The five best carless day trips from Sydney

Less than three hours on the train from Sydney Central takes you right into the beating heart of the Blue Mountains. You can head to Scenic World for some of the most stunning views in the state (and a ride on the world's steeptest railway), or lace up your walking boots and hit one of the many great bushwalks in this area, including tracks that take you to the Three Sisters and Katoomba Falls. Pro-tip: if you’re up for a wander, take the Three Sisters trail heading east and exit at the Leura Cascades, then wind your way through this cutesy neighbourhood and pick up the train back to town from Leura Station. 

Another Blue Mountains fave accessible via train? Blackheath – home to a Japanese-inspired bathhouse, a gorgeous family-run wine bar and the most popular hike in Australia.

A sub-two hour train from Central will take you to the shores of Tuggerah Lake: a vast estaury at the gateway to the Central Coast. A 15-minute stroll from the station will lead you to the Tuggerah State Conservation Area and Nature Reserve – home to an impressive network of hikes for walking enthusiasts of all abilities. If you’re looking for more of an adrenaline rush, the TreeTop Adventure Park is an 11 minute Uber ride away, with aerial walkways and flying foxes that zip through the forest canopies of the Ourimbah State Park. Tuggerah is also the perfect launching point for a longer stay on the Central Coast so you can explore tourist destinations like the Entrance and Shelly Beach.

If history is your jam, this is the day trip for you. Welcome to one of Australia’s oldest towns, first established in the 1790s. Some of the most well-preserved examples of Georgian sandstone buildings in the country can be found here, the oldest of which is the Macquarie Arms Inn (1815), which is purported to have a tunnel to the Hawkesbury River which was supposedly used for smuggling. Other buildings of note include the work of master architect Francis Greenway, such as St Matthew's Anglican Church and Rectory built in 1817, which also has a cemetery containing the graves of numerous First Fleeter convicts. Keep an eye out for the Hawkesbury Paddlewheeler too, which cruises the local river waters. The train from Central takes just one hour and 22 mins.

One of the most extraordinary things about Sydney is that you can board a train in the heart of the city, and in next to no time find yourself surrounded by nature. Take Waterfall, for example. Less than an hour from Sydney Central, you’ll disembark in the heart of the Royal National Park, and then you can choose your own adventure. Perhaps you’ll visit the National Falls, just a 20 minute wander up McKell Avenue (be sure to keep well over on the side of the road for safety). If you’re up for a more ambitious hike, a two-hour bushwalk will take you to Garie Beach – a gorgeous stretch of sand that's primed for swimming, surfing and excellent whale watching when the season sets in. For an ultra-wholesome day out, head north on the Uloola Firetrail towards Karloo Pool for a swim, before making the short trek to Heathcoate where you can catch the next train back to the city.

A 2 hour 10 min train from Central and a breezy 30 min walk will take you to one of the state’s most breathtaking natural wonders, but we’ll get to that. First, dedicate a few solid hours to wandering around this adorable seaside village, stopping in at cute cafés and coastal boutiques. A trip here wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Kiama Blowhole – the biggest blow hole in the whole wide world. Once you’ve marvelled at the magnificent coastal water feature, take a stroll along the Kiama Coast Walk for views of lush green cliffs overlooking rocky shores, rivers and private beaches. There are also plenty of surrounding coastal towns connected by cycleways, and you can book additional activities like dolphin watching cruises, outdoor rock climbing or kayaking tours of Lake Illawarra.