The most instagrammable places in NSW

For some travellers, incredible photo ops are vital to any trip – social posts, after all, let friends and family back home know just how much fun you’re having without them. Whether you love tumbling waterfalls or crystal-clear rockpools, a trip around NSW following its most photo-worthy spots is expansive, diverse and beautiful. Check it out.  

Lord Howe Island 

Lord Howe Island is a very special piece of island paradise — only 400 people are allowed on the island at a time and National Geographic named it one of the world’s best destinations. Every moment, step and way you look has an epic backdrop worth a gallery of pictures. Look one way and it's aquamarine waters and snorkelling among more than 90 species of coral. Look the other and you’ll find unbelievable scenic hikes such as The Valley of the Shadows and white sand beaches like Ned’s. Hot tip: the outlook from Capella Lodge’s swimming pool is particularly stunning.  

Capella Lodge, Lord Howe Island 

Love Cabins 

A real-life treehouse you can stay in? Dreams do come true at these romantic and picturesque getaways in the Blue Mountains. Love Cabins offers a series of unique stays, including a cabin in the trees, one tucked into a cave and a luxury tee pee. Each has its own outlook and personalised interior design touches. Stay for a weekend or a while but be sure your photographic skills are at the ready.  

Love Cabins, Blue Mountains - Credit: Love Cabins

Echo Point, Blue Mountains  

Katoomba’s Echo Point Lookout is home to views of the Three Sisters and the Jamison Valley spanning kilometres. The lookout is primed for Instagram goodness with its vistas of rocky outcrops and unique sandstone peaks. The point is also home to the challenging Giant Stairway, a flight of 1,000 stairs, which leads to a dense rainforest at the valley floor. You could also jump aboard the Scenic Skyway, a cable car suspended 270m above ground that glides 384m between cliff tops, for an excellent bird’s eye view. Whether you visit at sunrise, sunset or somewhere in between, be sure to choose a clear day for ultimate long-range panoramas.  

Three Sisters, Blue Mountains National Park - Credit: Filippo Rivetti

Yarrangobilly Caves thermal pool 

The unexpected beauty and remoteness of this Kosciuszko National Park pool might make you feel like it materialised out of thin air. The pool’s water comes from a natural spring, meaning it’s permanently heated to 27 degrees. Head here in summer post- or mid-hike, for a swim, nearby cave adventure, picnic and picture, or in winter for a brisk bath and to watch steam rise from the pool’s surface.  Ensure you plan ahead and check the National Parks website for any details or alerts before visiting.

Yarrangobilly Caves thermal pool, Kosciuszko National Park

Seal Rocks 

From migrating whales (if you drop by around late April to July) to pristine beaches, there’s a lot to love, and photograph, at the Barrington Coast’s Seal Rocks.  The seaside village – famous for its incredible and still-active lighthouse, remote swimming spots, and snorkelling – is camera-ready and definitely worth a night’s stay at the Seal Rocks Lighthouse Cottages.  

Number One Beach, Seal Rocks

Aslings Beach Rock Pool 

Big fan of the ocean swimming pool? Head to Eden to dip your toes in this cliffside iteration. It’s flanked by pink and white cliffs and the bottom is covered in golden sand. While equally great for swimming and photography, it also is a great spot for rock fishing and, when the tide is low, for kids to play.  

Aerial overlooking Aslings Beach Rock Pool, Eden

Kiama Blowhole 

Fact: this is the largest blow hole in the world, and one definitely worthy of a day trip. Just a half-hour drive from Wollongong, Kiama’s famous Blowhole is 2.5m wide and has been known to blow water up to 30m high. A southeast swell is the most lucrative for high spouts so make sure you check tide timings before you venture. Multiple viewing platforms offer multiple vantage points, there’s also picnic areas and the Blowhole Point Ocean Pool you can swim in nearby. 

Kiama Blowhole, Kiama 

Bubbletent Australia, Capertree Valley 

Sleep under an uninterrupted blanket of stars at this unique accommodation experience between Lithgow and Mudgee. This clear, inflatable bubble tent offers luxury and comfort in total seclusion. The tent is entirely off-grid and situated in a recluse part of a more than 1,000-acre farm. Settle in, revel in your view of the second-largest canyon in the world and soak cosily in the outdoor woodfired bathtub.  

Bubbletent Australia, Capertee Valley

Crystal Shower Falls  

Go beyond the waterfall at Dorrigo National Park's lush Crystal Shower Falls. At this rainforest-enclosed cascade you can enjoy views (and capture photos) in front of and behind its wall of water – there's a rocky cavern behind the fall people can walk into and marvel from. Crystal Shower Falls is just one stop on the Waterfall Way road trip that spans Coffs Harbour to Armidale. When visiting the falls ensure you plan ahead and check the National Parks website for any details or alerts. 

Crystal Shower Falls Walk, Dorrigo