New South Wales (NSW) borders three states, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, and has more than 780 national parks and reserves. It is the most populated state in Australia with over 7 million residents and has a diversity of activities including wine tasting tours, surfing, exploring National Parks and World Heritage Centres, whale watching, outback adventure tours and, believe it or not, even skiing in the Perisher Valley. The most popular areas in NSW are Sydney, Byron Bay, Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains.

The climate is moderate. December to February is summertime down under and the coast usually has high humidity, with the northwestern region normally the hottest.

The Snowy Mountain region is the coldest area, with snowfall and long periods of frost during the winter months, which are from June to August.

Plane
There are a number of airlines, which operate within New South Wales - Qantas Airways, Regional Express, Virginblue, Aeropelican and Brindabella Airlines.

Car
Within NSW there are dual carriageways and motorways, which link Sydney with other cities to the north, south and west.  Some popular NSW road trips include Sydney to Bateman’s Bay and Eden and Sydney to the famous Blue Mountains & Hunter Valley.  Campervans are another great way of travelling around NSW. Abbey Travel can secure you the best deal to suit your requirements.

Train
Countrylink is the train service that runs to all major destinations. Favourite journeys include:

• Sydney to Coffs Harbour and Grafton via the Central Coast, Hunter Valley and North Coast, with some    services continuing on to Brisbane.
• Sydney to Dubbo via the Blue Mountains and Central West.
• Sydney to Canberra via the Southern Highlands.
• Sydney to Albury situated on the Victoria Border, via the Southern Highlands and the Riverina, and continuing to Melbourne
• Sydney to Broken Hill.

There is also the Indian Pacific, which runs from Sydney to Perth and takes 3 nights. Check out The Great Southern Rail for more information.

Bus
There is an extensive bus service throughout New South Wales. Most people travelling long distances will catch an overnight bus.  Sydney to Melbourne generally takes 12 hours. There are many different bus passes you can choose from if you decide to travel long distances, from one to three months with unlimited stops.

• Countrylink - operates bus services throughout the state.
• Greyhound - operates to all major cities and other state capitals, servicing towns along the way.
• Murrays - specialises in the Sydney to Canberra route.
• Premier - operates along national route 1, serving the South Coast, Mid-North Coast, and Northern Rivers.