Road trip to Southern Highlands
At the beginning of 2019, my friends and I did a one-day road trip with Ruhi. We had decided to visit the Southern Highlands and cover as many places possible in one day. It was not a rushed road trip but we did cover quite a few places along the way.
Where is the Southern Highlands?
The Southern Highlands (locally referred to as Highlands) is a district in the New South Wales (NSW) state of Australia. It offers a village and a rural style of places close to the main cities. The region is located between Sydney and Canberra and has been recognised as one of the finest districts to live in.
- Refer Wikipedia to see the list of all the places in Southern Highlands.
The Southern Highlands district is about 135 kilometres (about 1 hour 30 minutes) from Sydney Central Business District (CBD). The best way to cover the places listed in this post is by driving.
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Places that we covered
Below are the list of the popular places that my friends and I visited during our road trip in the Southern Highlands.
Note: When we started for the road trip, we did not have any of these places in mind. We searched and visited them on the go.
Lake Alexandra in Mittagong
Lake Alexandra Reserve is a man-made lake. The lake is surrounded by a park that serves as a favourite picnic spot for locals and bird life with lots of swans, geese, and ducks. It also offers some bush walks to the nearby waterfalls.
The Big Potato in Robertson
Robertson is the green heart of the Highlands. It is famous for potatoes. And is home for the Big Potato. The Big Potato was built in 1970s by a local potato grower. Robertson was also the town where the Babe movie was filmed.
For fun big things to see on the way, read 11 big things to see in NSW.
Sunnataram Forest Monastery in Bundanoon
A Buddhist monastery in the town of Bundanoon, Sunnataram Forest Monastery is a great spot to visit. The monastery was established in July 1990. It is a peaceful place and I would definitely recommend visiting this monastery.
- There is no entry fee to get into the monastery.
- Dress appropriately.
Note: Beware of the red belly snakes in the area. Even though we did not see any, there are boards located that indicate that there are snakes.
Harper Mansion in Berrima
Harper mansion is a heritage listed museum in Berrima. It is known for its Georgian design and is a two-storey brick house. It was built in 1834. Unfortunately, I could not go inside the mansion as it was closed by the time we reached Berrima.
Safety for solo female travelers
As I mentioned earlier, the Southern Highlands district has been recognised as a finest place to live in. So it is definitely safe for solo female travelers. The community is well made and are a friendly bunch of people. However, I would suggest being a bit cautious especially at nights.
Closing Notes
We drove about 353 kilometres in total and covered most parts of Southern Highlands of NSW. This is definitely a very beautiful one day road trip. I would also suggest staying at some of these places if you have time.
