New South Wales General Information Area: 801,640 sq km (309,417 sq miles). Population: 6,502,600 (official estimate 2000). Population Density: 8.1 per sq km. Capital: Sydney. Population: 4,041,400 (official estimate 1999). GEOGRAPHY: The landscape ranges from the subtropical north to the Snowy Mountains in the south, which contain Australia’s highest point, Mount Kosciuscko. There are over 1300km (800 miles) of coastline with golden beaches, and picturesque waterways and rivers include the 1900-km (1200-mile) Murray River. Time: GMT + 10 (GMT + 11 from last Sunday in October to first Saturday in March) except in the Broken Hill Area which keeps GMT + 9.5. Public Holidays New South Wales observes all the public holidays observed nationwide (see the main Australia section) and, in addition, the following are observed: Oct 7 2002 Labour Day. Jun 9 2003 Queen’s Birthday Celebrations. Oct 6 Labour Day. Jun 14 2004 Queen’s Birthday Celebrations. Oct 4 Labour Day. Note: The first Monday in August is also a public holiday in some parts of the state. Travel - International AIR: Sydney is an international gateway to Australia, and international flights from Europe, New Zealand, Asia, Africa and the Americas all serve the city. The main domestic airlines operating in New South Wales are: Aeropelican Air Services, Air Link, Eastern Australian, Qantas, Rex – Regional Express, Virgin Blue and Yanda Airlines. Approximate flight times: From Sydney to Bangkok is 9 hours 20 minutes, to London is 25 hours 15 minutes, to Los Angeles is 13 hours 30 minutes, to New York is 21 hours 30 minutes, to Paris is 23 hours 5 minutes and to Singapore is 8 hours. International airports: Kingsford Smith (SYD) is Sydney’s international airport; it is 8km (5 miles) from the city centre; travel time – 10 minutes by rail link or 20-30 minutes by car. For more information, see Travel – International in the main Australia section. SEA: Sydney is a major international port, and cruise lines call from Europe, the Far East and the USA. There are also many day- and half-day cruises from Sydney Harbour (Circular Quay), offering everything from sightseeing tours to nearby attractions such as wildlife and aboriginal communities, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley wine region, to night-time cabaret showboats. RAIL: Sydney has through trains to all other State capitals. The Great South Pacific Express (Orient Express) connects Sydney to Brisbane and Cairns. An internal system of railways runs throughout the State, connecting all the most important towns, tourist resorts and running through to Canberra in the south. The two main rail operators are Cityrail (website: www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au) and Countrylink. The main train interchanges are located at Central Station and Town Hall. ROAD: Sydney is the focal point of a network that connects every major city. Road distances from many places, however, are enormous, and a journey by even the fastest coach to Darwin, on the northern coast, takes over 92 hours. The State is well served with an excellent road system, as required by the most heavily populated region of the country. Main highways are the Barrier Highway, running west to Adelaide, the Hume Highway running south to Canberra and Melbourne, the New England Highway running north to Brisbane, the Pacific Highway running along the coast to Brisbane (one of Australia’s most popular touring routes), the Princess Highway running south along the coast to Melbourne, and the Mitchell Highway running northeast to Charleville and connecting with the routes to Mount Isa and Darwin in the north. The State is well served by national coach operators and regional bus lines. URBAN: Sydney’s extensive electrified suburban rail network includes a city-centre underground link, lightrail and a monorail link. The monorail runs in a loop, linking Darling Harbour and various tourist attractions. Lightrail services run from Sydney Central through Chinatown, Darling Harbour and other sights to Star City and Wentworth Park. There are also bus and ferry services (see the official bus and ferry website: www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au). Weekly and other period passes are available, as are multi-journey tickets. The Sydney Explorer Bus stops at over 20 attractions on its route and visitors can join or leave it at any point. Discount travel tickets: There is a wide variety of saver passes for transportation to a range of tourist attractions. A special Sydney Pass, valid for three, five or seven days, offers unlimited travel on Sydney’s public transport including sightseeing tours, Sydney Ferries’ harbour cruises, Manly Ferry, JetCat and RiverCat services, the Sydney, Bondi and Bay Explorer buses and return travel to the airport. Prices start at A$90 for an adult three-day pass. Other passes include Sydney/Bondi Explorer Ticket, The Darling Harbour Superticket, Sydney Bonus Ticket, See Sydney and Beyond Pass and Sydney YES ticket. For more information contact Tourism New South Wales (see Contact Addresses section). Meter operated taxis service all major cities and towns. Taxi ranks can be found at transport terminals, major hotels and shopping centres or they can be hailed in the street. Accommodation HOTELS: Sydney offers an excellent choice of hotels for all budgets and tastes. They range from 5-star international chains to smaller hotels and budget backpacker-style hostels. Further outside the city, visitors can stay on one of the sheep stations to the west of the capital amongst some of the best sheep country in the world. The State is well travelled by Australians themselves, and so offers an excellent network of accommodation outside the larger cities, mostly of motel or similar class. CAMPING/CARAVANNING: A number of companies can arrange motor camper rentals, with a range of fully-equipped vehicles. Contact Caravan and Camping Industry Association (NSW) PO Box H114, Harris Park, NSW 2150 (tel: (2) 9637 0599; fax: (2) 9637 0299; website: www.caravanaustralia.com.au) for further details. Note: For more detailed coverage of the range of accommodation available, see Accommodation in the general Australia section. Introduction New South Wales is perhaps the most varied of all the States. The landscape ranges from snow-capped mountains with excellent skiing facilities to long, golden sandy beaches, and from the utter emptiness of the Outback to the cosmopolitan vitality of the State capital, Sydney. Sydney The State capital is perhaps best known abroad for the Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point, a building whose distinctive shape is echoed by the sails of the boats in the almost equally famous harbour. Tours of the Opera House are available daily (0830-1700), except Christmas Day and Good Friday. The Opera House hosts many of Australia’s opera, ballet and theatre companies and symphony orchestras. Sydney is also a major commercial and business centre with first-class conference and exhibition facilities. The city-centre skyline rivals that of Manhattan, with the added attraction that Sydney is far more likely to be seen under a clear blue sky. There is a spectacular view of the city and its surroundings from the 305m-high (1000ft) AMP Tower above the Centrepoint Shopping Complex (daily 0900-2145). The city has a great number of concert halls, museums, art galleries and theatres. Among the many other interesting sights Sydney has to offer are the Harbour Bridge (the third-longest single span bridge in the world), Taronga Zoo, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Museum. The Rocks area (the site of Australia’s first European settlement) has been largely restored to its original state and features cobbled streets, gas lamps, craft shops and small restaurants. This district of the city also contains one of Sydney’s oldest buildings, Cadman’s Cottage (1816), as well as the ‘Lord Nelson’ and the ‘Hero of Waterloo’, the city’s oldest pubs. Tours around Olympic Park – venue of the 2000 Olympic Games – have become a popular visitor attraction, and include a visit to the Olympic Village. Apart from exploring various quarters such as Chinatown, Paddington and Kings Cross on foot, there is Darling Harbour, one of Sydney’s newest precincts, which is a five-minute monorail ride from the city centre. This bustling area contains numerous attractions including the Harbourside Shopping Centre, Gavala Aboriginal and Cultural Education Centre, Panasonic IMAX Theatre, the Chinese Garden, the Powerhouse Museum (design and science), the National Maritime Museum, Cockle Bay Wharf and the Sydney Aquarium. The city can also be enjoyed from the water with harbour cruises departing from Circular Quay. Other ways of seeing the city are from the bright red Sydney Explorer Bus which stops at 26 popular tourist spots on its 36km (22-mile) loop around the city or from the monorail train, or from a scenic flight aboard a seaplane or helicopter. The city has many beautiful green spaces including Hyde Park, The Domain and Centennial Park as well as the stunning Botanic Gardens with views of the Bridge, Opera House and Harbour. Sydney is also justly famous for its many excellent beaches in and around the city, such as Manly, on the north shore (15 minutes by Jet Cat), or Bondi, Watson’s Bay, Bronte, Clovelly or Coogee to the south. Most beaches are within reach of public transport. For reasons of safety, people should swim in the areas marked with flags only. Botany Bay, the first foothold of British settlers, is still a botanist’s delight with mangrove swamps and native wildlife as well as museums and picturesque walks. Beyond Sydney New South Wales caters for all kinds of holiday, whatever the time of year. Visits to the Hunter Valley wine district and the Blue Mountains ( a World Heritage Listed National Park), to the west of Sydney, are highly recommended. Home to famous wine makers such as Wyndham Estate, Rosemount and McGuigans, the Hunter Valley has over 80 wineries and many restaurants. Nearby Port Stephens is a great spot for watersports and dolphin and whale watching. Lightning Ridge, to the northwest, is a frontier town where the world’s only source of black opal is to be found. The region of the Snowy Mountains in the southeast of the State, including Mount Kosciuzsko, Australia’s highest peak, is popular during the skiing season (June-October) as well as in summer for bushwalking. Resorts in the Snowy Mountain region include Thredbo and Perisher Blue, the latter incorporating Guthega, Perisher Valley, Blue Cow and Smiggins. Uncommercialised and unpretentious, Broken Hill and the surrounding national parks of the New South Wales outback offer a taste of the original Australian wilderness. Featuring ancient landscapes, aboriginal culture and unusual flora and fauna, they are among the hightlights of the region. The Menindee Lakes, 113km (70 miles) from the town by a good road, cover an area of water eight times the size of Sydney Harbour with an abundance of birdlife and provide a major attraction for motor boat and sailing craft owners. World Heritage Regions Areas listed according to the World Heritage Convention are internationally recognised as cultural and natural places of such outstanding value that they ought to be preserved for the benefit of humanity. Natural World Heritage areas often represent an important stage in the Earth’s evolutionary history. For further information contact the Australian Heritage Commission, GPO Box 787, Canberra, ACT 2601 (tel: (02) 6274 1111; fax: (02) 6274 2095; website: www.ea.gov.au). New South Wales has two major World Heritage listed regions as outlined below (additional World Heritage areas are indicated in the National Parks section). LORD HOWE ISLAND GROUP: This island group is situated 700km (400 miles) northeast of Sydney, covering 146,300 hectares (361,520 acres) and comprising Lord Howe Island, the Admiralty Islands, the Mutton Bird Islands and Ball’s Pyramid. Lord Howe Island consists of rich lowland and mountains covered with lush vegetation, surrounded by white sandy beaches. Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird (875m/2695ft and 777m/2394ft respectively) are both of volcanic origin and provide a stark contrast to the low-lying areas along the coast. Lord Howe Island has the southernmost coral reef in the world and boasts some of the rarest flora, bird and marine life. Owing to a strict conservation policy, the number of tourist beds on the island is limited to 400 and the number of cars is also restricted. The bicycle is the main mode of transport. WILLANDRA LAKES REGION: This region covers 370,000 hectares (913,000 acres) of semi-arid country in the southwest centre of New South Wales renowned as one of the world’s earliest known cremation sites; the archaeological discovery of skeletal remains and stone tools indicated that homo sapiens inhabited the area 40,000 years ago. The region also contains a system of Pleistocene lakes formed over the last two million years, most of which are fringed on the eastern shore by dunes. The area incorporates the Mungo National Park, which is open to visitors daily. The park offers good opportunities for walks along the famous Walls of China, orange-and-white dunes, as well as many native species of birds and animals. National Parks For further information about parks and nature reserves in New South Wales contact NSW National Parks Centre, 102 George Street, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW 2000 (tel: (02) 9253 4600; fax: (02) 9251 9192; e-mail: info@npws.nsw.gov.au; website: www.npws.nsw.gov.au). GREATER METROPOLITAN AREA: Sydney Harbour National Park features forts, secluded beaches and spectacular views. Guided tours to historic buildings are available; the most popular trails for walkers are the ‘Bluff’ track to Watson’s Bay, the ‘Hermitage Foreshore’ track to Vaucluse and the ‘Manly’ scenic walkway; the ‘Fairfax’ walk on North Head is suitable for wheelchair access. The Royal National Park is the oldest park in Australia and the second oldest in the world. Wattamolla and Garie are popular swimming spots while Garie, Era and Burning Palms are best for surfing. The park offers a variety of walking tracks along its 30km (19-mile) procession of headlands, cliffs, forests and beaches. Camping is possible at Bonnie Vale; for bush camping, a permit is required. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, 40 minutes north of Sydney, is noted for its Aboriginal rock carvings (which can be seen on the ‘Aboriginal Heritage Walk’) and extensive walking tracks (one of which, the ‘Discovery’ track, has wheelchair access); beautiful water views and good sailing facilities are available at West Head and picnic areas can be found throughout the park. The park also includes a Koala sanctuary. The Blue Mountains National Park (a World Heritage listed park), just 90 minutes drive west of Sydney, offers waterfalls and panoramic views featuring landmarks such as the ‘Three Sisters’. There are numerous bushwalks on offer; the ‘Fairfax Heritage Walk’ at Blackheath is a wheelchair-friendly track to Govetts Leap lookout. NORTHEAST: The Myall Lakes National Park near Port Stephens is the largest coastal lake system in the State and an important habitat for many species of waterbirds. Visitors are offered a range of activities, including a rainforest walk at Mungo Brush, campsites, caravans and cabins along the lake shores and beaches, as well as houseboat accommodation facilities. The mountainous Barrington Tops National Park in the Hunter wine-making region is crossed by six rivers and is known for its dramatic altitude variations, allowing visitors to experience snow-capped mountains and subtropical rainforests in a day’s walk. The best views and walking trails are at Gloucester Tops, Carey’s Peak and Williams River. The ‘Riverside’ walk is suitable for wheelchairs. Mount Warning National Park, 12km (7 miles) from Murwillumbah, offers a fantastic trek through rainforest communities, culminating in a challenging rock scramble, to reach the 1100m (3608ft) summit of the ancient volcano. Views from the top take in the expanse of the bowl-shaped Tweed Valley. Dorrigo National Park and Border Ranges National Park, both in tropical New South Wales, contain large stretches of rainforest, with walking tracks, educational tours, picnicking and camping all available; at Border Ranges, the rainforest grows on the rim of an extinct volcano. CENTRAL: Rock climbing and mountain walks attract visitors to Warrumbungle National Park, near Coonabarabram, whose ‘Grand High Tops’ track through the remnants of ancient volcanoes ranks high among Australia’s many spectacular walks. The park is noted for its bizarre rock outcrops. OUTBACK: The Motwingee National Park, situated 130km (82 miles) northeast of the old mining town of Broken Hill, offers the classic Outback experience. Homestead Creek is the main camping base (booking required) in this park on the back of an ancient mountain range, with spectacular gorges and a variety of native animals. Tours to the Mootwingee Historic Site, which contains an important collection of Aboriginal art engraved on a hillside, are also available. The nearby Kinchega National Park is similarly rich in Aboriginal sites and contains large areas of forest backwaters and lakes; camping and accommodation in former sheep shearers’ quarters are possible (booking required). SOUTHEAST: South of Sydney by 450km (281 miles), the Kosciuszko National Park and Snowy Mountains National Park feature some of Australia’s highest mountains, including Mount Kosciuszko (the highest) as well as the great Snowy, Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers. Wintersports are popular from June to September while, in the summer, nature enthusiasts can enjoy rare alpine flora. The main attractions of Morton National Park are its waterfalls – one at Fitzroy Falls, the other at Bundanoon. Camping is possible (booking required). Sport & Activities Watersports: The coastline of New South Wales, stretching for over 2000km (1250 miles) to the north and south of Sydney, has excellent conditions for all kinds of watersports including surfing, windsurfing, sea kayaking and diving. In the Sydney area, the surf beaches of Bronte and Coogee to the south and Collaroy and Palm Beach to the north are particularly popular. Byron Bay, 800km (496 miles) north of Sydney, has outstanding surf conditions. Sydney Harbour has facilities for all kinds of maritime sports and there is an annual yacht race from Sydney to Hobart in Tasmania, starting on 26 December each year, covering over 2000km (1250 miles). The best beaches within easy reach of Sydney are at Bondi and at Manly. Along the coast on the Pacific Highway, Port Stephens, some 200km (125 miles) north of Sydney, offers safe swimming beaches and a range of water-based activities. Further north still, the Great Lakes district and its most popular resort, Port Macquarie, is particularly well known for fishing, windsurfing and houseboat holidays (exploring the Great Lakes). A further 250km (150 miles) along the coastline is Coffs Harbour, a tropical resort town, famous for its fishing, sailing and swimming facilities, and adventure sports like sky diving and scuba diving. Kayaking and whitewater rafting enthusiasts may head to the Gwydir and Nymbodia rivers in the north west region or the streams of the Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains (see below). Numerous companies offer scuba diving or snorkelling trips on purpose-built boats to a choice of destinations along the New South Wales coast and as far as the famous Great Barrier Reef in the neighbouring State of Queensland. Good dive sites can be found at Jervis Bay, Byron Bay, Lord Howe Islands and Coffs Harbour. Specialist charters also provide whale- and dolphin-watching trips as well as great white shark encounters and reef education tours. The best time to see dolphins and whales is from May to December. Port Stephens is known for the bottlenose dolphins which live and play in the bay all year round. Most dolphin cruises depart from the region’s largest township, Nelson Bay. Migrating whales can be spotted from Cape Byron between May and October. Mountain sports: South of Sydney are the mountains of the Great Dividing Range, home to Australia’s highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko (2230m/7314ft). The Snowy Mountains, 526km (329 miles) south-west of Sydney, are a major destination for skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding. The season generally runs from June to October. In the summer, activities such as mountain biking, riding, fishing and canoeing are available. About 104km (65 miles) west of Sydney, the Blue Mountains consist of a landscape of forests, valleys, canyons, waterfalls and cliffs. Popular activities in this region include abseiling, scenic flights, canyoning, climbing as well as bushwalking, with many hidden trails for walkers to explore. Urban climbing: It is possible to climb the Harbour Bridge in Sydney via a network of archways, catwalks and ladders. The resulting view of the harbour is spectacular. The whole climb takes around three hours and is open to those aged over twelve. Climbs require special clothing and are in guided groups of ten climbers. Further information is available from Bridgeclimb (website: www.bridgeclimb.com) or the tourist board (see Contact Addresses section). Golf: The state has many international standard courses, including two of Australia’s best-known golf courses – Riverside Oaks and The Lakes – are located in New South Wales. Tour operators can organise golfing trips to the province’s best courses. For further information, contact Tourism New South Wales (see Contact Addresses section). Social Profile Food & Drink: Cooking in New South Wales, and Sydney in particular, reflects the State’s multicultural makeup with Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Greek, Italian and Indian cuisine all represented. Fine red and white wines come from the Hunter Valley. General licensing hours for public bars are Mon-Sat 1000-2200 with varying hours on Sunday. Nightlife: Sydney is known for being a city that never sleeps, and has a diverse selection of bars, pubs, nightclubs and music venues. Kings Cross in Sydney is an exciting nightlife area. There are also some night-time cruises offering dinner and dancing. For further information on Sydney’s nightlife see (website www.spraci.com). Shopping: Best buys are Australian opals, precious and semi-precious stones, Aboriginal arts and crafts, and woollen and sheepskin goods. Shopping hours: In Sydney, shops open Mon-Fri 0900-1730, Sat 0900-1600 and Sun 1000-1600. Many shops also stay open until 2100 on Thursday. Special Events: 25a full list of special events, contact Tourism New South Wales (see Contact Addresses section), or look online (website: www.events.nsw.gov.au). The following is a selection of festivals and special events taking place in 2003 in New South Wales: Jan 5-26 Sydney Festival. Jan 17-19 Walcha Rodeo. Feb 1 Chinese New Year, Dixon Street, Sydney. Feb 1-2 Rydal and District Agricultural Show. Feb 6-9 ANZ Championships, Sydney. Feb 8-Mar 1 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Feb 9-10 Crookwell Agricultural Society Show. Feb 23 Greek Australian Festival, Kariong. Mar/Apr Hunter Valley Harvest Festival. Mar 8-16 Australian Veteran Games, Wagga Wagga. Mar 15 Central Coast County Music Festival. Apr 5-14 Food Week, Orange. Apr 12 Bundanoon Is Brigadoon; largest annual pipe band gathering in Australia. Apr 16-20 National Paint Horse Show. May 3 Blue Mountains Food and Wine Festival, Blackheath. Jul 26-27 Kempsey Powerhouse Offroad 500. Sep 11-14 Australian Springtime Flora Festival, Kariong. Oct 10-Nov 22 Rugby World Cup 2003, Sydney. Oct 18 Opera in The Vineyards, Hunter Valley. Oct 25 Jazz in The Vineyards, Hunter Valley. Business Profile Commercial Information: The following organisations can offer advice: State Chamber of Commerce (New South Wales), Level 12, 83 Clarence Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 (tel: (2) 9350 8100; fax: (2) 9350 8199; website: www.thechamber.com.au); or the Department of State and Regional Developmment (website: www.sydneyaustralia.com). Conferences/Conventions: Sydney has launched a major initiative to become an important convention and meeting destination. The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour has facilities for up to 5000 people. Other major convention centres include Centrepoint Exhibition and Convention Centre, University of NSW, RAS Exhibition Centre, Sydney Opera House, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Town Hall, University of Sydney, YWCA, Queen Victoria Building, Bankstown Town Hall, Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club, Curzon Hall, Film Australia, Hills Centre, Taronga Centre and the NSW Harness Racing Club. For more information on conferences and conventions in NSW contact the Australian Tourist Commission or the Sydney Convention & Visitors Bureau in London, UK (see Contact Addresses section) or the Sydney Convention & Visitors Bureau, Level 13, 80 William Street, Sydney, NSW 2011 (tel: (2) 9331 4045; fax: (2) 9360 1223; e-mail: info@scvb.com.au; website: www.scvb.com.au). Climate Warm semi-tropical summers particularly in lower central area. Mountain areas in the west are cooler, particularly in winter. Rainfall is heaviest from March to June. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.