Southern Highlands NSW

THE CHARMS OF THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS

History comes alive in stately towns, hidden villages and ghost towns packed with atmosphere.

Picton, 70 kilometres south of Sydney and originally called Stonequarry, was founded in 1841 and lies in the foothills of the Southern Highlands. The town has a number of very fine colonial buildings – including the Edmund Blacket-designed Mount Mark’s Church, dating from 1857; and the George IV Inn, which is said to date back to 1819.

Nearby, you’ll find the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum at Thirlmere, opened in 1976 and containing more than 125 exhibits on the history of the rail-transport network. It is open daily and steam train trips can be taken twice a month.

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Mittagong, the gateway to the Southern Highlands, is located 110 kilometres south of Sydney. The visitors centre is a good starting point for exploring the region – it can be found in the centre of town on the edge of the beautiful Lake Alexandra, which is perfect for picnics and feeding the wildlife. The Dahlia Festival in February attracts many visitors.

Thirty kilometres outside Mittagong is a fascinating reminder of the region’s early history. Families in particular will get much from Joadja, a ghost town that was formerly a thriving shale-mining community located in a hidden valley. The remains of many old buildings – including workers’ cottages – can be explored, while the cemetery provides a stark picture of life in the late 19th century.

The village of Berrima lies 120 kilometres south of Sydney and is renowned as an architectural time capsule. Self-guided walking tours take in the many fascinating buildings. The Surveyor-General Inn, dating back to 1834, is the oldest licensed hotel in Australia, while Berrima Courthouse and the Goal opposite also date from the 1830s and are in impressive condition. Many of the other cottages and buildings along the main street of Berrima now house shops, cafes and restaurants.

Just six kilometres away, Bowral became a summer retreat for Sydney’s elite in the later years of the 19th century. Tourism prospered in the early decades of the 20th century, when many country retreats and guesthouses opened. These days, Bowral is a stylish, boutique holiday destination with many antique shops, bookshops, cafes, restaurants and things to do.

Sports fans will undoubtedly head for Glebe Park and the Bradman Museum, devoted to Australia’s best-known cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman. The town’s famous tulip festival is held in September.

Moss Vale is the commercial centre of the Southern Highlands. Throsby Park is an historic estate dominated by an elegant 27 room Georgian mansion built in 1834. It is now managed as a house museum by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The Illawarra Highway links the inland Hume Highway with the South Coast. Robertson, at the top of Macquarie Pass, is renowned as the background location for the film Babe. Children in particular will be entranced by the possibility of glimpsing the cheeky pig. Bushwalking is popular in the area, as is visiting some of the spectacular waterfalls – including Fitzroy, Belmore and Carrington Falls.

Bundanoon is situated in the southern part of the region, 17 kilometres from Moss Vale. This quiet and pretty village lies on the edge of the 162,000 hectare Morton National Park. Bushwalks take in such places as the Fairy Bower Falls, Glow Worm Glen and disused coalmines. Each April, a highland gathering known as Brigadoon at Bundanoon is held in the village.
Further along the Hume Highway, 165 kilometres south of Sydney, is the town of Marulan in the Southern Tablelands. Although now bypassed by the highway, with many of its businesses abandoned, it has a number of excellent 19th century buildings along the main street.