Left Easter plans late? Nine ideas for a quick getaway or staying put

If you’ve left your Easter long weekend plans to the last minute, there’s still time to make the most of your downtime with adventures, hotel bookings and new experiences in Sydney and greater NSW. Here’s our guide.

To embrace the country from the big smoke…

Fresh scones from the CWA stand at the Royal Easter Show.Credit: Christopher Pearce

It’s in the name for a reason – the Sydney Royal Easter Show, which runs until April 22, is a cornucopia of thrills, barnyard spectacles and country class over the entire holiday period (eastershow.com.au). Between the nightly bison stampede performance, livestock judging and epic produce displays across the pavilions, you’ll feel like you’re escaping to the country without leaving Greater Sydney. Public transport to the Sydney Olympic Park extravaganza is free with your ticket purchase, so leave the car and make the most of those CWA scones and chip-on-a-stick snacking opportunities. Day tickets from $48.

To enjoy a tent-based escape…

Last-minute availability at the Assistant Lighthouse Keepers Cottage at Reflections Norah Head, on the Central Coast.

There are still campsites available at grounds run by NSW Parks, including Shelly Beach campground at Myall Lakes near Newcastle, dog-friendly Willbriggie North and South campgrounds on the Murrumbidgee River south of Griffith, and at the red dirt Mount Wood campground within Sturt National Park: book online (nationalparks.nsw.gov.au). Discovery Parks have non-campsite (that is, cabins, safari tents and villas) availability at Narooma, Ulladulla, Forster, Moama and Jindabyne properties, with discounts for G’day Rewards members. Reflections Cudgegong River, near Mudgee, still has bushcamp sites available from $40, and the Assistant Lighthouse Keepers Cottage at Reflections Norah Head, on the Central Coast – which hosts up to nine people – is available from $938 per night (reflectionsholidays.com.au).

To soak up paradise down south…

Nearer the beaches, Casita in Batehaven, near Batemans Bay, has availability on Sunday and Monday for its two-bedroom, full-kitchen rooms (casitamotel.com.au), while Queen Street’s The Berry View in (you guessed it) Berry has a few sepia-toned rooms free for nights over the weekend (theberryview.com.au). While you’re down that way, 200 stallholders will be selling their wares at the Good Friday Easter Market at Milton Showground. On Sunday, Huskisson’s White Sands Park will come to life for the Blak Markets, with a program of events – including weaving circle and two performances by the Djiriba Waagura Traditional Dancers – alongside 20-plus stalls selling goods from the South Coast First Nations community (blakmarkets.com.au).

To stay in the city…

Paramount House Hotel’s Mac Daddy suite.Credit: Nikki To

Song Hotel (songhotels.com.au), on the fringe of Hyde Park, has deluxe king rooms from $283 a night including a complimentary hot breakfast – plus, all profits from your booking go towards supporting women through the work of YWCA Australia. Glitzy Paramount House Hotel in Surry Hills, with bright rooftop terrace and ground-floor cafe, has rooms for the weekend from $390 a night, complete with terrazzo bathrooms and sumptuous robes above the Golden Age Cinema (paramounthousehotel.com). Hotel Woolstore 1888 in Pyrmont (accor.com) is running an Easter weekend special with daily breakfast, Easter-inspired welcome drink, parking and late checkout from $332 a night.

To make the most of the last burst of warmth…

Post-surf drinks at Sandy’s URBNSURF.Credit: James Brickwood

Catch a wave at URBNSURF in western Sydney, where seasoned surfers and grommets alike can book in for timed sessions to ride perfectly crafted crests on repeat day and night and then munch on crispy fish burgers and charred cabbage burritos at Sandy’s once out of the suds (urbnsurf.com). More interested in the undulating open ocean? Book in for a snorkelling tour at Cabbage Tree Bay in Manly, where you’ll be guided towards colourful marine life hiding amid seagrass forests, followed by a nature walk over two-and-a-half-hours (ecotreasures.com.au/tours).

To taste something New(castle) and delicious…

High tea at Crystalbrook Kingsley for Newcastle Good Food Month.

Newcastle Food Month (newcastlefoodmonth.com.au) takes over the city and 80 of its culinary venues for the month of April, with a number of heavy-hitter events over the Easter long weekend and holiday break. Enjoy high tea at Crystalbrook Kingsley (scones, unlimited tea and a glass of sparkling included), or embrace a five-course nose-to-tail dinner at centrally located Crown and Anchor Hotel. The program runs until April 30.

To traverse new treks...

Minyon Falls along the Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk.

The new Grand Cliff Top Walk in the Blue Mountains encompasses 19 kilometres of trekking paths designed to do over two days or in shorter stints, starting in Wentworth Falls and finishing in Katoomba, where you can promptly gather yourself at Fidelity Coffee (fidelitycoffee.com) with strong flat whites and croissants all weekend. Spy the Three Sisters, raging waterfalls, quirky villages and the yellow-tailed black cockatoos that are prevalent and culturally important along this walk on Gundungurra Country.

Further north, in the Tweed Byron Hinterland, the new four-day Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk (which translates to “old people’s track”) is a great fit for the four-day long weekend. Traversing 42 kilometres of Gondwanan rainforest, the hike – located one hour’s drive from Byron Bay – covers ancient volcanic formations, breathtaking waterfalls, and covers traditional Bundjalung tracks in Mount Jerusalem and Nightcap national parks as well as the Whian Whian State Conservation Area (nationalparks.nsw.gov.au).

To skip town altogether…

It’s not too late to wing it out of state. Qantas is offering flights to Melbourne from $416 and the Gold Coast from $492 one-way, while Virgin has $288 flights to Launceston on Saturday and Jetstar is flying to Ballina (Byron Bay) from $349 one-way. Flight Centre is offering seven nights at the Mercure Bali Legian from $495 a person or at Silkari Lagoons Port Douglas from $413 a person, while Jetstar packages to Bali start from $1500, including flights, and Queenstown, New Zealand, from $2300 for the long weekend.