Best day trips from Sydney - one for every day of the week

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This was published 7 years ago

Best day trips from Sydney - one for every day of the week

By Lee Atkinson
Updated
Sea Cliff Bridge that forms part of the Grand Pacific Drive on the scenic Lawrence Hargreave Drive south of Sydney.

Sea Cliff Bridge that forms part of the Grand Pacific Drive on the scenic Lawrence Hargreave Drive south of Sydney.Credit: Dallas Kilponen

Is there anything better than a Sunday drive? You don't need to wait for the weekend to hit the road on one of these seven one-day road trips from Sydney – we've got one for each day of the week.

Blue Mountains: a drive up into the Blue Mountains has been a favourite with Sydney day trippers ever since the first Holden rolled off the production line. Most people head straight up the highway to Katoomba to peer at the Three Sisters, go bushwalking and indulge in a spot of antique shopping or a fireside lunch at a cosy cafe or historic hotel, but take the road less travelled on the Bells Line of Road from Richmond to Mount Tomah, where the Botanic Gardens boasts one of the world's finest collections of cool climate plants and the divine Tomah Gardens Restaurant, one of the mountain's finest. Round off your day with rainforest, lookouts and more beautiful gardens on a side trip to Mount Wilson and up to Mt Irvine. www.greaterbluemountainsdrive.com.au

Hunter Valley: you can get to the vineyards of the Hunter Valley in less than two hours if you take the M1, but it's much more fun to take the scenic back road north from the Central Coast through Bucketty and the 19th-century village of Wollombi on the convict-built Great North Road. The Endeavour Museum in the old courthouse has a good collection of local history and pop into the Wollombi Tavern for a shot of the infamous Dr Jurd's Jungle Juice –it's an acquired taste, but the verandah overlooking the creek at the back of the hotel is a nice spot for a drink. From here, it's an easy half-hour drive to Pokolbin, the heart of the valley's wine producing area, if you don't get distracted by the many wineries along the way. www.winecountry.com.au

The Three Sisters is a rock formation in the Blue Mountains of NSW.

The Three Sisters is a rock formation in the Blue Mountains of NSW.

Central Coast: the Central Coast is full of secret beaches and overlooked coves that make for a great day trip when you don't feel like battling crowds. Turn off the M1 at West Gosford on to Brisbane Water Drive (signposted to Woy Woy) and follow the road as it snakes along the shoreline of Brisbane Water until you hit the coast at Ettalong and then head south along Patonga Drive. Bouddi National Park stretches along this section of the coast, where five waterways converge in the bay, and there is always a beach, lake or coastal lagoon close by. Drive up to one of the headland lookouts for some great ocean views or follow one of the many bushwalking trails that lead through coastal heath and rugged sandstone country to sheltered beaches or Aboriginal art sites. www.visitcentralcoast.com.au

Wisemans Ferry: ever wondered what Sydney was like 220 years ago? Spend a day driving the back roads to Wisemans Ferry and St Albans and you'll soon get a good idea. Head north out of Sydney on the M1 to Peats Ridge before joining the Wisemans Ferry Road at Central Mangrove. The road meanders through orchards and farms and rugged national park before following the Hawkesbury River to Wisemans Ferry. To reach the village you must catch the ferry – it's free and it runs all day. Take some time to wander around the historic buildings and the National Trust hamlet of St Albans – both villages have great old sandstone pubs that serve lunch – before looping back to Sydney on the Old Northern Road. www.wffv.org.au

Southern Highlands: take a day trip into the country in the highlands south-west of Sydney. If you love cricket you'll want to spend a few hours at the International Cricket Hall of Fame in Bowral. Donald Bradman grew up here and the museum next to the Bradman Oval is full memorabilia and displays of the cricket legend's career and of the history of The Ashes. If shopping and sipping is more your thing, head to Berrima, the best preserved Georgian village on the Australian mainland, Moss Vale or Mittagong where you'll find more art galleries, boutiques, craft shops, antique showrooms and cafes than you can count. Follow the Food and Wine trail – there are 60 vineyards in the region and more than 100 producers growing and making everything from raspberries and exotic mushrooms to shortbread. www.southernhighlandsfoodandwineclusters.com.au

Wisemans Ferry, NSW, is a great destination for a day trip.

Wisemans Ferry, NSW, is a great destination for a day trip.

Kangaroo Valley: zoom down to Moss Vale on the M31 (Hume Hwy) and then take the scenic Nowra Road to Fitzroy Falls in Morton National Park – the spectacular falls tumble 82 metres over the edge of the sandstone escapement – and then coil your way down Barrengarry Mountain to the valley floor, stopping at Manning Lookout on the way for dramatic views over the valley. Stretch the legs wandering through the Kangaroo Valley village and across the turreted Hampden Bridge – built in 1898 it's the oldest surviving suspension bridge in Australia. Have a swim in the river or hire a canoe and go for a paddle, unpack a picnic or have afternoon tea in one of the cafes, before heading east over the Cambewarra Range – lookouts along the way give views all the way to the coast – to Berry and looping back to Sydney via Grand Pacific Drive (see below).

Grand Pacific Drive: saving the best till last, this short but seriously scenic drive south of Sydney ticks all the boxes, with perfect picnic spots, beaches, lookouts, natural wonders and engineering marvels. It starts in the Royal National Park on Sydney's southern edge – but resist the urge to linger on the forest paths, beaches or riverside picnic areas because the best is yet to come. Soak in the views from Stanwell Tops as you watch hang gliders take off (or strap yourself in for a tandem flight) then wind along the edge of the cliffs 50-metres out to sea on the famous cantilevered Sea Cliff bridge between Coalcliff and Clifton, before beach-hopping all the way to Wollongong and Kiama. Seaside drives don't get much better than this – until you turn around and head for home, because the views are even better heading north. www.grandpacificdrive.com.au

See also: Top 10 day trips from Melbourne

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