Vantage points along the Illawarra Escarpment at Bulli, Mt Keira and Mt Kembla offer magnificent coastal views a short drive from Wollongong. Read more

Minnamurra Rainforest Centre lies within Budderoo National Park and is 15 km west of Kiama on Tourist Drive 9. It has a network of boardwalks and paved tracks, which can take you through the rainforest to Minnamurra Falls. The visitor centre provides information about the area and surrounding national parks, and also has a shop. The Lyrebird Cafe offers light meals and refreshments, and there are picnic and barbecue facilities available. Read more

Straddling the two headlands at the entrance to Botany Bay, this national park features a unique combination of natural and cultural heritage. The park is the site of first contact between the crew of James Cook's Endeavour and the Aboriginal people of Australia in 1770. It's also the place where France's famous explorer Jean François de Galaup, Comte de Lapérouse, arrived within a week of the British First Fleet in 1788. Beneath the park's gouged sandstone cliffs, there are rich marine environments.... Read more

This park features steep forested hillsides, plateaus and riverside flats, all of which conserve some of Sydney's best river habitat for native plants and animals. There are several popular riverside picnic areas, large and small, and a network of walking tracks. Stroll around peaceful Yeramba Lagoon, home to more than 100 bird species, or walk along the Ridge Track, which offers spectacular river views. In this park, vehicle entry fees are $7 per vehicle per day. The park is open 6am-6:30pm AEST... Read more

Part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, this park's five reed-fringed freshwater lakes, abundant with waterbirds and surrounded by quiet patches of forest, are among the last undisturbed lake systems near Sydney and have enormous scientific value. Read more