Choose from 146 Fun Things to Do in New South Wales
Pitt Street Mall
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Moonlit Sanctuary Conservation Park
Your wildlife encounter may include patting koalas, feeding wallabies and watching for dingos and snakes by day, before searching for quolls, owls and sugar gliders in the moonlight.
Sprawled across 10 hectares of bushland at the top of the picturesque Mornington Peninsula, the Moonlit Sanctuary Conservation Park is just outside of Melbourne and makes an easy daytrip for groups, tourists and locals alike. Best of all, you can leave feeling like you’ve not only encountered Australian wildlife in natural environments, but also helped to support the conservation and education programs run by Moonlit Sanctuary.
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Other transport options include taking a tour, or catching a train between Melbourne and Frankston, then the 776 bus service between Frankston Railway Station and Pearcedale Shopping Centre.
Daytime admission is from 10am to 5pm daily, except Christmas Day. Adult day admission costs $17, or is included in the Mornington Peninsula Attraction Pass offered by local tourism organisation, EMMP. Night tour times vary and must be booked in advance at a cost of $40 for adults.
Cheaper admission for both day and night sessions is available for concession holders, kids, aged between four and 15 years, and little ones under four years old.
Queen Victoria Building (QVB)
Sumptuously decorated and timelessly elegant, central Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building is an unforgettable shopping destination. Built in High Victorian Romanesque style in 1898, and now meticulously restored, it stands on the site of the original Sydney markets.
The QVB's soaring central dome boasts translucent stained-glass clad in copper on the outside, and the shopping area takes up several balconied floors linked by grand staircases. Tiled floors, pillars, colonnades, balustrades, and arches. Chiming clocks and interesting historical displays complete the QVB’s flamboyant decor.
Originally the shops included tailors and florists; today there’s a wide range of specialist stores, from stationers to couturiers, cafes and coffee shops.
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Sydney’s grandest shopping mall, the Queen Victoria Building takes up an entire city block, bound by George, Market, York and Druitt streets.
Town Hall Station is adjacent to the QVB on George Street, just over Druitt St. You can walk here from Circular Quay in around 10 minutes – just head south down George St.
Ku-ring-gai Chase
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Kiama Blowhole
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Healesville Sanctuary
- On-site facilities include free car parking, picnic areas, and a selection of restaurants, cafés, and gift shops.
- Most of the sanctuary’s exhibits are outdoors and you will likely do a lot of walking, so wear comfortable shoes and clothing, and bring plenty of sunscreen, a hat, and water.
- Healesville Sanctuary is fully wheelchair accessible, and wheelchair rental is available.
Kings Cross
The focal point of Kings Cross is the gaudy neon Coca-Cola sign crowning William St, which leads east from Hyde Park. Take a walk along the area’s leafy streets, lined with double-story terrace houses fringed with lace ironwork balconies, and stop off for a coffee or refreshing drink at this vibrant area’s many cafes and pubs. If you follow Macleay St north, you’ll catch panoramic views of the harbor and Woolloomooloo; steps lead down to the water and the famous Harry’s Cafe de Wheels pie cart.
When the sun goes down, Kings Cross transforms, with adult entertainment at the fore. The area is busy and well policed, but leave your inhibitions at the door.
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Melbourne Aquarium
Creatures from around Australia swim in the River to the Reef exhibit, while Weird and Wonderful highlights nature’s variety – from Nemo clownfish to scuttling crabs and UV-lit transparent sea jellies. Another star attraction is the creepy Oceanarium, with its viewing fishbowl filled with gray nurse sharks, stingrays and turtles.
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Hawkesbury River
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Nielsen Park
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Platypus House
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Melbourne Star Observation Wheel
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Powerhouse Museum
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Observatory Hill
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Puffing Billy Railway
- Tickets sell out, especially during the summer holidays, so book ahead to avoid disappointment.
- All stations have parking, restrooms, and a cafe or snack bar.
- Luggage space is limited, so bring a small day bag and opt for a fold-up stroller.
- Steam locomotives are sometimes replaced with diesel locomotives during Total Fire Ban (when dry weather increases the risk of forest fires).
- Wheelchair access is available at all stations, but spaces are limited and must be booked in advance.