Travel Australia

The purpose of this series of Guides is to introduce you the reader or new traveler as to what is available in the different parts of Australia and New Zealand and what types of Activities you might like to know about and where they are available.

The Guide is not intended to be the authority on traveling and visitor information for the whole of Australia. We recommend that you use the Tourist Information Centres around Australia for more specific aspects of the local regions.

Guide 3 – The South East

Port Macquarie

With the best climate in Australia, it's not surprising that Greater Port Macquarie is amongst Australia's longest established and most popular holiday destinations. Head south to the Camden Haven to rediscover the laid-back holidays you remember from your childhood, take your time exploring the rolling green hinterland and vast National Parks surrounding Wauchope and be spoilt for holiday choice in Port Macquarie. Whatever time of year you visit, you'll find that Greater Port Macquarie has just what you need.

Around Port Macquarie town are several historic buildings, including the Courthouse, Roto House, St Thomas Church and the Wesleyan Church. You can also visit the Maritime Museum which has some interesting displays.

The many beaches around Port Macquarie include Flynn's Beach, Lighthouse Beach, Nobby's Beach, Oxley Beach, Rocky Beach, Shelly Beach and Town Beach. Flynn's Beach, Lighthouse Beach and Town Beach all offer free parking and barbecues, and are patrolled during high season.

The major attraction in Port Macquarie are the vast range of water sports that it offers. You can hire boats and windsurfers to explore the area and see the beautiful landscape. Windsurfing is popular around Port Macquarie at Big Bay, Regatta Grounds, Pilot Beach and Trial Bay. You can hire Barbecue Pontoon Boats allowing you to explore the waters or do a days fishing.

The major attraction in Port Macquarie are the vast range of water sports that it offers. You can hire boats and windsurfers to explore the area and see the beautiful landscape. Windsurfing is popular around Port Macquarie at Big Bay, Regatta Grounds, Pilot Beach and Trial Bay. You can hire Barbecue Pontoon Boats allowing you to explore the waters or do a days fishing.

If you fancy surfing there are several good places around the town, although you can also head south to Bonny Hills, Dunbogan or North Haven. Alternatively, for a relaxing day and a great picnic spot head to Lake Cathie. Hang gliding is good at Harrys Lookout and North Brother Mountain, where you can take part or watch everyone else. You can take trips along the Hastings River, which is a pleasant way to spend some time or visit one of the golf courses around Port Macquarie.

Around Port Macquarie are a number of beautiful gardens with bushland and rainforest walks, as well as several wildlife and nature parks. In the town you will find the Kooloonbung Creek Nature Park which has some wonderful marked walking trails.

If you are interested in animals then you have to visit one of the wildlife parks and animal sanctuaries. These include the Billabong Koala & Aussie Wildlife Park.

There are also several museums and interesting buildings to visit around the town itself, and some beautiful parkland areas where you can relax. Port Macquarie also offers some fantastic walking trails through bushland and along the coast, which are definitely worth following.

The Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley stretches from the Goulburn River and Wollemi National Park to the South right upto Barrington Tops National Park to the North. Not only does the Hunter boast wonderful scenery, but it is also home to a large wine and coaling industries.

The majority of the vineyards can be found in the Lower Hunter, although the Upper Hunter also has its own attractive quality with its vast horse breeding and racing as well as several vineyards.

The Lower Hunter is divided into 5 main areas, including the Wollombi Valley area to the South west, the Mount View area just North of this, the Cessnock area to the South east, leading into the Pokolbin and Rothbury area in the North west and the Lovedale and North Rothbury area in the North east.

Although some wines can only be bought from certain wineries, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Semillon, Shiraz and Verdelho can be found in most of the vineyards. The best vintage years in the Hunter for both red and white wines include 1979, 1983, 1996 and 1999, although both the 1980's and 1990's have also seen several other good years.

Food and accommodation also aren't a problem in the Hunter. There are a wide variety of restaurants for any occasion, serving a selection of local grown vegetables, Upper Hunter bred game and delicious seafood from Port Stephens. There is also a host of accommodation around the Hunter ranging from pubs and guesthouses, to private cabins and luxury hotels.

The wineries aren't the only attraction that the Hunter offers. Along side the Hunters natural laid back and relaxed atmosphere you can also find an array of excitement. There are plenty of other attractions to suit every taste, from horse riding and golf to hot air ballooning and sky diving set amongst wonderful landscapes.

Newcastle

Newcastle is an industrial city about 2 hours drive north of Sydney. It is also a busy port exporting produce from the nearby Hunter Valley and north west NSW. Despite the industrial side to the city, there are some great surfing beaches nearby and some attractive buildings around the city itself.

Newcastle is built on a peninsula with the sea to one side of it and the Hunter River to the other. Hunter Street is the main street and runs parallel to the Hunter River. There are plenty of places to eat along Hunter street as well various shops. The main shopping areas are out of town slightly. Heading south out of Newcastle you will come across Garden City which is a large indoor shopping centre. There is also another large shopping complex at Charlestown, south along the coast from Newcastle.

There are several museums around Newcastle as well as an art gallery, which are worth visiting and plenty of other things to do. Nearby there are also a number of nature reserves which are very beautiful. Blackbutt Reserve offers bushwalking and the chance to see a variety of wildlife around the park, as well as in the enclosures and aviary. You can also head to the Wetlands Ecopark, which offers similar attractions. Both are worth while and are great on a sunny day. You can also hop on Newcastle’s famous tram which takes you around the historic sites of Newcastle. Head to the train station on the hour between 10.00am - 3.00pm. Near here the ferry also departs for Stockton on the other side of the port. Stockton Beach runs along the coast to Port Stephens and is backed by the wonderful and beautiful sand dunes.

Newcastle is also popular for surfing. Newcastle Beach is a good surfing beach next to the town centre. It holds the annual surf competition ‘Surfest’. Just north of here is Nobby’s Beach which is sheltered and so good on windy days (depending on which way the wind is blowing). Further south along the coast is Merewether Beach which is good for swimming and probably the most popular surfing beach in Newcastle, Bar Beach. During the summer Bar Beach flood lit at night, so a great place to go to relax or surf in the evenings.

Newcastle offers plenty of accommodation including apartments, hostels and hotels. Accommodation is located both in the city itself, as well as near the various beaches nearby. There are also plenty of restaurants to choose from. The main eating areas are along Beaumont Street and Darby Street. Newcastle also has a lively entertainment scene. Music is very popular in Newcastle and there are often live bands playing in the pubs. Jazz and blues is also very popular. The two main nightclubs are The Castle and Fanny’s, both open from Wednesday to Saturday. Newcastle also has its own theatre, which has various touring companies as well as local performances.

Sydney

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is Australia's oldest and largest city with a population of around 4 million. Sydney is built around a huge harbour and hosts many tourist attractions as well as a number of beaches, bays and a couple of national parks.

The city is divided into North and South by the Sydney Harbour, with both Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel connecting them. Most of the tourist attractions are in the South part of the city, with a large business and residential area in the North.

The South part of the city consists of The Rocks and Circular Quay to the North, with the Central Station marking the South. Darling Harbour marks the West and there are a number of parks to the East.

The Rocks

The Rocks are situated in Sydney's city centre on the western side of Circular Quay, and was the area of the first European settlement in 1788. Before the 1820's it was full of convicts and prostitutes, although this has changed from slums to three-story houses.

It was later overtaken by warehouses and the maritime industry, later again demolished due to the plague and then the Harbour Bridge Construction. Since the 1970's it has developed into a tourist area, full of cobbled streets, pretty buildings, gorgeous little shops and a lively nightlife filled with pubs and restaurants.

The Rocks also features a fabulous market at the weekend, as well as life music at various venues around the Rocks. There are a full range of stalls offering unique and wonderful gifts, as well as delicious food stalls and much more.

There are also a number of walking tours around the area, including an interesting historical walking tour of the Rocks. There are many stops along these tours including Sydney's first goal, Cadman's Cottage and Sydney's shortest street.

Thredbo – Premier Snow Ski Area

Thredbo is popular in both summer and winter. During the summer a chairlift takes you to the top where you can walk to a wonderful lookout at the top of Mt. Crackenback. You can see great views of the park and the spectacular wildflowers that grow in that region.

In the winter things change, and of course it is time to get those skiing boots on. Thredbo has a very good beginners skiing range called Friday Flat. For those more advances, Thredbo also offers the longest skiing runs in Australia. If 3km of run down a 670m vertical drop sounds like heaven then Thredbo is the place for you.

Mount Kosiusko

Kosciuszko National Park is the largest National Park in New South Wales covering an area of 6900 square kilometres. The various walking trails around the park are spectacular with beautiful lakes, caves and bushland. There is a daily entrance fee into the park, so if you are visiting several times then it is worth buying the annual pass.

There is also a Skitube which is probably the best way to get around during the winter months. If you are driving then you must be prepared for difficult driving conditions by carrying snow chains. There are various places to stay around the park with further accommodation in all of the resorts.

On the Western side of the mountain ranges is the Alpine Way which has spectacular vies of the Snowy Mountains and across the Kosciuszko National Park. The best lookouts are Olsens Lookout and Scammell’s Lookout, just off of Alpine Way. You can get great views from here, so definitely travel along the Alpine Way if you have time. You should also visit the Tumut area to the north west of the mountains. The area is extremely pretty and has various places to visit. Two places in particular which are well worth seeing are the Buddong Falls and Yarrangobilly Caves. The area is well worth exploring.

Wollongong to Eden

Wollongong is surrounded by beautiful landscape from all directions. The area around Wollongong is known as Illawarra with the hilly Illawarra Escarpment making a perfect backdrop to the city and the Illawarra Lake to the south.

There are plenty of walking tracks around Wollongong in the Illawarra Escarpment with various lookout points. You can get great views of the city and surrounding area from Mt Kembla and Mt Keira as well as from the Bulli Scenic Lookout which is situated just off of the Princess Highway to the north of Wollongong. A tourist train operates during the weekend heading into the Illawarra Escarpment along a spectacular scenic route. To the south the beautiful scenery of the Morton National Park is worth visiting, as well as Lake Illawarra which offers various water sports. You then, of course, have some great surfing beaches on the coast.

Wollongong also has numerous museums as well as an art gallery to keep you occupied. These include the City Gallery, The Illawarra Museum (telling the history of the area), the Illawarra Motoring Museum and the beautiful Nan Tien Buddhist Temple.

The Far South East Coast offers spectacular coastal scenery, as well as some fantastic bushland walks. Along the coast through the picturesque Lakes District is the Ninety Mile Beach, which is a great fishing and surfing beach, although can be a bit rough for swimming.

Further along the coastal highway you will reach Bairnsdale. There is an interesting museum about the history of the area, as well as the Krowathun Koolong Keeping Place which tells about the local Aboriginal community. You can also visit the wetland reserve of MacLeod Morass, or head further north to the Mitchell River National Park home to the Nargun who haunts the Den of Nargun.

From Bairnsdale you can either head south along the coastal Princess Highway to Lakes Entrance, or north to Buchan. Continuing along the highway you will reach Orbost. There are a couple of fantastic scenic drives you can take from Orbost. The Baldwin Spencer Trail is a 262km circular route offering spectacular inland and coastal scenery. The Murrungower Forest Drive is 113km and truly beautiful. Just south of Orbost is Marlo, a pretty and relaxing place to stay. There is also a beautiful coastal track to Cape Conran from Marlo, offering fantastic beaches.

Heading north from Orbost is Errinundra National Park, which features wonderful rainforest. The best driving route is along the Errinundra Road which travels through the middle of the park from Club Terrace. If you continue along the Princess Highway you reach Genoa on the Victoria/New South Wales border. Heading south from here you will get to Mallacoota and the Croajingolong National Park. Mallacoota is a wonderful holiday spot, surrounded by spectacular National Park. There are some great river cruises you can take from here, which make a pleasant day out.