New South Wales

Home to no fewer than six World Heritage listed areas, including the Greater Blue Mountains, Willandra Lakes, Lord Howe Island, and the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, New South Wales is a diverse and beautiful land. New South Wales holidays allow you to choose between the fertile rainforests, the coastal marine parks, the majestic mountains and the dusty outback. Better still – see it all by driving from the metropolis of Sydney to the laid-back town of Byron Bay.

Topping the list of New South Wales attractions has to be Sydney, where you can catch a concert in the opera house or take a boat ride across the harbour to one of the bustling beach suburbs. A road trip is the best way to see more of the region and few routes are as good as the legendary Pacific Coast one, which will take you past surf beaches, national parks and a hinterland of lush green hills.

Try out the varied food precincts of Sydney where you can sample eats from all over the world – you could even sign up to one of the city's many cooking schools and learn how to make dishes yourself. You can get good New South Wales food outside of the state capital too – Clarence Valley is teeming with good restaurants, specialising in seafood such as succulent prawns and oysters.

When it comes to New South Wales accommodation you've got a pick between hotels or backpacker hostels in the major cities, and charming bed and breakfasts in more rural areas such as the Darling River. But with Australia being so much about the great outdoors, why not try going bush camping under the stars on a working farm?

If you want to get a taste of what New South Wales shopping has to offer then you'll love Sydney shopping tours, which take you on a whistle-stop tour of the city via some of the coolest places where you can flex your plastic friend. Elsewhere, markets are generally good places to buy gifts and local produce and Byron Bay has an excellent farmers' one.

The Greater Blue Mountains, which made the World Heritage list in 2000, are where Sydneysiders go if they want a break from the city. With over 10,000 sq km of forests spread out across its sandstone plateau, it is a great place to escape to on a camping holiday where you can breathe in the wilderness.