Secret NSW bush holiday spots revealed
THE beach once reigned supreme as a favourite holiday destination but many families are swapping the beach for the bush and seeking a tree change this summer. Here are some of the best destinations.
NSW
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THE beach once reigned supreme as a favourite holiday destination but many families are swapping the beach for the bush and seeking a tree change this summer.
A growing number of NSW travellers are set to leave the coast behind this Christmas break, with new online search data revealing interest has spiked in leafy inland regions such as the Parks, Albury and the Blue Mountains.
It comes after National Visitor Survey data showed Australians are holidaying at home in record numbers.
Spending by Australian tourists at home reached a record $63.7 billion, up 7 per cent on the previous year.
For many Sydneysiders looking to escape the drudgery of city life, the fresh air and often welcome lack of mobile reception in the country offers a relaxing time out.
Located 362km northwest of Sydney, the quirky regional town of Parkes doesn’t seem a likely summer break hotspot. And yet search interest soared 180 per cent in the run-in to the end-of-year getaway planning period.
Parkes is known for its world-famous CSIRO satellite, “The Dish”, and its annual Elvis Festival, which in 2018 runs from January 10-14.
Meanwhile, the Snowy Mountains towns of Jindabyne and Cooma in the state’s south also saw interest grow by 130 per cent and 140 per cent respectively, according to the Wotif.com data.
Goulburn was another big tree-change temptation, the wotif data revealed, with searches surging by 115 per cent. Besides its big merino, Australia’s first inland city also puts travellers within a short hop of the magnificent Wombeyan Caves.
And for the best of water sports and beautiful bushland, Tuncurry, just four hours north of Sydney on the mid-north coast, is proving increasingly popular. Searches for the coastal town, with its proximity to beaches and lakes as well as bushland, jumped by 95 per cent.
The twin towns of Nowra and Bomaderry, 160km south of Sydney and in proximity to the Shoalhaven River, also proved increasingly popular, with searches jumping by 55 per cent.
Even Albury, right on the Murray River at the Victorian border and 600km inland from Sydney, is proving increasingly attractive to holiday-makers, with searches jumping by 55 per cent.
Also seeing increased search interest of 55 per cent were the picturesque towns of Katoomba and Leura, home to beautiful Everglades Historic House and Gardens, the Three Sisters and Scenic Railway.
Moorebank mum-of-three Rebecca Zammit, 38, knows why. She and her family visit the Blue Mountains area at least three times every year.
“It really appeals to us so I feel like it’s going to appeal to others as well,” she said.
“ You tend to think most people want to go coastal but I think the nice thing about it is you can go any time of the year.
“Getting away from the city is good — it’s a slower pace out here,” Ms Zammit said. “It’s an easy drive and you’re away from everything city-related.”
Having a variety of outdoor activities in a relatively small area is also part of what draws the family back to the stunning region.
“We just walk along the easier paths and we don’t mind strolling down Leura Mall and grabbing a coffee down there,” Ms Zammit said.
“For the kids, it’s the wide open spaces. It’s the freedom to run around with nature.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said the state’s “captivating country hospitality” and “rural charm” underpinned another record year for tourism.
“The proof is in the pudding; our regional visitor economy is stronger than ever,” Mr Barilaro said.
“Our great state attracted 31 million overnight visitors from around Australia in the last 12 months (to the end of September 2017) and they spent a record $18.1 billion during their stay.” And he said visitors were increasingly going bush.
“Rural and regional NSW was an exemplary host, welcoming nearly 22 million domestic overnight visitors — more than ever before — and for the first time, these visitors spent more than $11 billion in our local communities.”
Mr Barilaro said visitor spend in rural and regional NSW “grew at more than double the rate of regional Australia”, up a solid 11.7 per cent over the last 12 months.
“This equated to an additional $1.2 billion flowing to rural and regional NSW.”