New South Wales
★★★½
Hotel reviews
This no-frills bush retreat just got a luxe upgrade
Eco wellness stay Billabong Retreat just got a flush $1.5 million revamp – but there are a few telling signs it’s stayed true to its modest roots.
- by Katherine Scott
Latest
52 Weekends Away: NSW
Want to make sparks fly, or sloth it out? Whether you want to get wild or get pampered, find bucolic bliss or urban buzz, max out that 48-hour window with our annual round-up of bright, beautiful escapes across the country.
Six must-see astronomical sites in NSW
There are many ways to take in the star-spangled universe from rural Australia, but these are surely some of the most dazzling.
- by Brian Johnston
Property investors are hardly hard done by
I cannot feel sorry for Chirayu Shah and his poor, hard-done-by sons. He and others like him who are rich enough to put their spare cash into investment properties have been enjoying massive tax concessions for years.
Editorial
Taxis
Fare’s fair as passengers win in Uber shake-up at Sydney International
Sydney’s cab industry is crying poor over rivals Uber being given kerbside pick-up space at the airport.
- The Herald's View
Fix housing crisis by reducing capital gains
The product of the decision was the creation of a Ponzi scheme where the fastest way to a quick buck was through capital gains on housing. House prices are now more than 10 times the average annual earnings. This investment in housing was not for income from rent but capital gain, and the tax advantages it provides.
Customers don’t enjoy being taken for mugs
Consumers don’t like to be exploited, treated like fools, taken for a ride or hit when they’re down.
Editorial
Education
The importance of proper planning for new suburbs
The failure to plan for public primary schools has allowed the private primary school to steal the march in Sydney’s fast-developing fringe suburbs.
- The Herald's View
‘Blindsided’: Sydney University vice chancellor resists calls for resignation
Internal documents obtained by the Herald reveal he was “blindsided” by the Jewish community’s reaction to a deal to shut down the pro-Palestinian encampment.
- by Daniella White and Lucy Carroll
Sam Mostyn beats Margaret Beazley in The Block: Vice-regal edition
As soon as news first surfaced of a possible royal visit in October, the jockeying began. And it was not confined to the racetrack.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
‘Lost in the crowd’: Is going to a sandstone university worth it?
Students are often motivated by prestige in applying for universities. But that might not be the best metric for choosing a degree.
- by Daniella White
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/new-south-wales-264n