Travel NSW & ACT Australia with B&B Accommodation
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Whatever you are looking for in a holiday or travel experience New South Wales is the state to be in.
Experience what no other state of Australia has - a world class city at its heart, a magnificent harbour offering visitors a superb environment to experience nature within easy reach of the city, snowy mountains set in untouched alpine parkland, coastal beaches that are pristine for kilometres with excellent surf, lush coastal valleys, state forests and vineyards growing famous wines.
Leave the coast and there are old mining towns, outback stations, saltbush flats and wildlife in natural settings sharing the landscape as far as the eye can see. This is the breadth of diversity offered to visitors in the state of New South Wales.
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Hot Air Ballooning Hunter Valley Wine Country NSW
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New South Wales has one of the best climates in Australia, being generally pleasant throughout the year. In Sydney during summer - December through February - short-sleeved shirts are worn by most people. In spring (September-November) and autumn (March-May) the climate may call for a light-weight wrap or cardigan/sweater of some kind. In winter (June-August) a sweater and often a coat is necessary outdoors, particularly in the evenings.
In the south of the state, the summer evenings can be cool, in winter a warm coat or thick sweater is sensible, day and evening. In the north there is a more perpetual summery climate and little more than light clothing is required year round. Inland from the New South Wales coastline, summer temperatures can be quite high sometime reaching 40 degrees C or 105 F in the outback. As humidity in these areas tends to be low, the climate is tolerable though a sun hat is highly recommended.
In general, clothing outside the Sydney areas tends to be much more casual than that worn in metropolitan areas.
Bed & Breakfast and Farmstay accommodations in Sydney, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory are particularly attractive to visitors who enjoy unusual locations, personal service and interaction with their hosts. The diversity exists to suit all your NSW/ACT accommodation and travel needs from city escapades, romantic coastal, farmstay & country retreats, holiday or shortbreak getaway destinations.
Sydney - Capital City of New South Wales (NSW) Australia
Sydney is the pearl in this priceless setting, an international city that throbs with bustle and excitement, where business, music, theatre and the arts rub shoulders with first class restaurants, spectacular buildings both old and new and an impressive harbour bridge which joins the north and south sides of the harbour. All are crowned by the world famous Sydney Opera House with its soaring roof "sails", guarding the entrance to Sydney Cove.
Life is casual and is lived outdoors, for Sydneysiders love to sail on the harbour, pause to eat top class cuisine around the harbour foreshores at Darling Harbour and The Rocks. During long hot summer days they can be found swimming and dining at famous inner city beaches such as Mosman or Bondi or at one of the many beautiful Sydney beaches from Manly or Palm beach in the north to Cronulla in the south. If you want to mix with the locals there is a lively pub scene, Kings Cross for exotic nightlife and a wide choice of owner operated Bed & Breakfast accommodation throughout the entire metropolitan area.
It is the friendliness of the people that has helped make Sydney an ideal host to major events such as the successful 2000 Olympic Games and the up coming World Cup Rugby.
Sydney is also a colourful, multicultural city for every cultural migration wave has brought with it diverse cuisine from African to Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Korean, Arabic, Middle European and Russian, to the more "traditional" Mediterranean cuisines, all washed down with local wines from the famous Hunter Valley region just to the north, fast claiming centre stage among the world's vintners.
Canberra Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
National Capital City of Australia
Canberra, is the capital city of Australia and was designed by American architect Walter Burley Griffin and is situated roughly midway between the rival cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Immediately apparent when you visit Canberra ACT are the wide streets, the orderly planning and the lack of obvious industrial activity; this is the way the city was planned. Set in the midst of rolling hills around Lake Burley Griffin, some 12 million trees were planted when the city was first built. As a result the tree show the four seasons with autumn colours in March and April simply stunning.
As an inland city, Canberra has long hot days in summer and crisp cool nights. Winter is cold and snowy and when Spring arrives, the city is again a riot of colour thanks to the Floriade Flower Festival., renowned among other thing for its display of tulips.
As the Australian national capital, Canberra has a number of impressive buildings. The new Parliament house, opened in 1988 on Capital Hill, is of some considerable architectural interest with its grass-top and unique tower. Nearby, Old Parliament House is an imposing structure now housing the National Portrait Galley while, on the front lawn by the main entrance, there is the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
Diagonally north-west is the National Library of Australia, the Questacon- The National Science & Technology Centre - and the High Court of Australia with its ornamental watercourse by its entrance. Along Anzac Parade are a number of memorials, the largest and most imposing of which is the Australian War Memorial.
The new National Museum of Australia, the Australian National Botanic Gardens and the Australian National University (ANU) are special points of interest. As the population of 308,700 has a large proportion of university students, there is always a lively entertainment scene in Canberra.
The city is arranged around the lake, with Canberra City centre on the north side, its pedestrian malls to the east with the main shopping areas. To the south the road encircles Capital Hill and a number of important government buildings including Old Parliament House, thus completing the parliamentary triangle.
Canberra, thought to be an Aboriginal word for "meeting place", is also the only Australian city where it is possible to encounter kangaroos sometimes seen grazing in the grounds of Parliament House.
Regions & Natural Attractions of New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Australia
The Blue Mountains of New South Wales Australia
A short drive inland from Sydney is the Blue Mountains, where picturesque villages with shops, boutiques, art and antique galleries, museums and cafes lure the visitor to stay for days. There's also a wide selection of accommodation with spectacular mountain views and pristine forest scenery, lots of different outdoor activities and good sporting facilities.
Just a little north of Sydney is the Hawkesbury valley, a lush fertile area where over 15 percent of NSW fruit and vegetables are grown watered by the huge Hawkesbury River. There's a rustic charm about the valley with historic towns such as Windsor, Richmond and St Albans, while further down stream there is Kurrajong, Portland and Wisemans Ferry that are worth exploring. Visitors can go fruit picking, enjoy wine tasting and local gourmet goats cheese or take an adventure canoe trip in the Wollemi National Park.
Capital Country Australian Capital Territory (ACT) & NSW Australia
An significant part of this region is the nation's capital Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory, a substantial inland area carved out of NSW for historic reasons in the early days of Federation.
Canberra and has four distinct seasons which makes it a glorious place to be in Spring, especially during Floriade when the city turns into a giant floral picture. Autumn is almost as spectacular when most of the trees throughout the city and its surrounds turn brilliant shades of gold, orange and red.
Apart from political life, Canberra is an interesting place to visit because of its contemporary Australian cuisine, fine food, good wine, theatre and the national art gallery. The surrounds are worth exploring too for there is bobsledding, abseiling, bushwalking, horse riding and four wheel driving.
Integral to Capital Country is the nearby Southern Highlands. It's a place rich in tradition with quaint villages, grand old estates, specialised craft stores and B&Bs offering old world country comfort (lace tablecloths and roaring log fires). The gardens are very special for many homes have award winning displays of tulips, rhododendron, azaleas, wisterias and roses.
The Central Coast of New South Wales Australia
It's hard to believe that a one hour drive north from Sydney brings visitors to the Central Coast, a holiday playground with beautiful coastal surfing beaches, a laid-back lifestyle, boutique shops, a variety of fine restaurants and accommodation to suit everyone.
The B&B's are particularly special here, for they are often positioned in unusual locations such as right on a beachfront, or in the nearby hinterland overlooking one of the numerous waterways, or surrounded by trees on the edge of one of the local national parks.
Major attractions include the Australian Reptile Park and Wildlife Sanctuary and house boat cruises on the Hawkesbury River.
Explorer Country New South Wales Australia
West from Sydney are the rich plains and rural towns of NSW known as Explorer Country. It's here one experiences "that wide brown land" made famous in Australian poetry. Bathurst is the first port of call and from there it is a drive north-west through Orange, Dubbo, famous for its Central Plains Zoo or south west through Cowra and West Wyalong.
The region is rich in history and visitors can see it in the architecture from the slab huts of the early drovers to the lavish wooden two-storey hotels and mansions built during the 19thCentury gold rush days. Nearby is Mudgee, aboriginal for "the nest in the hills" where history seeps from gracious old buildings and more than 22 vineyards turn out quality wine.
Hunter Region New South Wales Australia
The Hunter Valley is another famous vine growing region just two hours north of Sydney. Here there are historic towns, spectacular coastal beaches, the famed Barrington Tops with its World Heritage listed wilderness and cascading rivers.
Visitors can enjoy coastal walks and sand safaris, wine tasting expeditions, horse riding tour into the hinterland wilderness and mountain bike riding. Diversity in landscape in this area extends from the coastal inlets and bays, past the city of Newcastle, across the pampered vineyards with their sophisticated dining and varied accommodation choices to the rugged mountains where self catering eco-friendly cabins and B&Bs share the natural beauty with teeming wildlife.
The region also includes some of the states best beaches and seaside holiday resorts.
New England North West (Big Sky Country) New South Wales Australia
The New England North West (previously known as Big Sky Country) used to be bushranger territory for the rich northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range - stretching from mid-Victoria through NSW to the north of Queensland essentially dividing the eastern coastal regions from the west.
It has been ideal sheep raising country for more than a century. Experience true outback farming life, the mineral-rich artesian spa baths of Moree, drop in to Tamworth, the Country Music Capital of Australia and admire the historic homes of Armidale in the east and the cotton fields of Moree and Narrabri in the West.
North Coast New South Wales Australia
The North Coast is where the locals drive to all year round on holidays because of its four to six-hour drive on excellent highways from Sydney. There's beautiful natural beaches, light houses, fun parks, theme parks, national parks and World Heritage areas.
In the hinterland are mountain retreats, Farmstays, B&Bs in unique locations, quiet country roads, quaint villages such as the historic village of Stroud and winding forested roads to picnic sites and lookouts. Here visitors can enjoy boating, fishing, scuba diving, cruising to see the resident dolphins, houseboat meandering on the Great Lakes and make a stop over at the twin towns of Forster/Tuncurry for the best oysters in the state.
Northern Rivers - Tropical New South Wales Australia
Further north is the popular Northern Rivers, a perfect escape for work weary holiday makers. Here are 300 kilometres of beautiful coastline made up of sheltered bays, surfing beaches, crystal lakes and mountain streams, for the area is truly an aquatic playground for most of the year.
Six World Heritage listed national parks are in this region including Border Ranges, Nightcap, Mt Warning, Lamington and Springbrook. Cape Byron is one of two dominant landforms along with Mt Warning and nestled on the coast is the town of Byron Bay a playground for artists, actors and backpackers from around the world. This region with its magnificent natural environs is a Mecca for those seeking to live alternatively, having given up the trappings of sophisticated inner city dwelling.
There are a wide range of accommodation options including B&Bs each with its own special attraction as well as historic country pubs. Ballina, on the coast, is a popular sailing and fishing town. Lismore, inland, is home to painters, woodworkers, ceramicists, film makers, musicians, poets, designers and dancers and there are galleries, studios, a thriving university culture as well as Aboriginal artefacts and a photographic collection. On the coast is Tweed Heads at the Queensland border where visitors can swim, dive, fish, surf, paddle, snorkel, ski or cruise.
Outback NSW (The Living Outback) New South Wales Australia
Though Australians hug the coastline, they have a special love for the Outback regions of Australia. It is only here that one comes face to face with its ancient, vast, red landscape and the spirit of the Australian Aborigines and the early pioneers. The outback desert of New South Wales is home to mobs of big red kangaroos, flocks of Ibis on the Menindee Lakes and emus who race across the Mundi Mundi Plains at sunset.
Bush artists can't stay away from the awe inspiring colours that bathe the outback NSW region at dawn and dusk. There are outback mining towns to visit such as Broken Hill, known as the "Silver City", Cobar, still a frontier town, Silverton famed for gold and silver mining and camel rides into the desert, and Lightening Ridge and White Cliffs where people live in under-ground homes and still mine precious black and white opals.
Experience the Australian outback river towns of Bourke, Menindee and Wentworth at the confluence of two great rivers, the Darling and the Murray even though there is nothing but desert and spinifex at the town's doorstep.
The Riverina New South Wales Australia
The breadbasket of the state is the Riverina, a place of vast irrigated plains watered by the great Murrumbidgee River. It is here that citrus and stone fruits, vegetables, wine, rice, tomatoes, sheep's milk cheese, chilli, mustard oil and much more are produced.
Every town has a story about the pioneering days and there are local pubs and country B&Bs that will linger in the memory for years. Hospitality is guaranteed in the busy farming towns of Wagga Wagga, capital of the region, Leeton, Griffith, Hay and Tumut. Each has its own special quality and all are thriving agricultural centres breeding sheep and growing crops.
The Snowy Mountains New South Wales Australia
The Snowy Mountains is harsh, wild and intensely beautiful. In the winter it is a skiers' playground, also offering serious adventurers the chance to trek, climb, cross-country ski and do challenging steep downhill runs. In summer the wild flowers on the high plains in the Kosciusko National Park are a major tourist attraction.
This is a place of snow capped peaks and icy mountain streams, where you can just relax in the mountain tranquillity or go for more vigorous pursuits such as horse ride, canoeing, white water rafting, or play a round of golf on the highest golf course in Australia.
The South Coast of New South Wales Australia
The South Coast is broken into three distinct areas, each with its own special attractions - in the north there is the Shoalhaven from Berry to Durras, Eurobodalla stretches from South Durras past Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma inland to Wallaga Lake and the Sapphire Coast runs from Bermagui to Eden and into Victoria. Whether you are on the coast or inland there are plenty of guesthouses, B&Bs and holiday cottages accommodation.
The Shoalhaven is a tourists paradise ideal for short break getaways for they can select coastal or rural retreats, all featuring natural attractions, parks and historic sites.
In the Eurobodalla area the coast links with a natural backdrop of mountains and is rich in the history of sacred aboriginal sites, goldrush fever and whaling stories. This is a popular holiday resort destination easily accessible as a quick getaway from Canberra.
The Sapphire Coast is named because of the brilliance of the sunlight as it reflects of the Pacific Ocean. This is an area of rainforest, bushland and fertile farmlands producing dairy products and delicious sea foods.
The Murray New South Wales Australia
Not too far from either Sydney or Melbourne, The Murray is where visitors can treat themselves to country hospitality and fine food. It is a favourite destination for international visitors.
This is where the ancient forests of red gums can be found as well as extensive wetlands, paddle steamers, river boats and houseboats. Along the Murray are towns such as Albury Wodonga, Corowa famed for the world renowned Rutherglen wine district, Barham with its old lift up bridge, Echuca-Moama, home to the largest collection of paddle steamers moored at Red Gum Wharf, Tocumwal, Yarrawonga-Mulwala and Cobram-Barooga, twin towns on the Murray and a golfing mecca with a 36 hole course.
More State Information for New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory Australia
The Royal Bluebell (Wahlenbergia gloriosa) was announced as the floral emblem of the Australian Capital Territory on 26 May 1982 by the Hon. Michael Hodgman, the Minister for the Capital Territory. The announcement brought the Australian Capital Territory to a position equal to that of the Australian States and the Northern Territory.
The Waratah (Telopea speciosissima) was proclaimed the official floral emblem of New South Wales on 24 October 1962. Many government authorities and community groups in New South Wales use the Waratah in their insignia, often adopting a stylised version of the flowerhead.
New South Wales is Australia's most populous state with over six million people. Three and a half million people live in the greater Sydney metropolitan area.
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