The hottest restaurants, hotels and tours in NSW for 2016
TOURS AND OUTDOORS
CITY
Sydney’s new Harbour headland park, Barangaroo Reserve, opened in August and features expansive landscaped areas, a new Harbour cove, a massive underground cultural space and a waterfront promenade with shared pedestrian and cycle paths, Wulugul Walk. A ferry hub has been approved for Barangaroo too, and is expected to open in 2016. For information on visiting the park – and the Giant Picnic on 1 November featuring free kids’ concerts
See barangaroo.com
COUNTRY The Long Paddock, a luxury horseback droving experience, will launch in April 2016. Small groups (maximum 20) will drive a mob of cattle for four days along the iconic Long Paddock stock route on the Cobb Highway in the Riverina. Each riding day ends with a gourmet meal, drinks and glamping campout.
ARTS AND CULTURE
CITY The Australian Museum, the country’s oldest museum which opened in 1827, has been long overdue for a facelift. Construction has begun and the first new gallery to be added in over 50 years, Wild Planet, opened recently showcasing more than 400 animals from around the world. Kids can stay overnight in the gallery, and a bar opens for bands to play here every Thursday night for older crew. A new rooftop cafe has opened, too, taking in city skyline and Hyde Park views (open 9am-4.30pm).
COUNTRY The Slim Dusty Centre, named after the famous singer, opened in October 2015, giving country-music fans a new destination holiday to plan in Kempsey on the NSW North Coast. See slimdustycentre.com.au
WHERE TO STAY
CITY Sydney city and its surrounding suburbs have more new hotels than any other destination in Australia. Here are four to explore in 2016.
• Bondi Beach: QT Residences Bondi will open at Pacific Bondi Beach this year.
• Chippendale: The former site of the Carlton and United Brewery continues to be a cool residential, arts and restaurant precinct. Recently opened is the 62-room Old Clare Hotel, housing restaurants by chefs Clayton Wells, in his first solo restaurant Automata; Michelin-starred Jason Atherton’s Kensington Street Social; and Noma graduate Sam Miller’s Silvereye.
• Pitt St: Aloft Sydney is due open in late 2016 or early 2017 in the iconic Druids House building, destined to be a 136-room funky hotel. It will be the first in Starwood’s Aloft brand to open in Australia, with Aloft properties in Adelaide and Perth to follow.
See starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels
• Potts Point: Spicers luxury hotel brand has taken over the terrace previously known as Victoria Court Hotel, which will reopen as a foodie-focused Spicers Retreat by year-end.
COUNTRY The Houston at Wagga Wagga is a boutique hotel due to open in late 2015. Owned by Fox and Co Hotels, the team behind luxury boutique hotel Perry Street in Mudgee, the Houston is housed in a revamped home dating to 1870. Other Fox and Co regional hotels are in the pipeline.
FOOD AND DRINK
Regional NSW is the place to go for the best food and drink experiences in 2016. Here are three of the best:
• Blue Mountains: Located on the edge of the Echo Point Escarpment, The Lookout is a restaurant and event space set to open in late 2015. There will be fine-dining, a cafe and wine bar, and a focus on local produce, heritage vegetables sourced straight from its own garden, and wine sourced from NSW, with all 14 wine regions represented.
• Newcastle: The city’s burgeoning craft beer scene can be explored with One for the Road Tours. The guided tour company offers both walking tours and bus tours that take in craft breweries and Newcastle’s coolest small bars. Tours range from three hours (from $65 a person) to full-day experiences (from $110 a person).
• Orange: Silver Compass Tours is a new gourmet and cultural tour operator offering food and wine packages in Orange, as well as corporate vineyard retreats and local and international food and wine festival tours.
BIG-TICKET EVENTS
The biggest events in NSW for 2016 revolve around sports, with the calendar kicking off on February 6-7 with the Sydney Sevens rugby event at Allianz Stadium. Western Sydney will host the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifier, the premiere international baseball event, from February 11-14 at Blacktown International Sportpark.
Head to Manly for the Australian Open of Surfing from February 27 to March 6. The Snowy Mountains will be the backdrop for a new world-class annual cycling event in December, the L’Etape Australia, an amateur race run by Le Tour de France.
Musicals continue to be a big drawcard for tourism. In August, the 60th anniversary production of My Fair Lady takes to the stage of the Sydney Opera House with Dame Julie Andrews directing. In September, the Sydney Lyric Theatre will host the world debut of Dream Lover, The Bobby Darin Musical.
For info and events, see visitnsw.com
Source: The Courier Mail, Elisabeth Knowles, 18th October 2015
Originally published as: The hottest restaurants, hotels and tours in NSW for 2016
