Southern Highlands day trip from Sydney — Bowral, Berrima, and garden country
How far is the Southern Highlands from Sydney?
The Southern Highlands — centred on Bowral, Mittagong, and Berrima — is about 110 km southwest of Sydney CBD via the M5 and Hume Highway. The drive takes roughly 90 minutes. There is a NSW TrainLink service to Moss Vale (about 2 hours from Sydney Central); Bowral is a 10-minute taxi or bus from Moss Vale station.
The Southern Highlands is the collective name for the cool-climate upland towns of Bowral, Mittagong, Berrima, and Bundanoon — about 110 km southwest of Sydney at an elevation of around 700–800 m above sea level. The region is best known for its English-influenced gardens, antique shops, cooler weather, and the Tulip Time festival in September–October. It is a day trip with a specific character: pastoral, slightly old-fashioned, and appealing to visitors who want relief from coastal heat, good country food, and garden scenery.
The Southern Highlands is not for everyone — it rewards those who actively enjoy browsing antiques, visiting private gardens open during garden festivals, and lingering over long lunches. Visitors expecting dramatic landscapes (Blue Mountains) or wildlife encounters (Port Stephens) will be disappointed.
Getting there
By car
The M5 Motorway from Sydney CBD to Camden, then the Hume Highway southwest, reaches Mittagong (the gateway to the Southern Highlands) in about 90 minutes. The route through Campbelltown on the M5 Extension is approximately 110 km. Continue on the Hume Highway to Bowral (5 km north of Mittagong) or exit earlier for Berrima (7 km west of Bowral via the Bong Bong Road).
Peak Friday afternoon traffic on the M5 corridor can extend the drive significantly. Saturday morning is the better departure time.
By train
NSW TrainLink operates a daily train service from Sydney Central to the Southern Highlands via Campbelltown and Picton. Moss Vale is the best station for the Highlands — it is the main stop, about 5 km from Bowral and 12 km from Berrima. Journey time is approximately 2 hours from Central; check the current timetable as service frequency is limited (typically 3–4 services per direction per day on weekdays, fewer on weekends).
From Moss Vale, a local taxi to Bowral costs around AUD 15–20. Bowral itself is walkable from the centre if you have modest footwear.
Bowral
Bowral is the Southern Highlands’ main town, a well-kept Victorian-era country town with good cafes, a small but decent restaurant strip, and the Bradman Museum.
Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame: Donald Bradman (arguably the greatest cricketer of all time, with a test batting average of 99.94) grew up in Bowral. The museum on St Jude Street covers his career and the history of Australian and international cricket. Entry approximately AUD 20 adults. The museum is small to medium in scale — allow 90 minutes.
Corbett Gardens: Bowral’s central public garden adjacent to the museum, free entry. In spring (September–November), the tulips and seasonal beds are the core display of the Tulip Time festival. In other seasons, the garden is pleasant but less spectacular.
Café and restaurant strip: Bong Bong Street and Wingecarribee Street have a concentration of good cafes and a few serious restaurants. Eschalot Restaurant in Berrima Road is the region’s most respected fine-dining option. Biota Dining closed in 2022 after years as the Highlands’ flagship restaurant; the replacement landscape has several solid mid-range options. Budget AUD 30–45 for a main course at a better restaurant; AUD 15–25 at cafes.
Berrima
Berrima is 12 km west of Bowral and is one of Australia’s best-preserved Georgian colonial settlements. The town was bypassed by the Hume Highway in the 1990s, which inadvertently preserved it — the main street looks much as it did in the 1840s, with sandstone pubs, a courthouse, and a gaol still in use.
Berrima Courthouse (1838): One of Australia’s oldest courthouses still standing in original condition. Open for self-guided tours. Entry approximately AUD 5 adults. The museum inside covers colonial legal history including several famous trials.
The Surveyor-General Inn: Claimed to be the oldest continuously licensed hotel in Australia (operating since 1834). The pub itself is worth seeing; the food is counter meals at pub prices — reasonable but not remarkable.
Berrima Gaol: The original 1839 colonial prison is now a correctional centre and not open to visitors, but is visible from the street and historically significant.
Antique shops and galleries: Berrima has a concentration of antique shops and art galleries on its two main streets. Quality ranges from genuine colonial-era pieces to curated junk — if antiques are your purpose, allow 2 hours.
Bundanoon
Bundanoon (30 km south of Bowral, accessible by train on the Highlands Line from Moss Vale) is a small village at the edge of Morton National Park. It is known for the Glow Worm Glen, a short walk behind the town leading to a ravine where native glow worms (actually the bioluminescent larvae of a fungus gnat) coat the rocky walls at night.
The glow worm walk is self-guided and free. It is most effective at dusk to full dark — bring a torch but use it sparingly near the glow worm walls, as light disturbs the larvae. The walk from the car park to the glen is about 800 m each way.
Morton National Park, accessible from Bundanoon, has several good day walks including Erith Coal Mine Walk (industrial heritage, flat track, 3 km return) and Gambells Rest Lookout (panorama over the Shoalhaven gorge).
Tulip Time festival
Tulip Time is the Southern Highlands’ main annual event, running for two weekends in late September and early October (exact dates shift slightly each year). The festival centres on Corbett Gardens in Bowral, where around 70,000 tulip bulbs are planted in themed displays. The broader event includes open gardens (private properties that open to the public), art exhibitions, food events, and the Grand Parade — a march through Bowral on the first Sunday.
Entry to Corbett Gardens is free outside the festival; during Tulip Time, a nominal entry fee (around AUD 5–10) may apply to the main display areas. Open gardens vary — typically AUD 8–15 per garden. A Tulip Time pass covering multiple gardens is available.
Accommodation in the Highlands during Tulip Time fills 3–6 months in advance. For a day trip, arrive by 9 am on a weekday to avoid the largest crowds; weekends during the festival see traffic queues backing up on the Hume Highway approach.
Practical notes
Weather: The Southern Highlands sits at 700–800 m elevation, about 5–8°C cooler than Sydney year-round. This makes it a relief from summer heat (December–February) but means cold winters — lows of 2–5°C in July–August, occasional frosts, occasional light snow. A warm jacket is essential even in spring.
Autumn foliage: March–May brings genuine autumn colour to the Highlands — European trees (elms, oaks, plane trees along Bowral’s streets) turn yellow and red. The period is quietly beautiful without the crowds of Tulip Time. Accommodation is easier to find and prices are lower.
Driving from Canberra: The Southern Highlands sits on the Hume Highway between Sydney and Canberra. If you are driving the Sydney–Canberra route, a lunch stop in Berrima or Bowral adds about 30–40 minutes and is worthwhile. See Canberra day trip for the full route guide.
Is it worth the day trip?
For visitors who enjoy gardens, history, and a change of pace: yes. Berrima alone is worth the visit as one of the best-preserved colonial towns in NSW. Combining it with Bowral for lunch and the Bradman Museum makes a comfortable full day.
For visitors seeking active outdoor experiences or wildlife: not the right destination. The walks in Morton National Park from Bundanoon are good but not exceptional compared with Royal National Park or Blue Mountains. The region’s appeal is essentially pastoral and cultural.
Honest note on antiques: The antique trade in Berrima and Bowral is genuine in spots but also full of overpriced repro furniture marketed as antiques. If you are serious about colonial pieces, know your periods and prices before arriving.
Practical notes
Cafes and restaurants in Bowral: The main café strip is Bong Bong Street, parallel to the Hume Highway through the town. Iloh is a consistently recommended café for quality coffee and breakfast. The Grand View Hotel on the main street is a reliable pub option for lunch at mid-range prices. Gumnut Patisserie (Bong Bong Street) is the standout bakery — expect a queue on weekend mornings.
Berrima driving note: Berrima is reached via a turn-off from the Hume Highway between Mittagong and Bowral. The town is not signposted well from the Hume — look for the Old Hume Highway/Berrima Road sign near Bong Bong Road intersection. The town itself is 5 km west of the Hume.
Garden openings: During the Highlands Garden Festival (typically October–November) and Tulip Time, private gardens open to the public. These are often the most interesting gardens in the region — the commercial displays at Corbett Gardens are impressive in scale but less intimate than a private garden. Check the Southern Highlands Tourism website for the current open garden schedule.
Accommodation: If you want to stay overnight, Peppers Craigieburn (Bowral), Milton Park Country House Hotel (Bowral), and Briars Country Lodge (Moss Vale) are the long-established luxury options. Country guesthouses and B&Bs are plentiful at AUD 150–250 per room per night. The region fills for Tulip Time (book 3–6 months ahead) and is quiet and available midweek outside festival periods.
Combining with Canberra
The Southern Highlands sits directly on the Hume Highway between Sydney and Canberra. The two destinations are natural travel companions — break the Sydney–Canberra drive at Berrima for lunch (about 1.5 hours south of Sydney), then continue to Canberra (another 1.5–2 hours). This turns a long drive into a pleasant road trip.
Alternatively, drive to Canberra on day 1, stay overnight, see the major museums on day 2, and stop at Bowral or Berrima on the drive back to Sydney. This structure works particularly well during Floriade season (September–October) when both Canberra and the Southern Highlands are at their most attractive simultaneously. See the Canberra day trip guide for the Canberra leg of this combination.
The Kangaroo Valley connection
Kangaroo Valley, about 20 km east of Bowral over the Barrengarry Mountain escarpment, is often combined with a Southern Highlands day trip. The descent into the valley via the Barrengarry Mountain lookout road is dramatic — the escarpment drops 400 m to the valley floor, with views across the Shoalhaven River system. The valley itself is agricultural and scenic; Kangaroo Valley village has a pub, a bakery, and the Fitzroy Inn.
Access is via the Kangaroo Valley Road from Moss Vale or Bowral. The round trip adds about 60–90 minutes to a Southern Highlands day. For visitors who want to continue south, Kangaroo Valley connects to Nowra and the road to Jervis Bay — see the Jervis Bay day trip guide for the southern coast continuation.
For the full destination guide, see Southern Highlands destination guide. For all Sydney day trip options compared, see best day trips from Sydney.
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