Best Islands to Visit near New South Wales

"Snapper Island is one of Sydney’s little-known islands and is the smallest island in Sydney Harbour. Located in the main channel towards the western end of the harbour, Snapper Island was originally a rocky..."

"Historic Rodd Island, in Iron Cove, offers scenic harbour views, picnicking, fishing, and venue hire for weddings and functions in Sydney Harbour National Park."

"Bare Island is located to the south-east of Sydney and is one of the most scenic destinations in the city. The island is an iconic part of the country and is listed in the State Heritage Register due to its status in..."

"With views of Sydney Harbour, the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, historic Clark Island is a picnic spot like no other, near Double Bay in the eastern suburbs."

"Positioned in Sydney Harbour, 1km from the mouth of Rose Bay, Shark Island – Boowambillee (booh-uhm-'bil-ee) is a picnic spot with a difference. Explore the island's foreshore, go swimming or relax in front of amazing Sydney Harbour views."

"Housed in a historic Art Deco building it contains more than 4,000 works of modern art and is dedicated to showcasing the works of living artists from Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, along with artists around the world. It displays paintings, photographs, sculptures, drawings, film, and performance art. Whilst you're indulging your creative..."

"The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia is one of the city’s must-see museums dedicated to living artists. Located on the bank of the picturesque Sydney Harbour, it’s home to a vast collection of both international and Australian masterpieces of painting, sculpture, photography and moving images. It also has a large collection of works from indigenous artists."

"Before the light rail returned to Sydney, trams were something that many people believed was a Melbourne thing unaware that Sydney had an extensive tram system in place. It makes sense then that the Sydney Tramway Museum is Australia’s oldest tramway museum and the largest in the southern hemisphere. The Sydney Tramway Museum boasts quite a collection of trams including Sydney trams from 1896 to 1997 as well as trams from across Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne, Ballarat and Adelaide) and even from overseas such as San Francisco, Nagasaki, Berlin, Munich and Milan."

"The Sydney Tramway Museum is the oldest museum of its kind in Australia and is a fantastic family-friendly destination. For anyone who has wondered what it would be like to get on board a tram in the early 20th century..."

"Built in the 1850s, Sydney’s copper-domed, Italianate sandstone observatory squats atop Observatory Hill, overlooking the harbour. Inside is a collection of vintage apparatus, including Australia’s oldest working telescope (1874), as well as background on Australian astronomy and transits of Venus. Also on offer (weekends and school holidays) are child-focused tours (adult/child $10/8), including a solar telescope viewing and planetarium show. Bookings are essential for night-time stargazing sessions, which come in family-oriented (adult/child $22/17) and adult (adult/child $27/20) versions."

"Sydney Observatory was built in 1858 on a hill above The Rocks and was used for decades for research into astronomy and weather conditions. It was also crucial for navigation, meteorology and timekeeping. The observatory is still an important scientific site but is used mainly as a museum these days."

"The Sydney Observatory is an iconic part of the city’s skyline, and one of the most popular attractions close to the city. The Observatory is located within a beautiful sandstone building right in the middle of..."

"A landmark building near Circular Quay, this is the location of the library. It used to be the headquarters of the Customs service and is an impressive building to walk through. One of the best features to check out is a small scale model of Sydney under the glass floor."