Mungo Dreaming: Imagine bumping into a half-tonne wombat, two-and-a-half-metres long and more than a metre high? Or a three-metre high kangaroo? In the dark...  If you’d been sitting around eating shellfish on the shores of Lake Mungo in far western NSW around 45,000 years ago there would have been a pretty good chance of that happening, according to the fossil remains that have been unearthed in the dunes.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Mad Max returns: It may be 30 years since the first Mad Max movie burst onto the screen, but the tiny hamlet of Silverton, near Broken Hill, has made the most of it., trading on its fame. And as film director George Miller prepares to return to film the recently announced Mad Max 4, the outback towns seems set for stardom again. Meanwhile, Mad Max's car from the 1979 movie still attracts the tourists as it sits outside the Silverton Hotel. Story by Lee Mylne

Clifftop Sydney: A brand new boardwalk that hangs off the cliff edge south of Bronte means you can now walk from Coogee to South Head via Bondi and Watsons Bay without losing sight of the sea. Lace up your walkers, pack your swimmers and sunscreen and step out one of the best coastal walks in the world.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Abseiling for Beginners: Abseiling is actually almost as easy as it looks: all you have to do is take a big step backwards and ignore the voice screaming inside your head. One of the best spots for nervous first timers to jump off a cliff is in the Blue Mountains, where the scenery is gorgeous enough to distract you from the terror and you can work your way up (or down as the case may be) from easy five-metre drops to very scary 30-metre cliffs with overhangs. Story by Lee Atkinson

Getting high in the Warrumbungles: The best views are those you've had to work for, and the view from the Grand High Tops in the Warrumbungles near Coonabarabran is one of the best. It's tough five hour climb, but the views are worth it. It's just one of the highlights of this great national park in central western New South Wales. Story by Lee Atkinson

Beach holiday bargain: Brand new accommodation in the heart of one of NSW’s best beachside holiday destinations: tick. Less than three minutes walk to six glorious beaches: tick.  Family-friendly bar and cafe that’s open all day: tick. Rooftop bar and terrace: tick. Pool: tick. Kitchen where you can cook your own meals if you want to: tick. Games room, DVDs and pool table: tick. All this plus a family room that sleeps five, with your own private ensuite, for less than $115: priceless. Not just for backpackers, the brand new Yamba YHA is the latest, and greatest, in budget beach holidays.
Story by Lee Atkinson

The oyster trail: Oysters. You either love them or hate them.  If you love them, head to the NSW mid-north coast, where a string of oyster farmers have opened up their doors to oyster lovers who know that fresh from the farm is best. Story by Lee Atkinson

Siren Song: There was more to Australian artist Norman Lindsay than his famous nudes, as visitors soon discover at Springwood, his lovely estate at Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains. The National Trust property is home to a gallery housing Norman's many paintings, etchings, sculptures, ship models, books and furniture. The creative energy which drove him is as evident in the wonderful 20ha garden as it is in the house and studio. Story by Lee Mylne

At home in Sydney: Ever wanted to know how the other half used to live? We take a trip back in time and poke our noses into the genteel drawing rooms of the colonial elite, and the not-so-fancy parlours of the 19th-century working classes in this review of Sydney's historic houses, where the walls really can talk.
Story by Lee Atkinson

The Secret Coast: Chasing cows with our chardonnay was not quite what we had in mind when we decided to spend the weekend exploring the Macleay Valley and Coast, but it kind of sums up what you’ll find in this largely undeveloped part of the NSW north coast – city-smart sophistication with a down to earth attitude.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Newcastle Rocks: No longer a grey and grimy industrial city, Newcastle on the NSW central coast is super cool, oozing tough urban chic from every newly made-over workshed. Think Manchester with great surf! The city is now home to a host of funky designer shops, great beaches and some fantastic restaurants. A guide on what to do, where to eat and where to shop.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Orange for foodies: When I lived in Orange as a teenager it was your typical country town, where a flash dinner out meant steak and three veg and not much else.  These days Orange has transformed itself into a regional food capital, with several award-winning restaurants and a sophisticated new wine bar, Belgravia at Union Bank.  We check out what’s being dished up and where. Story by Lee Atkinson

The Bucketts Way: If you’re looking for a good country drive that’s not too far out of Sydney then head for the rolling hills and twisting turns of the Bucketts Way between Karuah and Taree. This is a country road in its truest sense – there are bits that are more like a goat track than a highway, but most of the time there’ll be little traffic and the scenery is some of the prettiest you’ll find in country NSW. Story by Lee Atkinson

Hawkesbury Heaven: I'm dreaming of a little house on the Hawkesbury. Like Banjo Paterson, I'd like to leave the dusty, dirty city and head for a place where I could hear the “murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars…”. It's a daydream brought about by a day out with Australia 's Last Riverboat Postman.
Story by Lee Mylne

Forgotten valley: It's the valley that time, or at least the developers, forgot. Hidden away from the outside world, on a tiny spit of land where the river bends and winds its way through a cleft in the towering ridges of sandstone and surrounded by deeply impenetrable bush, the villages of Wisemans Ferry, and nearby St Albans, are a reminder of how life used to be, when settlers, pioneers and emancipated convicts travelled up river to scratch out a living on the river flats and Sydney Town seemed almost as far away as London. It might only be 70km from the centre of Sydney, but it feels much more remote. Story by Lee Atkinson

The Waterfall Way: Beyond the rainforest and beaches of the NSW mid-north coast rises the Great Dividing Range and the windswept Salisbury Plains of the New England tablelands, the jagged edge of which is split by countless jagged-edged gorges where, after rain, rivers rage and tumble over the edge, creating some of the most spectacular ‑ and highest ‑ waterfalls in the state. A spectacular two-day drive from Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour via the New England tablelands.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Grand Pacific Drive: Victoria has the Great Ocean Road with is iconic rock formations, Queensland has the Captain Cook Highway that twists along the coast between Cairns and Port Douglas, and now, with the recent opening of the 49-million-dollar Sea Cliff Bridge north of Wollongong, NSW finally has its own iconic coastal drive – the Grand Pacific Drive.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Sydney After Dark: If you think it's all about clubs and pubs, think again. A night out in Sydney can mean anything from the heights of the Harbour Bridge to stargazing or a guided tour "by diva". Be prepared to step outside the square and see Sydney as you've never seen it before. Story by Lee Mylne

Climbing Mount Gower: There’s no ignoring Mount Gower on Lord Howe Island, a tiny speck of an island 550km east of Port Macquarie. The rocky flat-topped peak’s image is on all the postcards, in all the books, its likeness stamped on all the souvenirs, incorporated into most of the logos of the island’s businesses, printed on all the t-shirts. Including mine, which says “I climbed Mount Gower, and survived.”
Story by Lee Atkinson

Young at Heart : There's always something to do, somewhere to go, someone to gawk at in Sydney . So take the kids along and discover the family-friendly side of the big city's myriad attractions and colourful characters. Story by Lee Mylne

Life’s a beach: one of Port Macquarie’s unknown gems is the two-hour beach-to-beach walk from Lighthouse Beach to the centre of town.  Nowhere else will you find deserted beaches and such wild windswept headlands this close to a large town. Story by Lee Atkinson

Silver City Highway: If you want a taste of the outback but don’t have a four-wheel drive, there’s really only one place to go, up the Silver City Highway to Tibooburra and Cameron Corner – the place where three states, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, meet. Story by Lee Atkinson

Good Mail on Sydney : A red pillar box stands in the courtyard of Sydney 's Westin Hotel, a brilliant splash of colour against the sandstone walls behind it. The post box is an almost unnecessary reminder that for more than a century the building at 1 Martin Place was Sydney 's General Post Office. Story by Lee Mylne

Armidale’s treasures: It’s one of the country’s best kept secrets.  Hidden away in dimly-lit back room of a small gallery in Armidale in north-western NSW is one of the country’s best collections of Australian art.  Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, Norman Lindsay, Lionel Lindsay, Julian Ashton, William Dobell, Lloyd Rees, J.J. Hilder, Margaret Preston, Thea Proctor… the list reads like the catalogue of a block buster national exhibition, but the priceless works of these great Australian artists are just the tip of the iceberg. What makes it even more extraordinary is how all this art came to be in Armidale in the first place. Story by Lee Atkinson

The Lakes Way: Just an hour’s drive north of Newcastle, three hours north of Sydney, the region known as the Great Lakes is one of NSW’s unsung treasures.  Here, a narrow strip of palm and fern-covered land separates a dazzling undeveloped stretch of coastline from a shimmering expanse of shallow inland waterways that connect the three large lakes that give this region is name: the magnificent Wallis, Smiths and Myall lakes. Story by Lee Atkinson

Hill Song: Port Macquarie is one of the most popular holiday spots on the NSW north coast.  And rightly so.  There’s a wealth of convict and colonial history, a string of beautiful beaches, lots of choice when it comes to accommodation and some great fishing spots.  But the strip of green that flanks the golden coastline of the Greater Port Macquarie area is one of the state’s best kept secrets. Hidden in the hills, valleys and forests is a wealth of history and stunning natural attractions. 
Story by Lee Atkinson

Sydney six pack: In this special six pack feature on the Harbour we look at six of the best ways to explore this natural masterpiece – whether it’s sitting back and watching the scenery slip by on a weekend cruise or sail, taking a bird’s eye view from atop the famous bridge or in a helicopter, or getting up close and personal, not to mention wet, on a jet boat or kayak – there’s something for everyone. Story by Lee Atkinson

Seasons Greetings: The cicadas are buzzing, cherries are ripening, the rellies are coming and the temperature is climbing.  Christmas in Australia is all about spending long days in the sun, catching up with friends and family and taking it easy.  10 great NSW Christmas getaways. Story by Lee Atkinson