Australia’s largest city known for its glittering harbour, waterfront dining and thriving arts, culture and sport scene. The Australian Museum, home to ten complete dinosaur skeletons, is the perfect place to start an investigation of the caves and fossils found in our ancient landscape.

The Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art overlooking Circular Quay provide access to a wealth of indigenous, contemporary and classic art. From Sydney, head west towards the Blue Mountains and stop in Katoomba for a pub lunch at Old City Bank Brasserie or high tea at the Hydro Majestic Hotel.

From Katoomba, it's around forty minutes to Lithgow, your last stop for day one.

One of the highlights of this area is the Lithgow Glow Worm Tunnel, a 400m long abandoned railway tunnel that is now home to the glow-in-the-dark larvae of the fungus gnat.During spring, there is a daffodil festival in the nearby village of Rydal so be sure to drive through town to witness the proliferation of blooms.

Guided tours are available for nine of these remarkable underground formations. Lucas Cave contains The Cathedral chamber that hosts special events throughout the year like opera performances and Christmas carols.

The whole cave system would take several days to see but a half day stop should allow time to explore two caves. To take a night-time tour, stay in the on-site accommodation.

Around half an hour from Jenolan is the charming village of Oberon, which usually gains snowfall in the Winter months, owing to its high elevation. During the warmer months, you can go mushroom picking, truffle hunting and fossicking. It's also home to the stunning Mayfield Gardens, one of the world's largest privately owned cool climate gardens.

Want to cast a line? Lake Oberon and The Reef Reserve are both great fishing spots.

Home of the famous Mount Panorama motor racing circuit and a burgeoning wine industry, Bathurst also has an interesting architectural history. Be sure to visit the Bathurst Court House and drive past the carved sandstone gates of the prison.

Ask a local about how this small regional city came to have such grand buildings. It's a great story.

Wind through this trio of three villages with heritage-listed buildings, popular with filmmakers and artisans alike. Wander through the art and craft galleries, drop in for morning or afternoon tea, or enjoy a hearty pub meal. Carcoar is even classified by the National Trust due to the number of intact 19th-century buildings.

Over the years, this town has forged a special relationship with Japan due in part to the Cowra breakout, when Japanese prisoners of war attempted to escape from a local camp during World War II.Explore that story by visiting the cultural monuments around Cowra, including the Japanese and Australian War Cemeteries and Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre.

Each Spring, the city also hosts an annual Cherry Blossom Festival with traditional Japanese cultural performances and you can explore the stunning golden Canola flower trails in the surrounding region.

With more balloon flights than anywhere else in the country, the town also has heritage charm with iron lace verandah-wrapped buildings lining the main street. In fact, the entire town centre along Gaskill Street is classified by the National Trust.

It is home to the Ages of Fishes Museum where you’ll see fossils of bizarre fish with crocodile-like jaws and armour from 360 million years ago that were discovered in Canowindra in 1955.

It also hosts the annual Canowindra International Balloon Challenge, a colourful week-long spectacle that attracts hot air ballooning enthusiasts from all over the world.

Orange is renowned for its annual food festival, hatted restaurants and orchards selling cherries and stonefruit. It is a premier Australian wine region with an award-winning winery trail. Orange is also home to extinct volcano Mount Canobolas which is often snowy in Winter, and the neighbouring Lake Canobolas which is a top spot for a swim in Summer.

The 10-day Orange F.O.O.D week in April is a popular and vibrant showcase of the local produce and the close-knit rural community.

If the sound of two-million-year-old megafauna fossils is your idea of fun, you are going to love Wellington. Wellington Caves is where you will find these fossils that received international acclaim when they were discovered in 1830. The news of the find was so far-reaching that these fossils went on to influence Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

From here, you can also drive 53.3km (33.1 miles) to Dubbo to connect with the Central to Outback drive