Bowral
Bowral is a major town in Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia, and an important tourist centre of the Highlands.
Get in
By car
Bowral is accessible by car via the Hume Highway from Sydney heading towards Canberra or Melbourne. It is about 136 km south-west from the Sydney CBD. It takes about 80 minutes to get to Bowral from Sydney which makes it an ideal location for Sydneysider weekenders and daytrippers.
The town is accessible from the nearby town of Mittagong by going on the Highlands Way road due south, or by Old South Road and the town of Moss Vale via Highlands Way due north.
By train
Bowral Station is part of the Southern Highlands Line that goes to and from Central Station in Sydney every 40-60 minutes on a weekday and every 1-2 hours on a weekend. Services after certain late night hours and days trains are not in use until earlier the next morning so it would be smart to grab a train timetable and plan ahead.
By bus
Berrima Coaches is the prime bus company of the Southern Highlands only does services to and from Bowral to Wollongong and Nowra via Albion Park once a day.
During the week, Bowral also has the Bowral Sydney Airport Services which is an airport shuttle service which goes to all the terminals of Sydney Airport from and to Bowral. The bus charter is only three times a day and on the weekend only once depending on the bookings. This service must be booked and services can go to Central Station and Sydney Cruise Terminal upon demand.
Priors Scenic Express runs a coach service from Parramatta, Liverpool and Campbelltown to Bowral six days a week. This service then travels onto Kangaroo Valley, Nowra and the South Coast as far as Narooma.
Get around
Bowral CBD (primarily Bong Bong Street and its surrounding streets) has boutiques, cafés and attractions such as the Bradman museum and Corbett Gardens which are all within walking distance of each other. However, attractions like the golf clubs, cellar doors and wineries, manor houses and other attractions are short driving distances around Bowral which would either require a car or taxi.
Taxis are available 24 hours a day on Bong Bong Street. They are stationed at the taxi bay which is in the middle of Bong Bong St during the day and at night can be summonded via a taxi phone near the bay. Meter rates are almost double the city rate, however, like most taxi services concessions are accepted if you are a pensioner.
Driving your own form of transport is recommended because like all rural areas Bowral is just one attraction of many attractions that make up the Southern Highlands like Berrima, Wombeyan Caves and the ghost town of Joadja which are not accessible by public transport but by driving.
See
Do
- The Bradman Trail, Bowral (various locations). An easy walking tour through Bowral to see the childhood homes of Sir Donald Bradman, his school, and his church. Finish the morning at the Bradman Museum for lunch at Stumps Tea Shop.
Events
- Tulip Time Festival, Corbett Gardens, toll-free: 1300 657 559 (domestic), e-mail: tuliptime@wsc.nsw.gov.au. From late September to early October. One of Australia's biggest floral festivals. Over 100,000 tulips are on displays in the gardens. Tulip Time has become the most important tourist attraction to the Southern Highlands, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country and the world. Adults $12, concession/pensioner $7, children 13-17 yr $7, children - 12 yr and under - free.
Buy
Bowral has no shortage of fashion, craft, and antique shopping catering to the passing tourist trade.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Connect
- Bowral Library, Bendooley Street, Bowral (enter near zebra crossing). M-F 9:30AM-6:30PM, Sa 9:30AM-4PM. NSW library card holders get free PC/internet use. Ask at desk for Wi-Fi password. 1 hour maximum. $5/30 min (Wi-Fi is free for any visitors).
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