New South Wales (Sydney Region)
Gosford
Hundreds of commuters make the 160km round trip to Sydney by train from this town at the head of Brisbane Water. The area around Gosford and Wyong has many holiday resorts and amenities for vacationers and is an excellent place for fishing, waterskiing, windsurfing and surfing.
Old Sydney Town, southwest of Gosford just off the Pacific Highway, is a reconstruction of Sydney as it looked in the early years of the penal settlement. "Everyday" scenes, such as a convict's escape or a flogging, are acted out, and a token gesture towards Aboriginal culture has been made in the form of a Koorie Trading Post, which sells souvenirs. Many bus companies include it in their itineraries. Wed-Sun 10am-4pm, daily school & public holidays; $17.

Next door to Old Sydney Town, is the Australian Reptile Park. Over the years the park has provided a very useful public service producing serum from snake and spider venom. You can watch snakes and funnel web spiders being milked of their venom, but less fearsome hands-on interaction is also available: you can pat Eric, the giant crocodile, touch a python, or hand-feed kangaroos - the landscaped bush setting is also home to a bunch of furrier native creatures. Daily 9am-5pm; $11.95. tel 4340 1022 for feeding times and wildlife shows.

Dharug National Park
This park is important primarily for its wealth of aboriginal rock engravings and has been named after an aboriginal tribe. Situated on the edge of the Hawkesbury River magnificent colours and a variety of interesting plants are there to be enjoyed or you can stroll the first 2km section of the convict built Great North Road. Camping is permitted at Mill Creek or Ten Mile Hollow. The park is 75km north-west of Sydney.

For more regional information on the Gosford Area, go to: