Things to do in Southern Highlands

Shopping and Markets

Coach House Collective

Bowral

The ivy-covered building previously known as Lancelot Hill Antiques has opened with a new fitout, look and feel, and what a space it is! Coach House Collective is home to a number of great business brands, including Black Medullary, Chapter & Oak, Field & Potter, Hunter & Gatherer Collection, Maison Ivy, Table & Sill, Lanes and more... all housing a treasure trove of incredible pieces just waiting for you to discover soon.

Image: SoHi Spirits

Shopping and Markets

SoHi Bottle Shop and Tasting Boutique

Bowral

SoHi Spirits, a distillery of beautiful booze from the Southern Highlands, has opened the doors to its spiritual and literal home on the main street of Bowral, NSW. Is it a jewellery store? Is it a boutique? Is it a tasting room? Is that a giant bottle or shelves? It’s all of the above. SoHi takes things up a notch and the first shop in the hometown of Bowral is no different. Southern Highlands’ best spirits, in the best street, in the best new retail experience. It’s more of a jewelry store than a bottle-o. The best shops are an experience, and the small, luxe space is certainly that. From the global research done, and from what customers tell, the world’s most beautiful bottle shop has been opened in Bowral.

Image: Milk Factory Gallery

Galleries, Museums and Collections

Milk Factory Gallery Art and Design Centre

Bowral

The Milk Factory Art Gallery and Exhibition Space situated in the heart of Bowral's town centre, provides art lovers with a venue in which to view contemporary artwork as well as offering a unique space for exhibitors to profile their works. The main gallery features original artworks, handmade jewellery, sculpture, glass, fine woodwork, ceramics and textiles. The Art and Design Centre also retails art related gifts including books, gift cards and a selection of art materials. The original Milk Factory was primarily used as a depot for local farmers to manufacture dairy products and now this impressive space is ideal for exhibiting large works of art as well as sculpture and installations. Solo exhibitions are organised throughout the year as well as mixed and group shows. This includes all mediums from original works to printmaking, ceramics, photography and sculpture.

Image: © Busking Biker

Galleries, Museums and Collections

Southern Highlands Information Technology Experience

Bowral

Southern Highlands Information Technology Experience (the SHITE Shack Bowral!) is an amazing display of retro-information technology, charting the development of technologies that are now absolutely essential in your modern-day lives! Atari's, Commodore's, Amiga, IBM PC-XT computers with working Amber and Green Screens, Hanimex, AWA, Olivetti, Nokia, Blackberry, Palm Pilot, Pong, Frogger, Space Invaders, Galaga, Street Fighter II working consoles, this is not just another museum full of old Shite, this is a mind-blowing display or working retro-Shite that you can interact with. All revenue raised from donations made to support the SHITE Shack, is directed towards the work of PRISM INERTIA and its unique Hydrogen / Oxygen Ultra-Clean-Tech Power Generation System, currently being developed in the R&D facility at the Shack in Bowral.

Image: Suzie Anderson Home

Shopping and Markets

Suzie Anderson Home - Bowral

Bowral

Step inside Suzie Anderson Home Bowral and discover a haven of rustic elegance, inspired by serene indoor-outdoor living. European antiques, lush greenery, and stunning light fixtures create an inviting atmosphere, while French Provençal decor adds a touch of timeless charm. Explore a curated selection of quality rattan furniture, Trudon candles, Annie Sloan chalk paint, and DeWitt Dutch garden tools, all nestled within an old mechanic's workshop at the end of Green Lane, within the Dirty Janes complex. Visit Suzie Anderson Home Bowral and allow their curated selection to inspire you.

Galleries, Museums and Collections

Bradman Museum

Bowral

The Bradman Museum is located in the town of Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands. The precinct also includes the Bradman Oval, which is used extensively during the cricket season for local matches and teams from around NSW. The adjacent children's playground is cricket-themed and has a gas barbecue for picnics and large grass areas. The Bradman Museum celebrates the stories and people who shape the spirit of cricket. Experience the interactive exhibitions as the defining moments of the game come alive. Enjoy the 'Unstoppable' exhibition, celebrating women's cricket, a story of excellence, determination, and passion that features resourceful and talented women who stood against periodic negativity and inspired millions. From the 1800s through to the present day, this new multimedia experience explores the stories and moments that shaped Women's Cricket in Australia. At the heart of the Museum is the greatest cricketer of all time, Sir Donald Bradman. Bradman was renowned for the values of modesty, dignity, integrity and courage, and these values resonate through the stories and people showcased in the Bradman Museum. They are proud of the way cricket brings together many cultures from around the world with the enduring power to inspire millions. Visitors are encouraged to allow around an hour and a half to experience the extensive exhibits within the Bradman Museum.

Image: Fox in a Box Bowral

Amusement and Theme Parks

Fox in a Box - Bowral

Bowral

Fox in a Box Bowral is the only escape room venue in the Southern Highlands. With four immersive rooms conveniently located in the central hub of Bowral, teams must work together to find clues, solve a series of puzzles and escape within 60 minutes. Fox in a Box Bowral is ideal for social activities, Birthdays, Children's parties, Bucks and Hens nights. The ultimate team building activity for Corporate and large groups.

Entertainment Venues

Bowral Bowling Club

Bowral

Bowral Bowling Club is perfectly located in the heart of Bowral, just a short 1.5 hrs from Sydney and 50 minutes from Goulburn or Wollongong. The Club is graced by picturesque views of Mount Gibraltar seen the length of the clubhouse and from the greens. There are three bowling greens for social and competition bowls, croquet and barefoot bowls. Members and guests are always welcome to come along and enjoy a game of bowls with friends, family or colleagues. Groups of 10 or more should call in advance to check availability. The Club offers live sport, Keno, TAB, a family friendly bistro and bar with kids' play corner, Friday meat raffles and great community events. They are also proud of their live music schedule – take a look at their 'What's On' page on the website to see which artists are playing soon!

Galleries, Museums and Collections

Gibraltar Golf Course

Bowral

A round of golf at the picturesque Gibraltar course offers a relaxed and unique golfing experience for the competitive, social or family golfer. It's never boring, it's never rushed, as you work your way around the peaceful, well-tended fairways and greens that merge harmoniously with the natural contours of the land. The course has plenty of water features and undulating fairways, providing interest and challenge for beginners and experienced golfers alike. The course looks easy on the card but is one of the more interesting courses you will play, with varying demands placed upon your golf game. There is something here for everybody, with the course set amongst the most stunning beauty nature has to offer and breathtaking views!

Natural Attractions

Gibbergunyah Reserve

Bowral

Gibbergunyah Reserve is one of contrasts with secluded, shady walking trails and sunny, rocky outcrops to picnic on – a calm respite from the hurly-burly of town. At over 800 metres Ninety Acre Hill Lookout has sweeping views of the distant Blue Mountains from its lichen-clad boulders. Wombats and echidnas make their lairs in the crevices of the rocks below. There is a view of Mount Gibraltar from the Gib Lookout. The bushland ranges from open woodland on the drier edges to tall moist fern-carpeted forest in the deeper gullies and is typical of sandstone ridges in the area. A variety of brightly coloured flowers bloom according to the season and tall banksia await fire to open their spiky, rock-hard seed pods. The 200-hectare Reserve which is roughly 1.5 kilometre square links Mittagong and Bowral. It may be entered from either. From Mittagong, the northern access is at the end of Howards Lane, Welby. Access from Bowral is via a walking track beside a fairway of the Gibraltar Bowral Country Club. Trail Maps are located at both entrances. The downloadable map is indicative only, no distances are shown. Maps are also available from the Southern Highlands Welcome Centre.

Image: Destination Southern Highlands

Natural Attractions

Mount Gibraltar Heritage Reserve

Mittagong

Mount Gibraltar, at 863 metres, is a collapsed volcanic core composed of very hard rock called Mount Gibraltar Trachyte or micro-syenite. 150 million years ago it pushed through the Hawkesbury Sandstone to form a high mountain now largely eroded by wind and water. Mount Gibraltar is the highest point between the Illawarra Coast and the Great Dividing Range. It offers a range of short walks, with duration times of between 10 and 45 minutes. Numerous lookouts are accessible from Mount Gibraltar. All native plants, animals, rocks and timber are protected. Mount Gibraltar is located in Bowral and maps are available from the Southern Highlands Visitor Information Centre, Mittagong.

Natural Attractions

Mount Jellore Lookout

Bowral

Mount Jellore Lookout is located in the Mount Gibraltar Reserve, Bowral. It is regarded as the finest view on the mountain with the Mittagong-Bowral Road and the Main Southern Railway. In the far distance, the Nattai and Kanangra wilderness areas and the Blue Mountains (Katoomba) can be seen. To the north-west, farmland gives way to the bush of Mount Alexandra Reserve on the other side of the Old Hume Highway. In the middle distance, Mount Jellore can be seen protruding above the dissected plateau. Maps are available from the Southern Highlands Welcome Centre.