ESCAPE FROM THE CITY

Find MOUNTAIN VIEWS, empty beaches, farm-gate trails, and remote WILDERNESS just a STONE’S THROW from Sydney.

The seaside city of Newcastle, just north of the Central Coast and 2.5 hours by train from the city, has beaches to play on, ocean pools to swim in, lots of outdoor activities and walks, and wildlife galore at Blackbutt Reserve, filled with koalas, wombats, kangaroos and emus among others.

BLUE MOUNTAINS

The Blue Mountains start an hour from the city, and are easily reached by train, which snakes through cute towns and pristine bushland (the whole place is part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park) as it climbs to the hub of Katoomba. Stop here on the land of the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples to see theThree Sisters and learn the Dreamtime story of siblings Meehni,Wimlah and Gunnedoo, shout a coo-ee at Echo Point and ride the vertiginous Scenic Railway, Skyway or Cableway (scenicworld.com.au) into and over the lush Jamison Valley.

KIAMA

The Illawarra town of Kiama is less than two hours’ drive from Sydney but its laid-back vibe is a world away. Visitors throng to the natural wonder of the Blowhole to watch water shoot up in the air, but the Little Blow Hole, a 40-minute walk away along the coast, is less crowded and more consistent and showy than its big cousin.

BILPIN & THE HAWKESBURY An easy 1.5-hour drive from the city, past charming towns like Richmond and Kurrajong (all part of the Hawkesbury region), is the hamlet of Bilpin. It’s all about apples here; visit one of the familyrun orchards to pick your own fruit, before grabbing a table on the grass at Hillbilly Cider for wood-fired pizzas and cider, and popping into the iconic Fruit Bowl for a Pink Lady apple pie for the journey back .

BERRIMA

Take a journey back in time to the quaint historic Southern Highlands village of Berrima, with its sandstone buildings and tree-shaded green, for a day of browsing the shops (the Lolly Swagman will be a hit), navigating the hedge maze at the grand Harper’s Mansion (nationaltrust.org.au) and staying up late for a ghost tour of the historic Courthouse, said to be one of the most haunted buildings in the country (appighosthunts.com).

GREAT MACKEREL BEACH

The Northern Beaches hamlet of Great Mackerel Beach, which sits within Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, boasts an unspoilt beach, lush vegetation and cute wildlife that suggest beach days of old.There is no road access so a trip to the beach comes with the added bonus of a 30-minute ferry ride from Palm Beach (fantasea.com.au).