Duration: 1-2 hours
Price Guide:
Last Reviewed:

Businesses mentioned in this tour were trading at the time of publication.

Make your way to Central Station and take the Western Suburbs Line to Newtown Station.

Turn right as you exit the train station and continue walking until you reach the Bank Hotel on your right, just past the chemist.

The Bank Hotel is a pretty smooth-looking, comfortable pub and a nice start to a tour of Newtown. There is a really nice outside area on two levels. Food and cocktails are available.

As you come out of the Bank Hotel, make your way to the other side of the road. Directly opposite the Bank Hotel is a road called Eliza Street (in between Holey Moley Zanzibars). Make your way north down Eliza Street until you reach the Memorial Park.

The Memorial Park is a nice place to stop to have a picnic etc. There is a children’s play area, a nice, green open area. Good place to enjoy the sun and relax for a bit before doing some shopping. There is also a pub just outside the park called The Court House Bar.

Make your way back down Eliza Street to King Street and turn right on to King Street. Just past the Newtown Medical Practice (on your right) is a market square.

A small but nice market with some quirky stalls selling various bits and bobs.

Once finished at the market, make your way back the way you came (towards Eliza Street) along King Street. Continue along this road until you reach the shopping strip, which has lots of options.

King Street has lots of shops on it. There are plenty of clothes shops, bohemian cafes, old buildings, an alternative cinema that’s one of the Dendy chain, which shows arthouse films. There are also loads of restaurants, homeware shops and stands on the side of the road selling various things. For the non-shoppers reading this, there is also the Coopers Hotel on the left in which I enjoyed a refreshing pint in before i went home.

When you have finished make your way back to Newtown Station to get home.

Duration: More than 3 hours
Price Guide: $13
Last Reviewed:

Home to the stunning Blue Mountains and at 2500 feet above Sydney; the town of Katoomba is a welcome breath of fresh air – so idyllic are the surroundings that many a poet and artist have chosen to reside here! Bush and nature walks are hugely popular; particularly to the Three Sisters, the Ruined Castle, Katoomba Falls and Echo Point. For those not fit enough to go clambering up and down mountains, there are adventure tours which can show you the sights and take you on some more user-friendly walks. Get off at Katoomba Station (approx two hours from Sydney Central station on the Great Western Highway; tickets around $13 return).

Katoomba (Aboriginal for shining, falling water) is a quaint but charming town; with a surprising number of good cafes and restaurants packed into its small stretch of high street, along with a few random antique and book shops. If you find yourself in need of camping gear, there are several stores dotted around. You’ll also find a large Coles tucked away on Watarah Street (turn right off Katoomba Street near the bottom of the hill). As far as accommodation goes, there are a couple of backpacking hostels near the station, but in all honesty, if you’re coming to see the Blue Mountains, it’s easier, cheaper and much more fun to camp!

As you exit the station you will walk onto Katoomba Street. Follow this straight. Continue walking down Katoomba Street. After about 10 minutes you will pass through the high street – continue for another 10 minutes and there will be a turning to the right down a steep hill; Katoomba Falls Road. Follow this down.

At the bottom of the hill there is a large picnic area, which also has barbeque facilities. Be warned though, you can’t camp here. Even if you try and hide your tent behind a bush (we tried and failed badly at this) someone will come and move you. So don’t waste your time.

The entrance to the Caravan Park is around the corner on the right. If you’re not staying in there, but are sleeping nearby and don’t fancy squatting in the bushes, there are public toilets on the far right. Directly opposite is a kiosk where you can get food and snacks.

The local tourist information office will be able to tell you which of the camping grounds are free, open and have places left to camp. As this can change from day to day – differing weather conditions can close camp grounds – it’s best to check when you get up there.

If you do decide you want to camp in the mountains instead, there is an information board opposite; to the far right of the kiosk. Take a look at the map to get an idea of where you could go and how long it’ll take you.

Duration: 2-3 hours
Price Guide: $0-25
Last Reviewed:

The majority of people wishing to visit Nimbin catch a bus from Byron Bay or hire a car. Bus tickets are $25 return and allow you a look at the scenic Mount Warning and then have around three hours to explore the village. Hire car costs vary.

Nimbin main street – Cullen Street (you’ll be dropped off here by any bus).

This small stretch of street can be walked end to end in five minutes, so don’t worry about getting lost!

Cullen St: The first to establish Nimbin were indigenous Australian people – the land here was considered highly sacred and was used for initiation ceremonies. During the 1800s European settlers came to grow bananas, harvest timber and raise dairy cattle. It wasn’t until the 1970s when another wave of settlers – mainly hippies and students – arrived with the idea that Nimbin would flourish as both a spiritual and tribal town and adhere to organic living, alternative home building and eco-friendly energy sources. For years there was rivalry between them and the previous locals – who fought strongly against the drug culture that the new settlers brought to village – eventually this subsided and they now live in harmony. To this day, it remains a highly spiritual, moderately populated and very non-commercial town. Interestingly, the majority of Nimbin’s inhabitants – over 5000 people – live in the surrounding hills, whilst in the main village the population is around 300.

Nimbin even has its own currency: Nimlets!

Walk south until you see the Nimbin Museum, it’s next door to the Rainbow Cafe (one of the side effects of Nimbin’s hippy culture is that they’re not really in to street numbers).

One of the main points of interest along here is the famous Nimbin Museum, which was built by a group of hippies over ten years ago. The idea is that you follow the ‘rainbow serpent path’ from room to room with the notion that you shall be enlightened by what you find – I couldn’t guarantee you that, but it is bizarrely interesting…

Head north along Cullen St, almost to the corner with Sibley St and you should see the Hemp Bar on your right (it’s number 51), opposite the supermarket.

Another hotspot in Nimbin is the Hemp Bar – there are many of this nature in the village, but this is the most popular.

Our tour guide, who had lived in Nimbin for over 40 years, insisted that there was more to the village than the drug culture here. It is undeniably the main reason travellers come here – judging by the number of dealers who approach you on the streets, you’d think it was legal, but it is in fact not and you WILL get arrested if you’re caught! If spliffs, bongs, acid and cookies really aren’t your thing, don’t worry, you are unlikely to be hassled and there’s plenty more to see and experience – but if you’re likely to be upset by being offered drugs to buy, this is probably not the place for you.

Head south along Cullen Street until you see the Bush Factory, once a butter factory it is now home to numerous enterprises including the Nimbin Candle Factory.

Other attractions include the Nimbin Candle Factory – located within walking distance of the town – it’s a small but adorable place with friendly staff who will often show you around and show you the process of making candles. There are some weird and wonderful ones you can buy which make for great souvenirs or gifts!

Just past the Candle Factory is the Djanbung Permaculture Gardens.

You can easily see the whole of Nimbin in a day, but there are a handful who end up staying a few nights (usually those who enjoy the Hemp Bar a bit too much). There are a couple of hostels you can stay at, including a YHA – there are very limited bus services leaving the village so make sure you don’t miss the last one!

Overall, Nimbin is a strange but charming village, and by far one of the most unique places I have visited in Australia … my verdict? Unmissable!