Sometimes a weekend is all you need to unwind if you pick the right place. These destinations are all within 2 hours of Sydney so you can leave Friday afternoon, slow down and enjoy your break and then head back to Sydney on Sunday evening.
South Coast Escapes
Coastal and inland towns, great food, scenic walks and fantastic beaches. All within 2 hours of Sydney.
Country Escapes
Country air, great coffee, weekend markets, wine tasting and boutiques. Close enough to be spontaneous.
Central Coast
Terrigal, Killcare, Avoca and Ettalong — headland walks, excellent dining, surf beaches and family-friendly bays, all close enough for a weekend.
Weekend escape tips
Before you go:
- Book accommodation early, especially on school holidays and long weekends. Some destinations (like the Hunter Valley, Terrigal and Kiama) have several accommodation options and can usually cater for spontaneous weekends away. Others (like Gerringong and Avoca) are mainly holiday homes rather than hotels and motels and require more forward planning.
- Book key restaurants early. The better regional restaurants (like Bells at Killcare) book out in advance, especially on weekends. Check the individual destination pages for specific restaurant recommendations.
Destination recommendations:
Any of these destinations are worth a visit. To help narrow it down:
- For couples: Killcare is a perfect boutique, romantic weekend away. Bowral also has cottage-style accommodation with upscale dining choices. The Hunter Valley has luxury accommodation and fine dining.
- For families: Ettalong has calm water, easy hotel accommodation and family-friendly dining options. Kiama and Terrigal are both great choices with a good range of accommodation and plenty of places to swim, shop and dine.
- For groups: Berry, Bowral and the Hunter Valley all have excellent holiday houses, nearby wineries and great cafes and restaurants.
If you want to:
- Go on a coastal walk: the Kiama Coastal Walk is accessible from either Kiama or Gerringong. Seven Mile Beach is also a short drive from Gerringong for a long beach walk.
- Learn to surf: Terrigal and Avoca both have surf schools.
- Go boutique shopping: Berry and Bowral both have an excellent range of boutiques, specialising in homewares.
- Have an excellent Aussie pub meal: the Surveyor General Inn in Berrima is one of Australia’s oldest continuously licensed hotels.
- See a whale: whale watching is huge around Kiama and the South Coast from late May to November. Peak viewing times are June to July (northern migration) and September to October (southern migration with calves).
- Visit a farmer’s market: Bowral, Berry and Kiama all have great ones, although they are only on specific days so check the opening times based on your visit.
- Go wine tasting: the Hunter Valley has over 150 cellar doors – you could stay for weeks and never run out of places to taste wine.