Just a few gorgeous hours of driving out from Sydney, the road begins to curve into story. In Regional New South Wales, you’re travelling through time, Country, and memory. Winding highways become ancient songlines, and every plateau, waterfall and rock formation carries a presence older than maps. A place best experienced with reverence. Because here, you’re not just sightseeing – you’re following the footsteps of Australia’s Aboriginal Peoples.
Memory Becomes World Heritage: The Blue Mountains
The first breath of cool, eucalyptus-laced air in the Blue Mountains feels ceremonial. The woodland bush is like a deep ever expanding rainforest. For the Gundungurra people, this is sacred Country, a place of enduring spirit and story. The rock formations – etched by wind, water and time – aren’t just scenery; they are ancestral lessons. One of the best ways to begin understanding this landscape is with Bunnyal Tour, led by Uncle David King, a respected Gundungurra Elder.
You’ll walk on Gundungurra Country and begin to grasp the layers of meaning embedded in the land. Uncle David shares Dreaming stories and ecological knowledge with humility and depth – an invitation to listen rather than interpret, and an honour that cannot be passed on without permission. Waterways, valleys and cliffs take on new significance: not just geological marvels, but part of an ancient blueprint that predates cities, borders, and language.
Scenic World, the best way to see the valley, offers astonishing vantage points that don’t feel like a contradiction to the natural world they hover above. The site has been designed to respect the environment it inhabits, and from the moment you glide across the Jamison Valley in the largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere, you’re aware of how the manmade and the mystical are in quiet harmony.
Lean into the thrill on the 52-degree incline of the world’s steepest passenger railway, and you’ll emerge beneath thick eucalyptus canopies. From cable cars that hover overlooking Katoomba Falls and the iconic Three Sisters, you’re offered more than a view – perspective.
Dining on Country: Arrana
In nearby Springwood, Arrana redefines contemporary Australian dining whilst still honouring the oldest ingredients of the land. Every plate is a curated piece of art that pays homage to native flora and fauna, delivered with technical precision.
A masterpiece in bowl form – crispy puffed rice, pea shoots, edible flowers, avocado and jellied Geraldton wax cubes. Beef striploin lacquered in its own juices, grounded by pearl barley and mushroom. A shard of rosella tweel floats like coral above Barossa brie with shiitake and raspberry, the tart and floral notes cutting luxuriously through the richness.
Desserts incorporating tastes of pineapple, coconut, aniseed myrtle and finger lime are both playful and profound, while both alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings are given equal attention – and a lot of it. Unsurprisingly, Arrana has earned two Chef Hats annually since opening. It has also held the title of Most Outstanding Restaurant in the Blue Mountains for two consecutive years.
Southward, Into Wilderness
From the crisp peaks of the Blue Mountains, heading southwards through the rolling farmland of Kangaroo Valley, the landscape softens. The Wildes Boutique Hotel offers an elegant counterpoint to the rugged surroundings. With a bar and terrace overlooking the sleepy one-street town, it’s an ideal base for early morning adventures – like watching kangaroos graze in dawn’s pink light.
For even more wilderness but with a splash of decadence, Experience Nature has partnered with local hire company – Valley Outdoors for an unforgettable floating canoe adventure. Fastened together with a long central table, a river canoe banquet glides along the Kangaroo River, serving fresh-made canapés and local wines as wallaroos, goannas and kingfishers look on, unbothered.
Back in the town, the Friendly Inn Hotel, in its heritage-listed 1878 building, keeps the spirit of Aussie hospitality alive with hearty classics like Chicken Parma and stories shared over a pint. Incomparable welcomes from the owners and chats with locals about the weather, the wildlife, or the footy really help to make you feel like you’re deep in the heart of Australia.
Coastal Songlines and Celestial Stories
Then there’s Jervis Bay, where the coast gleams like a dream. The whitest sands in the world – so bright they appear to glow – fade into turquoise shallows teeming with life. Dolphins arc through the surf, sea eagles wheel overhead, and, in season, whales pass by just offshore as they migrate to breed. Cruise along the incredible coastline with Jervis Bay Wild cruises as large pods of Dolphins play on the wake of the ship.
For an even deeper understanding, join the Baabaa-Gulli Murru Tour, a walk on Country with members of the Gadhungal Marring community. This isn’t a tour in the traditional sense – it’s a conversation, a shared moment of culture and connection. A member of the local Dharrawal family leading the experience offers insight into the interwoven relationship between land, lore and daily life.
Come nightfall, trade bushland for starlight with Jervis Bay Stargazing. Under skies so dark they seem painted, astrophysicists and astrologists guide you through laser-illuminated constellations, weaving science with story. Telescope viewings offer glimpses of planetary glow and moon craters – reminders of our smallness, our awe, our place in something far older.
Rest, Replenish, Repeat
There’s no better place to sleep near the stars than Paperbark Camp, a luxury glamping site stitched seamlessly into the bush. Lantern-lit lux tents, kangaroos rustling through trees and the Gunyah Restaurant, set high in the treetops, make this place feel enchanted. Dishes like Jervis Bay mussels with black bean, pork neck with broken rice and heirloom carrot, and burnt white chocolate with jasmine bring grounded luxury to the canopy.
In nearby Huskisson, the Huskisson Hotel (or Husky Pub) remains the social anchor. Beloved by locals, its seafood platters, fish tacos, and fresh catches pair well with cold beers and warm sea breezes. And for those who like to eat where the locals eat, 5 Little Pigs is a family-run café (and food truck) that surprises at every turn. Their swordfish steak with smoked garlic, kipfler potato and cavolo nero is the kind of dish that rewires your expectations of casual coastal dining.
The Reluctant Road Home
On your final stretch back north, wind your way along the Sea Cliff Bridge, with its cinematic curves over the ocean, and stop at The Imperial at Clifton – an elegant 1911-built cliffside hotel. With panoramic dining views, it’s the perfect finale. Grilled octopus, tuna ceviche with plantain chips, or even broccoli noodles while watching the horizon soften into night.
Each experience – whether it’s Elder teachings, stargazing over Jervis Bay, or a native herb nestled in fine cuisine – pulls you closer to the idea that everything is connected. In following the paths laid by Aboriginal peoples, in listening to the land and sky, you begin to see Australia as a story worth listening to.
- Wildes Boutique Hotel
- Prices from £165 per night
- Paperbark Camp
- Prices from £199 per night
- Scenic World
- Adult Buunyal Day Pass starts from £43
- Experience Nature
- Canoe trip – £108 per person
- Jarvis Bay Stargazing
- Adult ticket price £41
- Gadhungal Marring
- Tour Adult ticket price £19
- Jervis Bay Wild
- Dolphin Cruise Adult ticket price £26
- Valley Outdoors
