Sydney is a city built for day trips. The coastline is dotted with natural wonders and charming seaside communities, while if you venture further inland you’ll discover sleepy towns and rugged bushland as far as the eye can see.
Here are just some of the places you can visit in a day, and still have time to get back to the city for a night out.
Royal National Park
Distance: 30.7 km
Car: 58 min
Train: 1 hr 47 min
With 150 square metres of coastal cliffs, beaches and dense forests, the Royal National Park is a nature-lover’s dream. There are plenty of walking tracks, but the most popular is the Coast Walk, which delivers some of the most spectacular coastal scenery anywhere in the world. It takes two days to do the full walk, but don’t let that intimidate you: the park is less than an hour’s drive from the city centre, and you can easily drop in for a shorter section.
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Blue Mountains
Distance: 61.3 km
Car: 1 hr 6 min
Train: 2 hr 39 min
With stunning waterfalls, rugged scenery and heritage hotels, there’s plenty to do in the Blue Mountains region. And it’s easy to get to, either by car or train. It would take much more than a day to take in all to offer, but highlights include the spectacular Three Sisters, Jenolan Caves and Wentworth Falls. For the most awe-inspiring views, visit Scenic World, where you can ride the Scenic Skyway, suspended 270 metres above the rainforest canopy.
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Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park
Distance: 45 km
Car: 1 hr 5 min
This park is not only packed with gorgeous scenery, waiting to be explored, but it’s one of the most historically significant parks in the country. There are walks that will take you deep into bushland and out to vantage points for ocean views, but our recommendation would be the Aboriginal Heritage walk, which highlights historic rock paintings and engravings.
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Palm Beach
Distance: 44.6 km
Car: 1 hr 19 min
Train: 2 hr 19 min
Fans of Aussie classic Home & Away might recognise this spot, but there’s so much more to Palm Beach than meets the eye. Escape the city for a day and head north for some kayaking or paddleboarding. You might even spot a whale while on the iconic lighthouse walk!
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Southern Highlands
Distance: 131 km
Car: 1 hr 55 min
Some of Australia’s prettiest villages are located in the Southern Highlands, a 90-minute drive or two hour train trip from Sydney, depending on how far you venture. Surrounded by gorgeous green fields, these are towns full of perfectly preserved colonial architecture, with artisan food stores and boutiques.
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Kiama
Distance: 119 km
Car: 2 hr 8 min
Train: 2 hr 30 min
Less than two hours south of Sydney by road or train, Kiama is a wonderful little beach town, with picturesque surfing beaches. Take in the volcanic rock formations at Bombo Headland, and remember that no trip to Kiama is complete without a visit to the Kiama Blowhole, a sea cliff cavern that shoots water 30 metres into the sky – the biggest in the world!
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