If you’re looking for the next best trip, going to the diverse southeastern of New South Wales, Australia should be on your list. It offers travelers coastal scenery, historic towns, rich arts and culture, wineries, snowfields, and the outback. But it isn’t enough that you visit these destinations, you’d have given yourself time to soak all in so you can experience the best of New South Wales.
That’s why the perfect way to do it is through a road trip. To help prepare you for your NSW visit, here are the best road trips to try.
The Grand Pacific Drive
Let’s kick things off with a drive through NSW’s coastal region. The Grand Pacific Drive runs for 140 kilometres and starts from the Royal National Park, just an hour away from Sydney’s Central Business District. So you can easily get a car rental in Sydney and immediately get on with the scenic coastal drive. This route will take you to lush rainforests, the famous Sea Cliff Bridge, and then to the southern region of New South Wales. Pass by quaint towns in Wollongong, Kiama, Shellharbour, and Shoalhaven. You can click here to know more about what adventures you can expect from this drive as well as the car options available to you.
The Kosciuszko Alpine Way
From the summer setting of The Grand Pacific Drive, let’s bring you the picturesque winter wonderland of The Kosciuszko Alpine Way. This tour will give you breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains and vistas, taking you through thick mountain forests and the western fall of the main range. You will also be driving through a route with rich historical significance. It is the path the Aborigines traversed as they made their way to the high country. You will want to bring camping and hiking equipment because this destination offers trail and site options.
Greater Blue Mountains Drive
This route covers 1200 kilometres of major roads, connecting Sydney to the diverse landscapes of New South Wales. Here you will find the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Blue Mountains — a forested mountain encompassing steep cliffs, waterfalls, and quaint villages. Make sure you check the 18 Discovery Trails, each one offering a unique backroad for mountains, valleys, and other regional attractions off of the Blue Mountains’ main route. Then stop by Katoomba for a Scenic World railway experience, giving you sweeping views of the ancient forest and the Three Sisters formation.
The Rainforest Way
The Rainforest Way is a series of drives which extends from South East Queensland to the Northern Rivers in New South Wales. You will get to see the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests where you will see ancient volcanic plugs, the most iconic of which is Mount Warning located in the caldera of the extinct Tweed Volcano. There are several national parks to visit here like Wollumbin, Mebbin, Nightcap, and Toolom, most of which are also heritage sites.
So pack up your gear, load up your playlist, and get ready for the longest, most scenic drive around the region of New South Wales. This is a side of Australia you wouldn’t want to miss!
