tables. Loaf and Next Door appeal to the surfers who come in for snacks after chasing waves. Blackwood’s Pantry and The Press are also popular for breakfast and lunch, while Pilgrim’s continues to hold a special place in the hearts of vegans.

Newer arrivals signal where Cronulla is heading: Homer Rogue Taverna is being hailed as one of the best restaurants in Cronulla, with the confidence that comes from understanding what locals want. Ask a local to reveal their favourite restaurant for a special occasion, and it’ll likely be Pino’s Vino e Cucina al Mare, Yalla Sawa or Alphabet Street. Summer Salt, Sealevel, Benny’s, Bobbys and Pippis are a few of the best waterfront restaurants in the Shire.

Finally, when most places are winding down, Duke’s Providore shifts gears to become Duke’s After Hours – a low-lit romantic spot perfect for a date night. Parc Pavilion, Northies Cronulla and bars The Blind Bear, Las Chicas and Low & Lofty’s are also part of Cronulla’s identity.

Visit Bundeena

Bundeena Ferry Wharf — Catch a ferry to Bundeena.

A short ferry ride from Cronulla, Bundeena offers a counterpoint to Cronulla’s mighty surf beaches. If Cronulla is the Shire’s social heart, Bundeena – or Bundenesia, as it’s affectionately known – is the place to go to exhale and unwind.

Hop on the ferry from Cronulla, and within 30 minutes, you’ll be inhaling the eucalyptus-scented air. Check the creative pulse of the local community by timing your visit with the Bundeena Maianbar Art Trail on the first Sunday of every month.

One of the best things to do in Bundeena is paddle into Cabbage Tree Basin with Bundeena Kayaks. Follow the five-kilometre Jibbon Beach Loop Track that leads past quiet coves to ancient Indigenous rock art, or simply find a stretch of pearl-white sand to relax on.

Pristine walking trails

Royal National Park Cape Baily Walking Track — Cool off with a coastal stroll.

Beyond the coastline, Sutherland Shire offers myriad ways to shift gears. Royal National Park – the oldest national park in Australia – sits just minutes from the surf. Clifftop walks trace the edge of the continent, the rugged bushland is threaded with creeks and hidden waterfalls, and a network of tracks rewards those willing to go a little further.

Take the Coast Track, where the land drops cleanly into the ocean over sheer cliffs that have been stacked together like giant Jenga. Or veer inland, where pockets of forest cool the air and filter the light. It’s a reminder of how close nature sits to the bustle of suburbs in the Sutherland Shire.

Enjoy whale watching

humpback whale sighting noosa experiences — Spot whales from May to October. (Credit: The Edit Suite)

Twist your binoculars until the ocean is in focus, stretched like a creased blue sheet all around. Come May, the East Coast becomes the humpback highway. Thousands of whales migrate along this stretch of coastline each year, their movements tracked by keen eyes from vantage points like the Cape Solander platform in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, one of the best places for whale watching in Australia. There’s something quietly thrilling about seeing that first telltale spout or the arc of a breaching body against the vastness of the sea. From June to October, whale-watching cruises depart from Cronulla, offering a closer look at the migration.

Awards come and go. But places like Cronulla endure because they belong as much to the visitors as they do the early-morning swimmers, walkers and surfers.

Plan your escape at visitsutherlandshire.com.au.

Top Towns for 2022: Explore Leura’s magical cold-climate gardens

The quaint Blue Mountains township of Leura is a riot of colour come spring, with the blooms, the fresh mountain air and the Devonshire teas presenting an irresistible allure. Here, we explore the town’s highlights to uncover why Leura landed at number 49 on your list of Top 50 Aussie Towns.

Leura’s collection of private gardens

Leura Gardens Festival

The Everglades

A town in full bloom

Explore more of the Blue Mountains in our travel guide or find out which other towns made it into your Top 50.

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This stretch of Sydney beaches topped the annual Best Australian Beaches list

Bate Bay’s sweep of beaches has been crowned Australia’s best for 2026, placing Sutherland Shire in the spotlight as a top coastal destination just south of Sydney’s CBD.