Get excited to travel in the beauty of New South Wales – regional travel is back on the cards and we know you’re itching to hit the road. With natural beauty in bucketloads, what are you waiting for? Load up your caravan and make sure you check out some of Caravanning’s favourite spots off the beaten track.
Lightning Ridge, Walgett Shire
Home to the rare black opal, this township offers majestic landscapes, history and even artesian bore-heated baths for some outback luxury. These baths contain water that is approximately two million years old and is sent to the surface through an artesian bore, where it maintains a steamy temperature of 50 degrees Celsius. Discover how a working opal mine operates on a guided tour at The Big Opal, go fossicking or fish on the Darling River.
The Living Desert and Sculptures, Broken Hill
Nestled among the Barrier Ranges, about 12 kilometres from the city of Broken Hill, The Living Desert is an eco-project designed to encourage better ecosystem and sustainability management. On top of the highest hill in the reserve stand 12 sandstone sculptures created by a group of artists to express Broken Hill’s relationship with art and nature. There are also Sanctuary Cultural Walk Trails, where you can see wildflowers, native plants, quartz outcrops and pieces of Aboriginal heritage.
Bungonia National Park, Bungonia
Forty kilometres east of Goulburn lies Bungonia National Park, a rugged landscape of plunging gorges, limestone caves and steep ravines. It’s a hotspot for outdoors sports, such as hiking, abseiling, caving, canyoning and climbing. Shoalhaven River curves through the park, disappearing into the Morton wilderness, and is truly a stunning sight for visitors. Pack a picnic for the day, go for a hike and enjoy the jaw-dropping views from either The Lookdown lookout or Adams Lookout – whichever you choose, you won’t be disappointed, as they are both just as beautiful as each other.
Pictured is Lightning Ridge, Walgett Shire, New South Wales.
Image courtesy of iStock-1147301382.