Nature comes in many forms, and in Palm Beach just over an hour from the CBD, nature presents as smashing beaches and the stunning Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The area’s surf – from Palm Beach to Whale Beach – is welcoming to paddlers and swimmers, surfers and toe-dippers, and on a hot day there’s nothing like taking refuge in the 35-metre ocean pool on Palm Beach itself. Barrenjoey Lighthouse sits 91 metres above sea level, with panoramic views over Palmy, as it’s colloquially called. Grab a bite (after a queue in summer) at The Boat House – there’s raw greens with poached eggs, avocado, broccoli, zucchini and miso salmon for breakfast, or a bucket of prawns with sourdough, excellent beer-battered flathead and beef burgers for lunch, all with a million-dollar view across the Hawkesbury River.

Wake up with the birds and head South out of Sydney to one of Australia’s most beautiful (and first official) national park, just an hour’s drive away. The old Audley Dance Hall does great breakfasts and lunches, and has extensive seating overlooking the Audley Grounds (let the kids run wild). There are great takeaway options too for those adventurers planning a bush walk and not willing to be slowed down by table service. There’s also accomodation here, if the early-bird memo was missed. Kick back with lilos and sunscream at Wattamolla lagoon, the popular swimming hole complete with waterfall and a daredevil rock jump for the adrenaline junkies in your car. There are lots of walking tracks, and the one leading to Little Marley Beach promises another great swim at the end.

Heading past The Royal National Park, drive through rainforest and seaside villages along the exquisite coastline of the South Coast. The drive from Sydney to Jervis Bay takes two days, weaving past Austinmer Beach – one of the prettiest in Wollongong – and through Kiama with its famous blowhole and the Illawarra Fly Treetop Adventures’ treetop walk and zipline. Drive past the perfect coastline to the emerald hinterland of Jervis Bay and the Shoalhaven region. Camp at Booderee National Park with its beautiful and famously white sandy beaches.

A three- or four-day road trip takes the food and wine hunter on a gastronomic adventure to Cowra and Orange, with options to dip in to Dubbo and Mudgee if time (and stomach space) allows. Make the 118km drive west from Lithgow to Orange for an epicurean adventure. Stop at the Orange Farmers Markets and Huntley Berry Farm to pick your own fruit. Take time at the Orange Wine Festival if you’ve timed things right. Head past Canowindra with its olive groves, orchards and vineyards on the banks of the Belubula River and settle for a moment in Cowra for wine tasting and hot air ballooning. Cowra hosts a cherry blossom festival in September to celebrate the onset of Spring – think tea ceremonies, Tai Chi demonstrations, Japanese singers, and a martial arts arena featuring Karate and Sumo. At Christmas there’s carols while you absorb the aptly named Eat Street, where market stalls take over from traffic on December 7.

Less than two hours to Sydney’s west, the blue haze of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area settles on the sky. Nearly 2.5 millions acres are filled with seven national parks – there are forests and bushlands, sandstone cliffs and extraordinary walks. Stay at the most luxurious resort in the area, Emirates One & Only Wolgan Valley, located on the Great Dividing Range between Wollemi National Park and the Gardens of Stone National Park. A must-see are the Three Sisters at Katoomba. The Blue Mountains is Aboriginal land, home to the Darug, Gundungurra, Wiradjuri, Wanaruah, Darkinjung, and Dharawal people. The Three Sisters rock formation is three sandstone peaks towering nearly 300 feet and, according to an Aboriginal legend,they were once three sisters who were cast into stone by a tribal elder to protect them when they’d fallen in love with three brothers from a rival tribe. Visit Leura for its beautiful gardens and shops – it’s a place offering a solid dose of the 1930s with its antique shops, tea rooms and art galleries.