Southern Highlands

Belmore Falls, Southern Highlands

The Southern Highlands is southwest of Sydney in New South Wales.

Towns

Several towns in the southern highlands have a choice of accommodation, restaurants, large variety of services.

• 1 Bowral – largest town in the region; Don Bradman's hometown
• 2 Braidwood – small historic town with most buildings from the 1850s (which is considered historic in the modern New South Wales context)
• 3 Goulburn – regional centre and a popular roadside stopover destination, home to the Big Merino.
• 4 Mittagong
• 5 Moss Vale
• 6 Picton
• 7 Queanbeyan An effective suburb of the nation's capital Canberra, but part of New South Wales
• 8 Yass

Smaller towns and villages

Smaller towns and villages offer general stores, cafes, and other local attractions.

• 9 Berrima
• 10 Bundanoon
• 11 Bungendore
• 12 Collector
• 13 Exeter
• 14 Gundaroo
• 15 Marulan
• 16 Penrose
• 17 Robertson
• 18 Yerrinbool

Other destinations

• 1 Bungonia National Park – limestone cliffs and quarries, plus one beautiful slot canyon.
• 2 Dharawal National Park
• 3 Guula Ngurra National Park – one of the state's newer national parks.
• 4 Morton National Park
• 5 Thirlmere Lakes National Park – UNESCO World Heritage Site with eye-catching lakes.

Understand

The Southern Highlands is within commuting distance of Sydney and is popular for weekends away from Sydney. It is a cooler climate than Sydney. It has more identifiable seasons than Sydney, with a cooler spring, and leaves falling in Autumn.

Get in

Moss Vale's historic railway station, and Endeavour Railcar that services the Southern Highlands Line

Route diagram of the Southern Highlands Line – note that most services terminate at Campbelltown

The district can be reached by train from Sydney and by car via the Hume Highway. Allow 80 minutes to travel by car from Sydney to Bowral unless driving on a weekday afternoon when an additional 30-45 minutes will be needed. Friday afternoon traffic can be particularly bad.

Get around

By car

Private car is the easiest way to travel around the villages of the Southern Highlands.

By bicycle

Cycling around the many country lanes and national parks can be a pleasant way to see the area. Moss Vale and Bowral are linked by a pleasant cycleway by the river. Mittagong to Bowral is more problematic, with the highspeed four lane road being the only route past Mt Gibraltar without going over it!

By public transport

The region has a local bus company , which also connects to Nowra allowing access to the Shoalhaven.

See

Tulip at Corbett Gardens, Bowral

• The Morton National Park has view, waterfalls, cliffs, bushwalks, and picnic and cycling opportunities access the park at Bundanoon, Tallong and Fitzroy Falls. The Macquarie Pass National park waterfalls, views, and more bushwalking and cycling opportunities. Access the National Park from Robertson.
• Flower gardens at Bowral

Do

• Cricket tragics can't miss the Bradman Museum attached to Bradman Oval in Bowral. A walking tour of Bowral starting at the museum passes a number of historic sites connected with Sir Donald Bradman.

Eat

Most of the small towns of the Southern Highlands have cafes or small restaurants. A more extensive choice of restaurants is in the major towns at Bowral, Mittagong, Moss Vale, Bundanoon and Berrima.

There are also several wineries in the area which serve food.

Short diversions off the main highway from Sydney can give a much more pleasant and tasty place to eat than the highway services.

Drink

There are country pubs in Bundanoon, Sutton Forest and Berrima. There is more serious nightlife in the larger towns of Bowral, Mittagong and Moss Vale. The Bowral scene is more upmarket, and caters more for the tourist traffic. The Moss Vale pubs by contrast seem a little smaller & friendlier, catering for locals & tourists.

Sleep

• Berrima Bakehouse Motel is in Corner Wingecarribee Street and Old Hume Highway, Berrima, New South Wales.
• Country Inn Motels is a popular motel chain in Southern Highlands, NSW. It has motels in Berrima, Bundanoon, and Moss Vale.
• River Island Nature Retreat secluded naturist resort in 1500 acres along the Wollondilly River. Access via the Wombeyan Caves Road, approximately 39km from Mittagong.

Stay safe

The southern highlands is generally a safe area. Beware of some alcohol fueled violence in the larger towns, like Moss Vale. Many of the roads in the area can be narrow and sometimes unsealed. There can also be cyclists and pedestrians walking on the roads.

Go next

If you are travelling from Sydney you have made it half way to Canberra. It is only a short drive down the highway to Goulburn.

If you are travelling on to Sydney, consider taking the Illawarra Highway from Moss Vale over the Macquarie Pass via Robertson and Wollongong, with spectacular winding mountain roads, and coastal views, and only adding 30 minutes or so to the trip to Sydney.