A complete March school holidays itinerary covering Sydney city, Blue Mountains, and the Wollongong coast. Planned for a family with young children travelling from Singapore.
| # | Day | Focus | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunday | Arrival + Darling Harbour | Mantra Sydney Central |
| 2 | Monday | Opera House + Botanic Gardens | Mantra Sydney Central |
| 3 | Tuesday | Taronga Zoo + Manly Ferry | Mantra Sydney Central |
| 4 | Wednesday | Drive to Blue Mountains | Fairmont Resort & Spa |
| 5 | Thursday | Scenic World + Three Sisters | Fairmont Resort & Spa |
| 6 | Friday | Blue Mountains → Wollongong | Novotel Wollongong Northbeach |
| 7 | Saturday | Kiama + Illawarra Fly | Novotel Wollongong Northbeach |
| 8 | Sunday | Return to Sydney → Flight home | — |
Transport: 🚆 Train + 🚶 Walk
Morning/Afternoon
Evening
💡 Relaxing start — don't overplan. Jet lag recovery day.
Transport: 🚆 Train + 🚶 Walk
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
⚠️ Moved Manly Ferry to Day 3 — original plan had too much crammed into one day with kids. Manly pairs better with Taronga Zoo day using ferry transport.
Transport: ⛴️ Ferry all day (Opal card)
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
💡 Opal daily cap kicks in after a few trips — all remaining rides that day are free. The ferry rides themselves are a highlight — kids will love them.
Transport: 🚗 Car (rental starts today)
Morning
Fruit Picking Stop (Bilpin)
⚠️ Most orchards are weekend-only. On a Wednesday, your best bet is: - Shields Orchard — open daily in season (Jan–mid May), no entry fee, pay for what you pick. Call ahead: 2270 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin - Pine Crest Orchard & Bilpin Fruit Bowl are Sat/Sun only — won't be open
In season in March: Apples, quinces, nashi pears, raspberries, chestnuts/walnuts
Afternoon
Evening
💡 Consider Featherdale Wildlife Park (in Doonside, closer to Sydney) — better as a stop on the way if going via M4, but doesn't work well with Bells Line of Road route. Skip if tight on time.
Transport: 🚗 Car (all stops within 5–10 min of each other)
Morning — Scenic World
⚠️ Weekday hours: 10am–4pm. Last rides depart ~3:40pm. Arrive at opening.
Lunch
Afternoon
Evening
Transport: 🚗 Car — longest drive day
Drive & Stops:
Evening
💡 Taking Route 1 via Picton/Macquarie Pass — the most direct route (~1h 40min). Scenic winding descent to the coast.
Transport: 🚗 Car
Morning
Late Morning / Afternoon
Optional: Fitzroy Falls (beautiful but adds ~30 min drive each way)
Berrima Village — wife says skip, nothing much 😄
Evening
Transport: 🚗 Car → ✈️ Flight
No rush day. Work backwards from your flight time:
| Time | Activity | Transport |
|---|---|---|
| ~9:00am | Easy breakfast in Wollongong | — |
| ~10:30am | Drive towards Sydney | 🚗 ~1h 20min to DFO / ~1h 30min to Birkenhead |
| ~12:00pm | Shopping/lunch stop — choose one: | — |
| • DFO Homebush — bigger outlet selection | ||
| • Birkenhead Point Outlet — harbourside, more brands | ||
| • Sydney Outlet Village — indoor kids play area + free parking | ||
| ~4:30pm | Drive to airport | 🚗 ~20–30 min from outlets |
| ~5:00pm | Refuel car + return rental | — |
| ~5:30pm | Airport check-in | — |
| Evening | Flight ✈️ | — |
💡 Allow buffer for Sunday traffic near airport. All three outlet options are roughly equidistant from Wollongong.
Adults (2x): Use Apple Pay / contactless — tap on, tap off. Same fares and daily caps as a physical Opal card. No need to buy a card.
Kids (2x): Buy Child/Youth Opal cards — these get half-price fares. Contactless / Apple Pay only charges adult rates, so physical cards are worth it for kids.
Fares & Caps (from July 2025):
| Adult (Apple Pay) | Child (Opal card) | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily cap Mon–Thu | $19.30 | $9.65 |
| Daily cap Fri–Sun | $9.65 | $4.80 |
| Weekly cap | $50 | $25 |
| Ferry (Taronga) | ~$6.43 | ~$3.21 |
| Ferry (Manly) | ~$8.04 | ~$4.02 |
| Train (Central → Circular Quay) | ~$3.65 | ~$1.83 |
| Airport Line surcharge | ~$17.92 | ~$16.03 |
💡 Day 3 with 4+ ferry rides will hit the daily cap — remaining trips free. Weekend days get the cheaper cap.