Parklands Resort spans 30 acres just outside town, with rooms opening onto verandas over rose gardens and lawns rather than a car park. There’s an on-site restaurant serving local produce and wine, a pool and sauna, and wine tours arranged straight from reception, everything needed for a wine weekend without much extra planning.
4 Places to Escape to in NSW This Spring
7th October 2026
Four NSW Escapes That Come Alive in Spring
Golden wattle starts flowering along highways and bush tracks before winter is officially over in New South Wales, usually the first sign spring has started. Then, within weeks, vineyards across the state bud, paper daisies and waratahs come into flower, and the humpback whale migration turns right around, with this year’s calve heading south past the coast away from breeding grounds back home to the cold.
All of this happens within about a month! And so with things changing at a rapid pace, spring is a wonderful time to get out and enjoy the state.
So, if you’re itching for a weekend away after a winter of cold and staying indoors, these four NSW escapes deserve a spot on the list for the perfection they offer in spring. Each have their own totally different reason for a visit.
The scenic country landscape near Mudgee.
4 Places to Escape to in NSW This Spring
Mudgee in Spring
Mudgee is particularly special when winter loosens its cold grip, because the region has plenty going on once the spring season arrives! September brings Mudgee Wine & Food Month, which turns the whole region into an excuse to eat and drink extremely well. The month brings special tastings, dinners, food-and-wine pairings and events across the region, culminating in Flavours of Mudgee, when more than 60 local food and wine producers gather in the town centre.
Then, in October, Rosby’s gardens and vineyards become an enormous outdoor gallery, with hundreds of sculptures displayed alongside food, wine, live music and workshops.
Away from the pretty decent events calendar, spring is also a beautiful time to explore Mudgee’s wine country. Bunnamagoo has floor-to-ceiling glass looking out over the vineyard and a dam, with a lawn made for sitting on. Robert Stein’s cellar door sits right among the vines with views out to the ranges. Gooree Park, one of the region’s oldest estates, has the kind of established gardens and old stone buildings that spring light suits. Between the three, plus the region’s markets and galleries, there’s more than enough to fill a weekend.
Mudgee Parklands
Credit: Destination NSW / Couple enjoying a winery tour at Brokenwood Wines, Pokolbin.
Hunter Valley in Spring
Just like other NSW wine regions, the Hunter Valley gets a serious spring makeover; vineyards green up and gardens burst into bloom. September and October are especially excellent for getting outdoors, because the Hunter Valley Gardens puts on its annual Spring Festival, while the wineries are getting busy with tastings and seasonal menus.
So for something beyond the usual cellar-door, head to Hunter Valley Gardens for the spring displays, or make time for one of the region’s garden visits, where roses and other seasonal flowers provide a very different reason to explore the valley. By the way, the warmer weather also makes cycling between cellar doors very comfy.
Spring is also when the Hunter’s event calendar sees food, wine, music and outdoor events appearing across the valley. Pokolbin is a good base, putting you close to the wineries, restaurants and gardens, while the surrounding villages and countryside give you plenty of room to escape the busiest parts of the valley.
Estate Tuscany
Estate Tuscany spans 26 acres in Pokolbin, with rooms looking out over 300 acres of vineyards and the Brokenback Ranges. There’s a pool, tennis court, in-room massages, and a Chef Hat-awarded restaurant, The Mill, plus a bar with vineyard views and a fireplace for cooler evenings.
Credit: Destination NSW / Experience all the fun and adventure of a Cape Byron Kayaks guided tour in Cape Byron Marine Park.
Byron Bay in Spring
By springtime, Byron Bay is back in its element, because let’s face it, it’s a warm weather place. Warm mornings, inviting ocean temperatures and the hinterland looking very green after the wetter months are three good reasons for a visit alone.
But the season also brings one of the coast’s great wildlife spectacles, with humpback whales travelling south on their annual migration back home, while the warmer weather makes it heaps better to spend an entire day outside (whale spotting in the colder, rainy weather isn’t ideal).
The Cape Byron Lighthouse Walk is an obvious one at this time, but spring is a particularly lovely time to do it, with views gorgeous along the coastline and plenty of opportunities to spot whales offshore. Wategos Beach is a good place to get in the water, while nearby Broken Head has rainforest walking tracks and a calm section of coast when Byron’s main beaches start getting busy (which they will!).
Inland, the Byron Bay hinterland is peppered with farmers’ markets, farm gates, local producers and restaurants, so it’s very easy to put food first. Plus, spring is also a good time to explore all the hinterland villages, where you’ll find galleries and independent shops.
The Sebel
The Sebel is in the middle of town on Fletcher Street, a few minutes’ walk from Main Beach and the Byron Community Market. Rooms range from king hotel rooms to fully self-contained one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with a pool on site and restaurants and cafes right outside the door.
Credit: Destination NSW / Couple enjoys the views along the Red Rocks trig walking track, which leads to scenic views across Kangaroo Valley and Morton National Park and is a great place for a picnic and some birdwatching.
Kangaroo Valley in Spring
Spring gives Kangaroo Valley some of its best conditions for exploring! The valley floor turns lush after winter and wildflowers appear along the roadsides and walking tracks. The nearby sandstone escarpments truly stand out against all the fresh green vegetation. And the Kangaroo River is a major draw at this time of year too, with kayaking and canoeing offering a brilliant way to experience the valley from the water itself.
For walkers, the much milder temperatures make spring a good time to explore Morton National Park; including the Three Views Walking Track, which leads through forest to lookouts across the valley and sandstone cliffs. Keep an eye out for native wildlife too, because kangaroo are grazing in the paddocks and birdlife is particularly active around now.
Back in the village, Hampden Bridge is worth a stop. Built in 1898, the timber suspension bridge crosses the Kangaroo River and is the oldest surviving wooden suspension bridge in Australia. Around the village, you’ll find cafés and local shops and the surrounding farms and roadside stalls are piled high with produce.
For something particularly spring-ish, look out for the wildflowers appearing across the national park and along the valley roads which add to an already spectacular stretch of the Southern Highlands.
Wildes Kangaroo Valley
Wildes Hotel is right in Kangaroo Valley village, a boutique stay with a pool, garden, and a restaurant, Wildes Dining, doing modern Australian food with a Mediterranean lean. It’s a good base for kayaking on the Kangaroo River, walking the Pioneer history trail through the village, or a wine tasting at nearby Yarrawa Estate.