Sydney is a must-see on many travellers’ Australian itineraries, but their adventures need not stop at the city limits.
New South Wales is a diverse region, so suggest clients venture out to enjoy some of the state’s other attractions.
Blue Mountains
Just to the west of Sydney, the Blue Mountains are a region of stunning natural beauty, with a million hectares of World Heritage-listed rolling hills, dramatic cliffs and deep canyons.
Bushwalking is popular, but remind clients of the British backpacker who went missing last summer and suggest you book them on to a tour or into a hotel that offers guided bush walks.
At Katoomba they can see the famous Three Sisters rocks or take a scenic skyride on a glass-bottomed carriage suspended 270m above the valley. They can also take a tour through the huge Jenolan limestone caves or ride the steam train on the historic Zig-Zag railway out of former mining town Lithgow.
Clients should also set aside time to relax, taking advantage of the heritage guesthouses and luxury spa resorts, such as the recently opened uber-luxury Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa.
The main resorts of Katoomba and Leura are only 90 minutes from Sydney by car. City Rail runs an air-conditioned service out of Sydney’s Central Station up into the Blue Mountains, stopping all the way to Lithgow.
- Travel 2 offers a three-day Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort itinerary in the Blue Mountains including two nights’ accommodation, three days’ car hire and sightseeing activities, from £1,245. travel2.com, 0800 022 4182
Hunter valley
Just two hours’ drive north of Sydney lies the Hunter Valley and its more than 120 wineries, where visitors can sample a crisp semillon or a ripe shiraz at the cellar doors.
The wineries can be toured in an organised group, by bicycle or by horse-drawn cart to avoid any drink-driving concerns. Alternatively, suggest your clients see the area from the air, by Tiger Moth airplane, helicopter or hot-air balloon.
Gourmet cooking lessons and food- and wine-matching courses are available, and historic towns such as Morpeth, Wollombi and Broke are full of antique shops and speciality delis.
- Anzcro offers a Hunter Valley Wine and Wilderness one-day tour with food and wine-matching lunch out of Sydney from £132. anzcro.co.uk, 01872 266899
Port Stephens
The dolphin capital of Australia is two-and-a-half-hours’ drive north of Sydney, and as well as cruising or kayaking with dolphins, clients can go whale-watching between May and November.
Many watery pursuits are available, including parasailing, jet skiing, surfing and snorkelling, and there are sea caves, sponge gardens and shipwrecks to explore at Fly Point Marine Park. On land, clients can quad-bike or sand-board at Stockton dunes, horse-ride in the bush and visit a koala colony at Tilligerry Peninsula.
- Qantas Holidays offers a three-day Wineries and Dolphins self-drive tour out of Sydney. The route takes in the Hunter Valley and Port Stephens, staying in Peppers properties in both areas, and costs from £256 in March including accommodation and car hire. qantasholidays.co.uk/agents
Lord Howe Island
After Sydney’s bustle, nothing could be in sharper contrast than the peace and quiet of Lord Howe Island, a two-hour flight over the Tasman Sea from Sydney.
With only 400 visitors permitted at one time, no mobile phone reception and bicycles the best way to get around, this is the perfect place to slow down the pace of the holiday. The island is fringed by the world’s southernmost reef, so there are bright corals, vivid fish and green turtles to scuba dive among, and when the tide goes out parts of the reef can be explored with snorkels off the beach. Active types can take the eight-hour hike up Mount Gower.
One luxury option is the new Capella Lodge, where clients can relax in comfort among stunning contemporary design.
- Kuoni offers five nights’ half-board at Capella Lodge, plus five nights’ room-only in Sydney at the Shangri-La, from £3,841 including Qantas flights from Heathrow. kuoni.co.uk, 01306 747008
Snowy Mountains
Crowned by the 2,228-metre Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest peak, the Snowy Mountains area is home to the country’s highest ski slopes.
In summer, it’s great for hiking, biking, caving, rafting, kayaking, horse riding and trout fishing.
Outback
Often referred to as the accessible outback, New South Wales’ wilderness areas are still far from Sydney in British terms.
By road, it’s about 14 hours to mining town and artists’ favourite Broken Hill and 11 hours to Wentworth, where the Darling and Murray rivers meet.
CountryLink runs a train service out through the northern expanses to Broken Ridge which takes 13-and-a-half hours and costs from £54. However, clients can take scenic routes through the Hunter Valley or the Blue Mountains, and the sights awaiting them are worth the journey.
Reached from Wentworth or Balranyld, the Mungo National Park is home to the oldest known burial site in the world – the remains of Mungo Man and Mungo Woman date back 40,000 years – and the stunning “Walls of China” rock formation. Aboriginal-run Harry Nanya Tours runs award-winning guided trips into the park.
In Whitecliff, old opal mines have been turned into underground homes, B&Bs, museums and art galleries.
Byron Bay
At New South Wales’ northern tip, Byron Bay is famed for its white beaches and surf spots.
This area – nine hours’ drive or an hour’s flight from Sydney with airlines Jetstar, Rex and Virgin Blue – is hardly a lesser-known part of New South Wales, but it is changing.
It is often viewed as a backpacker destination, but there are now beautiful luxury properties and spa retreats catering to top-end clientele. Suggest Byron at the Byron Resort and Spa, which lies within 45 acres of New South Wales’ rainforest.
At Byron Bay, visitors can walk up to Cape Byron Lighthouse, a picturesque white speck on the headland at Australia’s easternmost point.
- Elegant Resorts offers two nights at The Byron Resort and Spa from £225 per person staying in a one-bedroom superior suite. elegantresorts.co.uk, 01244 897551
