Top things to do in Regional NSW

Things to do in regional NSW run from wine tasting around Orange to honey farms in Bowral, a flight simulator in Temora and a self-drive boat on Wallis Lake at Forster. Experiences here sit in towns all over the state, so this page groups them by what you'll actually be doing. Browse regional NSW tours, activities and attractions, or read on to compare.

Wine tours and trike rides around Orange

Orange is a cool-climate wine region, and Mount Canobolas sits in the view from most cellar doors. Orange Trike Tours covers it from the back of a German-made Boom Mustang trike. The Scenic Trike Tour of Orange is the shortest way in: a 1-hour or 2-hour ride for two that takes in the Mount Canobolas summit, Lake Canobolas and the Towac Valley, with pick-up from your accommodation.

The Orange Winery Trike Tour and Gourmet Picnic turns it into a half-day, with a Swinging Bridge tasting of wines and canapes, a Printhie Wines picnic hamper and a drive past Lake Canobolas in between. The 2-day Orange Wine and Food Luxury Trike Tour adds a four-course degustation at Printhie Dining and a five-course lunch with paired wines at Swinging Bridge.

If you'd rather have a roof over your head, the Private Wine Tasting Tour in Orange uses a minibus. It leaves at 9.30am, calls at three vineyards with cellar door tastings included, stops for a cheese platter and gets you back by 3pm.

Cellar door tastings at Printhie and Swinging Bridge

Two Orange wineries run their own sessions, and you drive yourself to both. Printhie Wines is at 208 Nancarrow Lane, Nashdale. The Printhie Wines Picnic and Guided Wine Tasting is the relaxed one: a hamper of sweet and savoury food, a bottle of Printhie wine to share and a rug, set up among the vines and apple orchards at 11am, 12pm or 1pm. The Sparkling Masterclass runs Thursday to Sunday at 11am. A sparkling specialist walks you around the vineyard, you taste the Swift Sparkling range, and a four-course alfresco lunch follows.

Swinging Bridge is at 701 The Escort Way, with views to Mount Canobolas. The Sommelier Guided Wine and Canape Tasting pairs seven cool-climate wines with seven canapes in an hour. For longer, the Orange Vineyard Tour and 5 Course Lunch starts with a 30-minute walk through Hill Park Vineyard, then moves inside for a five-course degustation matched to the whole wine range.

Honey farms and alpaca paddocks

Bowral Beekeeping works from an apiary at 1325 Old South Road, Bowral, and runs sessions for different levels of curiosity. The Authentic Bowral Honey Farm Tour and Tasting is a 1-hour visit with a beekeeper's veil, a look at how a Flow Hive works and a honey tasting, followed by morning tea with fresh sourdough. The Bowral Beekeeping Tour and Tasting with Morning Tea is a 2-hour version with up to 10 honeys to try and a full-length suit and gloves for inspecting a live hive.

Near Murrumbateman, a 25-minute trip from Canberra, Blackwattle Alpaca Farm lets you feed and pat the herd. Brunch with the Bunch is a 1.5-hour visit that pairs a cooked brunch of eggs, bacon, hash browns and mushrooms with a visit to the alpacas and llamas.

Fun parks, farms and flight simulators

The Big Banana Fun Park at 351 Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour, is a popular choice for a full family day. The Big Banana Fun Park Ultimate Pass covers the Water Park, ice skating, mini golf, the 4D Ride Simulator, giant slide, laser tag, toboggan and bumper cars.

Tropical Fruit World in Duranbah, in the Tweed Valley, grows more than 500 varieties of exotic fruit. Admission includes a tractor-train plantation tour, a fruit tasting, a wildlife boat cruise and the animal park.

Aviation fans can book the Temora Spitfire Flight Simulator Experience, a 1-hour session in a full-motion simulator of a Spitfire MkXVI at the Temora Aviation Museum. Sessions run at 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm, and museum entry is included.

On the water, and in the distillery

At Forster, Forster Boat Hire from Blue Peter Boatshed puts you in charge of a boat on Wallis Lake for a 4-hour hire, with up to six passengers. You don't need a boating licence, fuel is included, pets can come along and you can bring your own food and drinks.

Husk Farm Distillery at North Tumbulgum, in the Northern Rivers, runs the Husk Farm Distillery Experience on Saturdays at 3pm and 4pm. You mix a Ti-punch cocktail on arrival, juice a stalk of fresh sugarcane, tour the distillery and taste Husk Rum in the barrel house.

Choosing between regional towns

Orange suits a couple's weekend, because the trike and wine experiences are written for two and most include pick-up from your accommodation. The Printhie and Swinging Bridge sessions are self-drive, so book the minibus tour if you both want to taste. Bowral and Murrumbateman work as family days out.

Days matter here. Husk runs on Saturday afternoons and the Sparkling Masterclass runs Thursday to Sunday, so check each product page before you plan a trip around it. Regional NSW food and drinks has more tastings.

Pick a town and make a day of it. Orange wine country and the Bowral honey farm are good places to start in regional NSW. All good days are waiting.