The great road trips of NSW: Greater Blue Mountains itinerary

Leigh Ann Pow Leigh Ann Pow
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Whether you’re after a coastal drive, the sight of a winding road cutting through a barren landscape or the beauty of mountains rolling along the skyline, there are more than enough iconic drives to keep you exploring – here is your go-to guide to driving the Greater Blue Mountains.

The combination of ease of access and natural wonders has seen the Blue Mountains occupy a special place in the heart of Sydneysiders for more than a century. Like a giant backyard, it’s the place they go to immerse themselves in nature, to suck in lungfuls of fresh mountain air and to experience nose-nipping winter cold. The best way to experience its compelling attractions is on a road trip. You can dip in and do day trips or easily spend a few days exploring.

Depart Sydney for mountain highs

Leura

Heading out of Sydney, your ascent into the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park along the Great Western Highway passes by or through a string of quaint villages and towns. Stop for morning tea in Leura, with its pretty main street (known as The Mall) lined with cafes and shops, including Moontree, filled with lovely scented candles and artworks by local artists, the well-stocked Megalong Books, and Josophan’s Fine Chocolate, which makes its sweet treats by hand, including truffles and rocky road.

Leura Mall
Stop for morning tea in Leura and peruse the main strip of shops. (Image: DNSW)

Katoomba

It’s less than five minutes drive from Leura to Katoomba, the bustling heart of the Blue Mountains and home to two of its most famous attractions: Echo Point and The Three Sisters, recognised as a place of cultural significance to the Aboriginal people of the area. Stretch your legs (and work off your Josophan’s purchases) by heading off on the impossibly scenic Three Sisters walk that takes in Lady Game lookout, the Giant Stairway and Honeymoon Bridge, which links to the first rock formation (or sister), or book a walking tour with Tread Lightly Eco Tours.

Echo Point and The Three Sisters
The main attraction in Katoomba has to be Echo Point and The Three Sisters. (Image: DNSW)
Honeymoon Bridge Blue Mountains
The views from Honeymoon Bridge on the Three Sisters walk. (Image: DNSW)

Another non-negotiable Katoomba icon is a ride on Scenic World’s vertiginous Scenic Railway as it plummets through the lush vegetation to the Jamison Valley below.

Scenic World’s Scenic Railway
Don’t miss a ride on Scenic World’s vertiginous Scenic Railway above Jamison Valley. (Image: DNSW)

Stop for a drink or high tea

You can recover from all the heights and hiking with lunch and a glass of something cool at Bar NSW at The Lookout at Echo Point, or book in for a grand high tea (accompanied by equally grand views of the Megalong Valley) at the historic Hydro Majestic in nearby Medlow Bath.

Hydro Majestic high tea
Book high tea at the historic Hydro Majestic in nearby Medlow Bath. (Image: DNSW)

Katoomba to Oberon: for green valleys and caves

Blackheath

If visiting in November you will find the streets of Blackheath lined with colour during the annual rhododendron festival, and the queue outside Anonymous Cafe twice as long as patrons wait for what many consider the best coffee in the Mountains; book Parkside at Blackheath, a gracious 1930s mountain cottage that has been meticulously transformed into a chic place to stay to make a weekend out of it. Passing through the charming town of Blackheath, the Great Western Highway continues on to Mount Victoria, where the road commences to weave its way this way and that down the escarpment at Victoria Pass. Keep one eye on the road and the other on the breathtaking views as you descend.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Spend the night in Hartley

Once the landscape finally evens out, you’ll find yourself driving through wide open countryside dotted with grazing horses and cows (at dawn and twilight the grassy flats are populated with kangaroos, a sight that just never grows old). Stop at Hartley Historic Site, one of the best collections of historic buildings in the country. Visit the art gallery in town and stay overnight in one of the unique heritage properties, such as St Bernard’s Presbytery.

Hartley Historic Site
Stop at Hartley Historic Site, one of the best collections of historic buildings in the country. (Image: DNSW)

Jenolan Caves

When you see the turn off for Oberon coming up on your left, take it. The drive to Jenolan Caves along Jenolan Caves Road takes less than an hour but be sure to book ahead due to Covid-19 restrictions. Billed as ‘Australia’s Most Spectacular Caves’, school excursions here were a rite of passage for generations of NSW kids, and the stalagmites, stalactites and fossils still fascinate. Stay at heritage-listed Caves House for more time to explore. Go on a guided tour of the jaw-dropping caves and bushwalk to spot rare native animals including brush-tailed rock wallabies.

Jenolan Caves tours
Go on a guided tour of the jaw-dropping Jenolan Caves. (Image: DNSW)

Oberon

Another 30 minutes in the car delivers you to the lovely rural community of Oberon, where the headlining attraction is  Mayfield Garden, the largest cool-climate garden in the world. You can spend hours wandering through meticulously manicured gardens, grottoes, woodland plantings, and past fountains, ponds and even a Chinese pagoda. The menu at the on-site cafe uses produce grown in the gardens themselves or supplied by local partners, while the pièce de résistance is the Mayfield Garden Glampsite, which operates during the autumn and comes with the bonus of exclusive early-morning and evening access to the garden.

Stay at Mayfield Garden Glampsite
Stay at Mayfield Garden Glampsite, if you’re visiting during autumn. (Image: DNSW)

Oberon to Bilpin: for crunch time in apple country

The town of Lithgow is the gateway for the Bells Line of Road, which climbs the ridge on the outskirts of town through the thick bush that cascades down into the Grose Valley. The landscape here is still scarred by the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20, but there are signs of regeneration in the green leaves sprouting at odd angles from charred trunks and branches.

Bilpin is the epicentre of apple country
Bilpin is the epicentre of apple country, and the perfect place to fill up a basket. (Image: DNSW)

Stay the night in a garden cottage

Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens at Mount Tomah were thankfully spared from the worst ravages of the fires. Its 28 hectares of curated cool-climate gardens give way to 244 hectares of wilderness within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains. An insider’s secret is that you can actually stay for the night within the gardens at the delightfully named Camellia Cottage.

Bilpin

The sleepy hamlet of Bilpin is the epicentre of apple country, and the perfect place to fill up a basket and take some local produce home. You can pick your own apples straight from the tree at one of the many family-owned-and-run orchards in the area, including Bilpin Springs Orchard or Shields Orchard, or sip the products made from them: Hillbilly Cider offers up sweet ciders and delicious wood-fire pizza or drop in to Bilpin Cider for its Picnic on the Farm baskets (definitely order ahead), which can be enjoyed sitting on the grass behind the cellar door.

Hillbilly Cider
Hillbilly Cider offers up sweet ciders and delicious wood-fired pizza. (Image: DNSW)

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Kurrajong & Richmond

Leaving Bilpin loaded up with apples, you are heading into the lush, green Hawkesbury region, which is earning quite a reputation for the quality of its produce and alcohol. Stop off at Kurrajong Village to browse the eccentric old wares at the Kurrajong Antique Centre, or make time to stroll around the historic centre of Richmond, one of the five original Macquarie Towns established by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1810.

North Richmond and the Hawkesbury River
Views out over North Richmond and the Hawkesbury River. (Image: DNSW)

The Hawkesbury region: for a foodie trail

Now it’s time to indulge in a foodie trail through the towns that thrive on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. Download a Harvest Farm Gate Trail map and follow its path through the likes of Richmond, Windsor, Wilberforce and South Maroota stopping to buy everything from farm-fresh fruit to chestnuts to award-winning meats.

Ebenezer & Grose Vale

Visit Tizzana Winery in the tiny village of Ebenezer (where you should stop in at Ebenezer Church with its cemetery filled with heritage gravestones), which looks like it has been transported straight from Tuscany and produces dry whites and reds from its vines.  For something a little stronger, head to Karu Distillery, in Grose Vale for tastings of a weekend.

Tizzana Winery
Visit Tizzana Winery in the tiny village of Ebenezer. (Image: DNSW)

Sackville

And, as if to prove its foodie credentials, the Hawkesbury has its own local star chef in residence. Martin Boetz’s Cooks Shed is a 20-minute drive from Windsor at Sackville, where the award-winning chef holds dining events out of a stylishly rustic corrugated iron shed.

Cook's Shed in Sackville
Dine at the Cooks Shed in Sackville. (Image: DNSW)

Walk it off at Dharug National Park

Before leaving the area and heading back to Sydney, spend some time in Dharug National Park, where you can walk or ride along the historic Old Great North Road, built by hundreds of convicts between 1826 and 1836. Or stay a little longer by booking a night (or two) floating on a houseboat on the river, sipping your Ironbark Gin and enjoying the quiet.

 

Make sure you stay up to date with the road conditions before you set off with the latest travel alerts at Visit NSW.

Hawkesbury houseboat.
End your trip with a night or more on a houseboat. (Image: DNSW)

Download our beautifully illustrated map of NSW’s best road trips (pictured below) or find the giant wall map inside issue 90 of Australian Traveller magazine.

Map of the best road trips in NSW
Illustration: Mike Rossi

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Leigh Ann Pow

Leigh Ann Pow

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This surprising regional town is making its mark on the culinary world

(Image: Visit Griffith)

    Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
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    With more than 60 nationalities calling it home and a century of Italian influence shaping its paddocks and plates, Griffith is a regional Australian town with serious culinary cred.

    It might feel surprising to learn that Griffith is one of Australia’s leading food destinations. In-the-know Italians have understood this for generations, drawn to the Riverina region’s fertile soils that reminded them of the terrain they’d left behind more than a century ago. These days, Griffith supplies much of the nation’s pantry: 95 per cent of Australia’s prunes come from the region, it’s the country’s largest citrus-growing area, and it’s a leading producer of almonds and walnuts. Even the pickles in every McDonald’s burger nationwide are produced in Griffith. This is not just a farming town; the Griffith food scene is leading the way.

    Here, culinary confidence is rooted in migration. Italian families began arriving from 1913, with a second wave settling after the Second World War. Today, Griffith has the highest proportion of Italian ancestry of any Local Government Area in Australia. Add to that more than 60 nationalities represented across the community and you have a town where food is driven not by trends, but by tradition. Griffith’s motto, ‘Taste our culture’, isn’t marketing spin; it’s the reality.

    Where the vines tell a story

    A hand pouring wine into a glass, with a table filled with food.
    Uncover the stories behind every glass. (Image: Destination NSW)

    The Riverina has long been dubbed the food bowl of Australia, but it’s also a wine region that remains largely under the radar. What sets Griffith apart is that every one of its wineries is family-owned, many spanning generations.

    Calabria Family Wines is one of the region’s standard-bearers. The Calabria story began in 1945 when Francesco Calabria planted his first vines; today, the family continues to shape the region’s identity while also stewarding the historic McWilliam’s Wines brand. McWilliam’s was the first winery to plant vines in the area, and its barrel-shaped cellar door – complete with a soaring stained-glass window – remains one of the most distinctive in regional NSW.

    Yarran Wines, run by the Brewer family, showcases estate-grown fruit across Mediterranean varietals that thrive in the warm climate. Expect bold reds and textured whites that reflect both heritage and innovation.

    Set inside the old ambulance station, Harvest HQ is owned and operated by the Riverina Winemakers Association and pours a rotating selection of local wines under one roof. It also features spirits from The Aisling Distillery, reinforcing the region’s collaborative approach to craft.

    At the table

    A flat lay of a steak.
    Dine where tradition meets a bold new generation. (Image: Visit Griffith)

    If the vineyards tell one story, the dining rooms tell another. Griffith’s restaurants are where tradition and next-gen confidence meet.

    Zecca Handmade Italian occupies the former Rural Bank building, an imposing Art Deco landmark from the late 1930s. ‘Zecca’ means money print, and the name is a nod to the Zecca di Venezia in Venice. Here, find the Riverina’s only producer of dried artisan pasta and traditional Italian recipes. Importantly, the growers and producers supplying the kitchen are listed on the menu as a transparent expression of the region’s farm-to-table ethos.

    Established in 1977 and still run by the Vico family, La Scala puts authentic Italian cuisine on centre stage. Expect handmade pasta, traditional wood-fired pizzas, slow-cooked sauces and dishes that follow recipes guarded like family heirlooms. For something more contemporary, Bull & Bell in Gem Hotel is a shrine to the Euro-style steakhouse that works closely with local farmers and artisans to showcase Riverina produce.

    And then there are the institutions. Bertoldo’s Pasticceria, now in its third generation, draws locals daily for cannoli, biscotti, crostoli and house-made gelato, alongside classic sausage rolls and potato pies. La Piccola Grosseria feels like stepping into an Italian alimentari, its shelves lined with continental goods that wouldn’t feel out of place in Puglia.

    Meanwhile, Limone celebrates local and seasonal produce across breakfast and lunch menus, enriched by the produce and stories of Piccolo Family Farm. Find pastries and sourdough baked daily, and pop into the onsite retail pantry for products from regional producers – including the Piccolo family’s own wine range, Caro Piccolo.

    From the source

    A plated Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod dish.
    Taste world-renowned Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod, straight from its source. (Image: Visit Griffith)

    Behind every menu is a producer. Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod is perhaps Griffith’s most high-profile export; the brand’s Murray cod and Aquna Gold Murray Cod Caviar have achieved global recognition. In October 2024, Aquna presented its products to King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the NSW Premier’s Community BBQ in Parramatta. Impressed by the producer’s sustainable farming practices, the King requested the cod be sent to Buckingham Palace – not bad for a fish farm in regional NSW.

    Mandolé Orchard champions almonds grown on a family-run farm, transforming them into almond milk and value-added products. At Morella Grove, olives are pressed into premium olive oil and pantry staples that speak to Griffith’s Mediterranean heart. These producers are not peripheral; they are central to the town’s culinary ecosystem. Learn about local sustainable farming practices during a farm tour.

    Mark your calendar

    A woman walking past a food mural, something you can spot during A Taste of Italy Griffith.
    Plan your visit around A Taste of Italy Griffith. (Image: Visit Griffith)

    For a town that helps stock Australia’s supermarkets, Griffith has remained curiously absent from the national dining conversation. That’s beginning to change. If you’ve been searching for a regional food destination with substance, heritage and a clear sense of identity, you’ll find it here in the Riverina, right under your nose.

    Time your visit to the Riverina region to coincide with A Taste of Italy Griffith, held every August. This week-long celebration of Italian heritage and culture offers a wide range of Italian-inspired events and experiences to enjoy. Expect long-table lunches, wine tasting experiences, cooking classes and a Makers in the Piazza market. The headline event is a ticketed long lunch – Festa delle Salsicce (Salami Festival) – where winners of the best salami are announced.

    Start planning your foodie getaway at visitgriffith.com.au.