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When life in Sydney gets a bit too much, it’s time to swap traffic snarls for country roads and pinging phone notifications for the sound of birdsong. Luckily for you, there are still places dotted around New South Wales where the clock seems to tick a little more slowly. Lined with heritage buildings, country pubs and relics from another era, they’re just like a hug from your Nana: comforting, cosy and full of charming anecdotes. From former gold-rush towns to sleepy high-country villages, these NSW towns invite you to leave the stress and strain of modern life behind, even if it’s only for a weekend.
Braidwood
If you’re driving to Canberra, take a slight detour to Braidwood. In 2006, it became the first entire town in NSW to be listed on the State Heritage Register, thanks to its remarkably intact 19th-century streetscape of grand Georgian buildings, stone cottages and old inns.
Bundanoon
Surrounded by the Southern Highlands, Bundanoon is full of grand gardens, period guesthouses and Tudor-style buildings. A walk to Glow Worm Glen is a must, as is exploring the waterfall in Morton National Park. Each April, Bundanoon hosts Brigadoon, Australia’s largest Scottish Highland festival, complete with bagpipes and Highland dancing.
Carcoar
Did you know Carcoar was the scene of Australia’s first daylight bank robbery in 1863? Located in a valley beside the Belubula River, its winding streets are lined with stone buildings, old churches and a historic pub, while nearby Carcoar Dam is the go-to place for fishing.
Central Tilba
With Mount Gulaga rising dramatically behind it, Central Tilba might just be one of NSW’s prettiest heritage villages. Sample local cheese from the ABC Cheese Factory as a nod to its dairy-farming history, before hiking up Mount Gulaga, a site of deep spiritual significance to the Yuin people.
Hill End
Once a booming gold-rush town in the 1870s – and the site of the world’s largest single specimen of reef gold, the Holtermann Nugget – Hill End is now a wonderful historic village. Explore old cottages and mine shafts, pan for gold at the Tambaroora Fossicking Area and stop for a drink at the Royal Hotel, the town’s only remaining pub.
Gulgong
Did you know Gulgong appeared on the reverse of Australia’s original paper ten-dollar note? The town was integral to the 1870s gold rush and still retains plenty of character, with more than 130 heritage-listed buildings. Visit the Gulgong Pioneers Museum for a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era.
Millthorpe
Once an important railway town serving the local wool and potato industries, Millthorpe is now a lovely place to potter around its bluestone buildings and heritage streetscapes. Spend a leisurely afternoon browsing galleries and museums, ducking into cafés and soaking up its old-world charm.
Nimmitabel
Up on the misty Monaro Plains, Nimmitabel exudes old-school country charm. Weathered shopfronts and historic buildings line the town, while the surrounding high-country landscape adds to its wonderfully remote feel. And yes, there’s a giant elephant outside the local bakery.
Silverton
A remnant of the 1880s silver boom, Silverton is a former mining town now dotted with artist studios and small galleries. If it looks familiar, that’s because the original Mad Max movies were filmed here. Don’t miss the sweeping views from nearby Mundi Mundi Lookout.
Sofala
Sofala, on the banks of the Turon River, was once a bustling gold-rush town. These days, its narrow streets, weatherboard buildings and miners’ cottages offer a glimpse into that bygone era – with the added bonus of trying your hand at gold panning.
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