National Parks and Nature Reserves
Approximately half of Australian Capital Territory consists of nature reserves and national parks. Just 40km (25 miles) southwest of the capital, the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve in Tharwa, near the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, features a wealth of Australian fauna and wildlife in a natural bush setting. The park is open daily and a number of bushwalking trails are provided where visitors can observe kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, platypus, bush birds and water birds in their natural habitat; visitors are able to watch native birds being fed. Further south is the Namadgi National Park, which is part of the Snowy Mountains and offers spectacular views and walking tracks.

The park contains a number of prehistoric sites with Aboriginal rock paintings as well as a variety of rare sub-alpine species of flora and fauna. The Jerrabomberra Wetlands, a well-known bird and wildlife sanctuary, are situated on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin. During drought in inland Australia, the wetlands, one of the most important bird habitats in the region, become a refuge for large numbers of water birds from surrounding areas. The Murrumbidgee River flows from the mountains in the south through the ACT; the Murrumbidgee River Corridor is a designated park area, popular for picnicking, walking and horseriding. For further information contact the Environment ACT helpline.

New South Wales
New South Wales is perhaps the most varied of all the States. The landscape ranges from snow-capped mountains with excellent skiing facilities to long, golden sandy beaches, and from the utter emptiness of the Outback to the cosmopolitan vitality of the State capital, Sydney.

Sydney
The State capital is perhaps best known abroad for the Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point, a building whose distinctive shape is echoed by the sails of the boats in the almost equally famous Sydney Harbour. Tours of the Opera House are available daily (0830-1700), except Christmas Day and Good Friday. The Opera House hosts many of Australia’s opera, ballet and theater companies and symphony orchestras. Sydney is also a major commercial and business center with first-class conference and exhibition facilities. The city-center skyline rivals that of Manhattan, with the added attraction that Sydney is far more likely to be seen under a clear blue sky. There is a spectacular view of the city and its surroundings from the 305m-high (1000ft) Sydney Tower above the Centerpoint Shopping Complex (daily 0900-2145).

The city has a great number of concert halls, museums, art galleries and theaters. Among the many other interesting sights Sydney has to offer are the Harbour Bridge (the third-longest single span bridge in the world), Taronga Zoo, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Museum. The Rocks area (the site of Australia’s first European settlement) has been largely restored to its original state and features cobbled streets, gas lamps, craft shops and small restaurants. This district of the city also contains one of Sydney’s oldest buildings, Cadman’s Cottage (1816), as well as the ‘Lord Nelson’ and the ‘Hero of Waterloo’, the city’s oldest pubs. Tours around Olympic Park - venue of the 2000 Olympic Games - have become a popular visitor attraction, and include a visit to the Olympic Village.

Apart from exploring various quarters such as Chinatown, Paddington and Kings Cross on foot, there is Darling Harbour, one of Sydney’s newest precincts, which is a five-minute monorail ride from the city center. This bustling area contains numerous attractions including the Harbourside Shopping Center, Gavala Aboriginal and Cultural Education Center, Panasonic IMAX Theater, the Chinese Garden, the Powerhouse Museum (design and science), the National Maritime Museum, Cockle Bay Wharf and the Sydney Aquarium. The city can also be enjoyed from the water, with harbor cruises departing from Circular Quay.

Other ways of seeing the city are from the bright red Sydney Explorer Bus which stops at 26 popular tourist spots on its 36km (22-mile) loop around the city, from the monorail train, or from a scenic flight aboard a seaplane or helicopter. The city has many beautiful green spaces including Hyde Park, The Domain and Centennial Park as well as the stunning Botanic Gardens with views of the Bridge, Opera House and Harbour. Sydney is also justly famous for its many excellent beaches in and around the city, such as Manly, on the north shore (15 minutes by JetCat), or Bondi, Watson’s Bay, Bronte, Clovelly or Coogee to the south. Most beaches are within reach of public transport. For reasons of safety, people should swim in the areas marked with flags only. Botany Bay, the first foothold of British settlers, is still a botanist’s delight with mangrove swamps and native wildlife as well as museums and picturesque walks.

Beyond Sydney
New South Wales caters for all kinds of holiday, whatever the time of year. Visits to the Hunter Valley wine district and the Blue Mountains (a World Heritage Listed National Park), to the west of Sydney, are highly recommended. Home to famous wine makers such as Wyndham Estate, Rosemount and McGuigans, the Hunter Valley has over 80 wineries and many restaurants. Nearby Port Stephens is a great spot for watersports and dolphin and whale watching. Lightning Ridge, to the northwest, is a frontier town where the world’s only source of black opal is to be found. The region of the Snowy Mountains in the southeast of the State, including Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest peak, is popular during the skiing season (June-October) as well as in summer for bushwalking. Resorts in the Snowy Mountain region include Thredbo and Perisher Blue, the latter incorporating Guthega, Perisher Valley, Blue Cow and Smiggins.

Uncommercialized and unpretentious, Broken Hill and the surrounding national parks of the New South Wales outback offer a taste of the original Australian wilderness. Featuring ancient landscapes, aboriginal culture and unusual flora and fauna, they are among the hightlights of the region. The Menindee Lakes, 113km (70 miles) from the town by a good road, cover an area of water eight times the size of Sydney Harbour with an abundance of birdlife and provide a major attraction for motor boat and sailing craft owners.