|Travel Directory - INDEX|
|The Southern Highlands is just over 1 hour from south-west Sydney on the freeway, and 1 1/2 hours from the nation's capital, Canberra. |
It lies atop the Great Dividing Range, over 700 metres above sea level, from where the land falls away to the level plains of the inland. The climate is mild in summer, to cold in winter.
The Highlands, part of the Wingecarribee Shire (population 40,000), consists of over 20 villages clustered around the major towns of Mittagong, Bowral, and Moss Vale. It was first settled by Europeans in the 1820s.
The major industries are agriculture, some manufacturing, tourism, and service industries. The Highlands is surrounded by bushland and national park wilderness areas.