South Coast of NSW - Introduction

This is a vast slice of New South Wales covering most of the state west of the Great Dividing Range, the spine of eastern Australia and we have broken it down into the following broad sub-regions:

South West and Riverina	Mainly west of the Snowy Mountains – the main towns are Goulburn, Cootamundra, Gundagai, Albury, Wagga, Narrandera, Hay and Griffith
Central West	A region of rich farmland circled by towns such as Bathurst, Orange, Cowra, Young, Forbes, Parkes, Dubbo and Mudgee
Broken Hill and Outback NSW	Legendary mining town still going strong and within driving distance of 3 national parks and the Murray River. Beyond are Outback centres like White Cliffs, Cobar and Bourke

South West NSW and Riverina

This area of rolling plains has some of the best farming land in NSW. The area around Goulburn has been prime sheep grazing country since the 1820s and Goulburn itself is now a large and gracious city.
Another provincial town nearby is Yass, as well as Gundagai of ‘Dog on the Tucker Box’ fame.  Further inland from Gundagai is attractive Cootamundra, birthplace of the esteemed cricket player Don Bradman.
WAGGA WAGGA is the largest inland city in NSW and the gateway to the Riverina district, so named because of the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers and their tributaries. The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Scheme, started in 1907, has transformed the area into Australia’s rice and citrus fruit bowl.
Two of the main towns in the Riverina, Griffith and Leeton, were planned by Walter Burley Griffin who also planned the national capital, Canberra. Other important Riverina towns are Narrandera and Hay - a windmill and elevated water tank at Hay are pictured..
South of the Riverina and on the Murray River is the border town of Albury which faces its twin town of Wodonga across the river in Victoria.
Westward along the Murray, many of the significant river towns are on the Victorian side although Corowa, Yarrawonga, Mulwala and Tocumwal are in NSW.

Central West NSW 

BATHURST   Founded in 1815, Bathurst is Australia’s oldest inland town and was a major centre even before the gold rush boom began in the 1850s. Some well preserved 19th century architecture remains (the railway station is pictured). A normally sedate, cultured city Bathurst accelerates into a frenetic state during some big motor racing events in Oct/Nov.
ORANGE, as the name implies, is a fruit growing centre although it is mainly apples rather than oranges. Like all the towns which circle the Central West region, Orange has an array of accommodation and restaurants.  South of Orange, via Blayney, the village of Carcoar has more than 20 beautifully restored colonial buildings. Nearby Cowra is a prosperous farming centre with poignant links to Japan, the aftermath of a Japanese POW breakout in 1944.  Further south, Young is another market town in a cherry picking area.
North westwards from Young are the important regional centres of Forbes and Parkes, both very pleasant towns with some excellent heritage buildings (Parkes Observatory, which featured in the film 'The Dish', is pictured). North again, Dubbo is a vital transport crossroads whilst east from there is the charming town of Mudgee, centre of an underrated wine area with a good range of accommodation.

Broken Hill and Outback NSW

In 1883 a boundary rider found a lump of silver ore on a rocky outcrop he called a ‘broken hill’. Today mining continues and this elegant city has also become a centre for the arts and soft adventure outback tourism - the quirky 'Big Seat' near Broken Hill is pictured. Although in NSW, Broken Hill is closer to Adelaide than Sydney and even sets its clocks to South Australian time.
Perhaps the most interesting excursion from Broken Hill is to the white opal town of White Cliffs. Nearby Silverton, the location for so many Australian films, is another fascinating day trip.   

The Murray River and the popular provincial town of Mildura in Victoria are accessible from Broken Hill as are three interesting national parks -
Mutawintji National Park to the north www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/(Mutawintji), pictured
Kinchega National Park to the south www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/(Kinchega), and
Mungo National Park, further south near Mildura www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/(Mungo), and part of the Willandra Lakes World Heritage area.
Other towns within easy driving distance of Broken Hill include:

Tibooburra

Milparinka

Wilcannia

Menindee