General Information
TRAVEL IDEAS
- Splendid Sydney, 4 days
- Orion Expedition Cruises
- Sydney Plus, 5 days
- Sydney in Style, 4 days
- Wine, Wilderness, Wildlife, 15 days
CITY MAPS
EXTENSION IDEAS
- Bridgeclimb
- Sydney Opera House Evening
- Full Day Hunter Valley
- Full Day Canberra
- Sydney Harbour by Helicopter
- Blue Mnts Wildlife Discovery
- Sydney Seaplane
- Skywalk
- Play Golf at Australia’s Top Courses
OTHER TRAVEL IDEAS
- Hunter Valley, 2 days
- Eaglereach Wilderness Resort, 3 days
- Blue Mountain and Hunter Valley, 3 days
- 4 Day Outback, 4 days
STAYS OF DISTINCTION
CLASSIC ITINERARIES
Which include Sydney
- Three Capitals Classic, 7 days
- Trans Continental Classic, 13 days
- Classic South Pacific, 15 days
- Classic Australia, 14-17 days
- Classic Circle Pacific, 17 days
- Highlights & Wildlife, 12 days
- Rock & Reef, 8 days
- Classic Wine, Wilderness & Wildlife, 15 days
- Classic Southern Explorer, 12 days
COACH TOURS
Which include or start in Sydney
Budget Coach Tours
- Sydney to Cairns, 14 days
- Sydney to Alice Springs, 18 days
- Sydney to Darwin, 25 days
First Class Coach Tours
- Best of the Outback, 10, 11, 12, 15 or 17 days
- Grand Southern Discovery, 5, 6 & 10 days
- Reef Islands & Coast, 11 or 14 days
HOLIDAYS OF A LIFETIME
- Waltzing Matilda Escorted Tour
SELF-DRIVE
- Pacific Coast Explorer up to 14 days
- Snowy Mountains, Southern Beaches
- Sydney to Melbourne Coastal Drive
- Sydney, Mountains & Vineyards
- Eagle Reach Wilderness Lodge
AIR/LAND INCLUSIVE
- Waltzing Matilda, 22 day Grand Tour to Downunder
- The Best of Australia
- The Best Of New Zealand
SKYWALK
Sydney's newest adrenalin attraction offers the most spectacular view of Sydney and her Harbour from the city's tallest building.
New South Wales
THE PREMIER STATE
New South Wales is rich with natural wonders: white, sandy beaches and dense sub-tropical rainforests, rugged high country and the scorched expanses of the outback, to name just a few. It also boasts Australia's largest city, Sydney, where you'll find some of the best dining, shopping, entertainment and culture in the country.
ORIGIN OF NAME:
Chosen by James Cook in August 1770. See "Mystery " below.
CAPITAL:
Sydney
FLORAL EMBLEM:
Waratah
FAUNAL EMBLEM:
Platypus and Kookaburra.
STATE FLAG:
The badge of a golden lion on a red St. George's cross within a white circle and a star at each extremity of the cross.
STATE MOTTO:
"Newly risen, how bright thou shinst".
LOCATION:
New South Wales lies in the south-east of the continent on the Pacific Ocean, with Queensland to the North and Victoria to the South.
AREA:
It is the Fourth Largest State in Australia and is 801,600 km2 (Seven times larger than England).
LANDFORM:
Coastal Slopes, Plateaus and River Flats are bounded by the Great Dividing Range which runs North & South. West of the Dividing Range are rolling plains which deteriorate into semi-arid desert.
POPULATION:
5,474,300 - The majority of people live in the three main cities - Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong. More than half the people of the state live in Sydney.
Approximately:
- Sydney - 3,358,550
- Newcastle - 419,000
- Wollongong - 235,900
- Wagga Wagga - 49,650
- Albury - 44,450
CLIMATE:
Temperate and slightly humid in coastal areas with the deserts of the interior experiencing cold nights and hot days. Irregular floods and droughts occur.
MYSTERY:
Why was New South Wales named New South Wales? Captain Cook didn't use the name until he was writing his diaries on the voyage home from Australia. Unfortunately he didn't go into any details about his reasons and we can only assume he thought it looked like South Wales.
SYDNEY:
The first visitors didn't have much choice. They travelled by steerage and on arrival in Sydney Harbor in 1788, they had to build the place. You can still see where the convicts carved the first town in Australia in the restored Rocks district, right under Sydney Harbour Bridge. The early colonial architecture now sits in the heart of one of Australia's largest cities.
The harbor is breathtaking, whether you're on it, in it or over it. Just hop on a ferry – any ferry – and go where it takes you. See some of the Pacific's most spectacular panorama for pennies, the harbour dominated by the 'coathanger' which is what the locals call the Harbour Bridge. The wonderful billowing sails of the Sydney Opera House, or go up Sydney Tower with its revolving restaurant and watch the scenery unfold on the horizon.
FOOD AND DRINK:
Sydney boasts an astonishing variety of eating places. The small succulent Sydney rock oyster is prized as are John Dory and Snapper, both white-fleshed fish. Beef and lamb are high quality. The popular snack is the humble meat pie. Excellent wines are from the Hunter Valley and other regions.
SHOPPING:
Sydney is a shoppers mecca with variety galore. Huge department stores, specialty boutiques and craft shops cater to Sydney's large cosmopolitan population. The main downtown shopping areas are the American Express Tower, Australia Square, Centrepoint, David Jones, Queen Victoria Building, Grace Bros, Mid-City Centre, Imperial Arcade, MLC Centre, Royal and Strand Arcades.
Normal shopping hours are 9:00 am to 5:30 pm Mon-Fri, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Saturday. Late night shopping is available on one or two evenings.
Sydney & New South Wales
