One of Lake Macquarie’s most popular waterfronts just got a major makeover.
Sweeping surf beaches with unique rock formations, scenic walking tracks, incredible dining options, a laid-back atmosphere: there are plenty of reasons to holiday in Lake Macquarie. But one of the most fascinating features, and the area’s namesake, is Australia’s largest coastal saltwater lake – and the water’s edge just got a $2.8 million makeover.
Exploring the lake
Take a boat tour, or push out on your own. (Credit: Destination NSW)
This expansive lake cuts a striking, irregular shape through the land. Connected to the Tasman Sea via the Swansea Channel, its calm waters are perfect for watersports. You’ll find plenty of places to hire kayaks or stand-up paddleboards, or join a tour – there are even night-time tour options.
It’s also a renowned boating and sailing destination (whether you’re heading out in your own, or joining a tour), which makes this renewed wharf even more exciting.
“Enjoying the lake is a pivotal part of life in Lake Macquarie, so it’s critical we continue to deliver modern, accessible infrastructure that makes it easy for our community to get on and around the water and do what they love," said Lake Macquarie Mayor, Adam Shultz.
The new Belmont wharf
The new wharf is longer and better.
For the last 50 years, Belmont has enjoyed a timber jetty, jutting out into the lake. This has quickly become one of the most popular waterfront hubs in the area, offering waterfront dining, scenic walks and biking trails and plenty of watersports.
Now, it’s been upgraded to be longer, stronger and better equipped to weather the elements. Not to mention, a new pump-out facility to help protect the environment (also great news for swimmers diving into the 70-metre netted Belmont Baths).
“This new wharf will serve the community for many years to come, offering a purpose-built place to access activities on the lake and take in the spectacular scenery," said Shultz.
“Lake Macquarie is made for days on the water, and now Belmont Street has a wharf to match," agreed Minister for the Hunter and Member for Swansea Yasmin Catley.
The wharf is a great, scenic stop along the popular seven-kilometre walking/cycling track Green Point Foreshore Reserve. Follow the lake foreshore between Belmont and Valentine, through bushland and ocean boardwalks, learning local history along the way.
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Things to do in Belmont
Follow the seven-kilometre Green Point Foreshore Reserve. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Of course, the new wharf isn’t the only reason to stop in Belmont.
Once a BHP mining site, the Belmont Wetlands take up 240 hectares of a larger coastal reserve. The perfect place for bird watching, with over 140 native and naturalised bird species having been spotted there. Keep your eyes peeled as you follow the Fernleigh Awabakal Shared Track, wandering over raised platforms and walk/cycling paths.
Belmont 16s Sailing Club is popular with locals and visitors for delicious meals served with a side of lake-edge views. There are a few options to choose from. For the best views and casual bites, stop into Martha Drink & Dine, or try fresh seasonal meals at the over-water SALT Kitchen. Just need a coffee fix? Pop into Good One, it’s a local favourite.
The details
The old wooden wharf stood for just over 50 years. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Where: Brooks Parade, Belmont When: Open now.
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Kassia Byrnes is the Native Content Editor for Australian Traveller and International Traveller. She's come a long way since writing in her diary about family trips to Grandma's. After graduating a BA of Communication from University of Technology Sydney, she has been writing about her travels (and more) professionally for over 10 years for titles like AWOL, News.com.au, Pedestrian.TV, Body + Soul and Punkee. She's addicted to travel but has a terrible sense of direction, so you can usually find her getting lost somewhere new around the world. Luckily, she loves to explore and have new adventures – whether that’s exploring the backstreets, bungee jumping off a bridge or hiking for days. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @probably_kassia.
The Southern Highlands earns its title as Australia’s top country town in the cooler months, and it’s worth every minute of the 90-minute drive from Sydney.
Many Sydneysiders head to the Southern Highlands in spring for the tulips. It’s one of the most stunning spring carnivals in Australia. But the ones in the know come to Bowral in winter.
The first thing you notice at this time of year is the quality of the light. It catches the tangled limbs of the gums and tints the fields, farms and forests a pretty shade of Granny Smith green. And then, a world-class art museum, an impressive network of walking trails, great shops, cosy restaurants and bars and luxury accommodation take centre stage, making Bowral a place you want to linger as the mercury drops.
Just 90 minutes south of Sydney, a Bowral winter getaway is the coolcation city folk desperately need. Here are eight reasons to pack a good coat and head for the Southern Highlands.
1. Check in
Check in to the gorgeous Ardour Milton Park Bowral. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Ardour Milton Park Bowral rises like a hologram in the hazy green light as you turn onto Horderns Road. A $10 million refurbishment of the grand 1910 estate was completed in early 2026, and the beautifully restored hotel now includes 44 guest rooms washed in sage green, cobalt blue and dusty blush. The dining room at Horderns Restaurant continues with a botanical theme – earthy banquettes, floral touches throughout – and a menu that moves with the seasons.
After enjoying slow-braised Cowra lamb and a second glass of red, move to the Polo Bar, which has a fireplace and views across the estate gardens. Build a grazing board from the dedicated Charcuterie Room and take it outside while the light lasts. If the sky clouds over, use this as your cue to enjoy a next-level spa experience at Èliva.
2. Hunt for treasure
Find vintage treasures in Dirty Janes. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Winter is the perfect season to lose an afternoon inside Dirty Janes Bowral. Over 1600 square metres of covered space houses 90 individual sellers of everything from mid-century furniture to industrial lighting, antique silverware, vintage clothing and objects whose previous lives you can only imagine. Enjoy a bit of off-the-cuff banter with your fellow fossickers in between searching for that must-have military jacket or vintage silk scarf.
Around the corner, find the Instagram-famous front door of FoundAntiques, though the real finds are deeper inside. Bring cash, wear comfortable shoes and leave some room in the boot.
3. Slow down in a beautiful gallery
Learn about an Aussie legend at The Bradman Museum. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Ngununggula – meaning ’belonging’ in the language of the Gundungurra First Nations people – is the region’s first dedicated regional gallery, housed inside the sustainably transformed old dairy building at historic Retford Park. The onsite White Cottage Gallery and restored grounds of the former Fairfax estate reward a slow wander. Find a spot to sit in the courtyard filled with rivulets of winter light and enjoy the plaintive call of a currawong carrying across the heritage-listed grounds. It’s one of the best things to do in Bowral.
Add Bowral Honey Farm for a hands-on harvest experience, then continue into town to the Milk Factory Gallery to admire eclectic works by local artists in a converted industrial space. The Bradman Museum also knocks it out of the park. Australia’s largest dedicated cricket museum sits beside the heritage-listed Bradman Oval, where a young Sir Donald Bradman first picked up a bat.
4. A taste of France
Enjoy a taste of France at Lucette.
For a taste of France without the airfare, husband-and-wife team Julien and Romy Besnard – of long-loved Franquette Crêperie – have opened Lucette, a French cafe-bistro with Paris-born chef Guillaume Dubois at the helm. Dubois brings serious pedigree from Michelin-starred kitchens in France and Sydney’s former two-hatted Monopole, and it shows. Start your day with pastries for breakfast and bookend it with boeuf bourguignon for dinner. The chocolate mousse, freckled with Guerande Salt, is the kind of dish that will make you feel smug about the decision to drive south. Join the Sydneysiders dressed in charcoal coats, boots and black tights who’ve already worked this out; the whole scene is worthy of splicing it into an Instagram reel.
Francophiles should also be across Julien’s Bowral Brasserie – led by Frenchman Julien Viel, who also found his way to the Southern Highlands and stayed.
5. Indulge in a tipple
Spend time amongst the local vines. (Credit: Destination NSW)
The drive to Centennial Vineyards passes through a beautiful woodland idyll, the countryside a fuzz of green all around. Inside the Barrel Room, a tasting flight of cool-climate pinot noir, chardonnay and reserve shiraz viognier flaunts how well the Southern Highlands does winter.
This is a region that takes its cool-climate wines seriously, and the pinot noir is one of the stars – a gentle, easy-drinking style with red cherry aromas. Follow your tutored cellar door tasting with another glass of wine in the Terrace Bar, which overlooks the vineyard and manicured grounds.
6. Blend your own gin
Pop into Millsheds Distillery & Bar. (Credit: Mattia Panunzio)
Millsheds Distillery & Bar is somewhat of a local secret. The award-winning small-batch operation produces gin, vodka and liqueurs using Australian botanicals and has picked up silver medals at both the London Spirits Competition and International Wine & Spirit Competition. Beyond the tasting paddle, the hands-on blending masterclass – where you design and leave with two bottles of your own custom gin – is the experience to book, while the terrace bar that wraps around the courtyard is a fine place to settle in afterwards.
7. Go for a walk at dawn
Switch your phone off sleep mode and set your alarm to early. Mt Gibraltar rises to 864 metres just east of Bowral’s main street and offers the best views in town. You will pass a raggle-taggle bunch of hikers on the way up to the summit, all making the same quiet pilgrimage into the crisp high-altitude air. On a clear morning, the bony ridges of the ranges come into sharp relief against the light. The return loop takes roughly 90 minutes. A flat white in Bowral tastes considerably better after completing one of the scenic walking trails.
8. Cosy up by the fireplace
Get cosy in the Berida Hotel’s whiskey bar.
A cosy bar is the perfect complement to winter in Bowral, and there are a few worth committing to. Aspinalls Whisky Bar & Lounge at the Berida Hotel is built for long, languorous evenings. Take a seat beside the fireplace laden with gnarled logs and work your way through a few whiskies and bar bites like Rangers Valley beef tartare, or salt cod and potato croquettes.
At Hickory’s within Peppers Craigieburn, well-dressed waiters in denim and leather move quietly between tables, and the cosy fireplace in the adjoining guest lounge attracts an Escape to the Country crowd.
