NSW Tourism - the Heart of the Australian Coastline

New South Wales (NSW) tourism is rich and full of variety with spectacular beaches, holiday resorts, waterways, caravan parks, wetlands and estuaries. It is home to Australia's largest city, Sydney and has the most dense population because of Sydney and other coastal towns within NSW. Sydney has 35 miles of city beaches and 188 miles of shoreline. The NSW north coast is approximately 560 miles long from the Queensland border to Sydney. The NSW north coast receives increasing numbers of visitors each year from overseas, interstate and is a major focus of urban development.

Byron Bay is Australia's most easterly NSW holiday town and located on the far north coast of New South Wales. Situated 800 km north of Sydney and 175 km south of Brisbane Byron Bay is recognised as an international travel destination.

Coffs Harbour is a major coastal NSW holiday resort town located 350 km south of Brisbane and 570 km north of Sydney. Coffs Harbour is famous for its fishing and bananas.

Situated off the Coffs coast far out to sea is the cresent-shaped Lord Howe Island, one of Australia's tiniest NSW holiday treasures.

Sydney was born as a penal colony by Captain Phillip in 1788 and is the oldest Australian city. Sydney is an excellent NSW holiday destination packed with restaurants, hotels, music, arts and shopping to rival any city in the world. The Sydney Harbour and beaches gives Sydney its natural beauty. Sydney is a good starting point for a few days relaxing on the beach soaking up the sun or doing some shopping, then there are many places to visit a short drive out of Sydney like the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury River, Central Coast, Newcastle and Southern Highlands to name a few. You can also drive all the way to Brisbane or Melbourne if you are feeling ambitious.

The Rocks is the area of Captain Phillip's first settlement and reminds you of the convict days in Sydney with the restored old buildings. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House are the icons of Sydney located next to The Rocks. Today the Rocks is a great place to shop for Australian merchandise, sit at a harbourside restaurant or explore Sydney's past.

The modern section of Sydney is located in Darling Harbour, not far from The Rocks and Sydney central business district. Visitors can enjoy a drink or meal at one of the many waterside restaurants and cafes, stroll the harbour foreshores, or enjoy the many festivals and events held throughout the year.

Manly is the first of Sydney's Northern Beaches and is easily accessible from downtown Sydney by ferry, sitting on an isthmus between the harbour's calm waters and the South Pacific ocean.

Bondi Beach is Sydney's main tourist beach and lifeguards patrol the beach every day of the year. Bondi Beach is about 1 km long and located in East Sydney.

NSW tourism in the South Coast includes unspoiled beaches, national parks and whale watching cruises. The South Coast is approximately 250 miles long from the border of Victoria.

Eden located on the NSW South Coast is an area of natural beauty with forest and parklands to the west and golden beaches to the east.

Batemans Bay located on the NSW South Coast boasts some of the most untouched and beautiful coastline in New South Wales.

The NSW Coast offers a vast array of NSW tourism holiday choices for the traveller from the cosmopolitan city of Sydney to the rugged Snowy Mountains, Blue Mountains to the beautiful coastal beaches. The NSW Coastal summers are warm and the winters are mild making the NSW Coast a very favorable climate to live in. Each year NSW tourism benefits the coast from increasing numbers of visitors from interstate and overseas.