Moss Vale is a town in the Southern Highlands.

Understand

Moss Vale has a service and residential town feel, more so than the tourist town feel of its neighbours at Bowral, Berrima and Bundanoon.

Get in

By car

Moss Vale is well signposted from the Hume Highway from Sydney, Canberra or Melbourne. It is accessible by the Illawarra Highway from Wollongong and Robertson.

Moss Vale is around a 90-minute drive southwest of Sydney.

By train

Moss Vale is the main terminus of the line to the Southern Highlands. It is also a major stop on the NSW Trainlink booked services from Sydney to Melbourne or Canberra.

There are different price structures for booked long distance services and unbooked services, and different rules applying to children and bicycles.

• Cockatoo Run. A privately operated train that travels from Sydney to Moss Vale on some Sundays, along the train line over the Macquarie Pass through Wollongong and Robertson. It is a nice train trip down the coast, and through the Macquarie Pass rainforest. From Wollongong/from Sydney seated class: adult $91/$111, senior $76/$96, child $66/86; lounge class is available for adults and seniors for a $40 supplement. (updated May 2019)
• The station is worth a visit even if you aren't catching the train. A grand country station.

By bus

Moss Vale is serviced by a NSW Trainlink service from Wollongong twice daily.

Get around

If you have a car, you can use it to get everywhere in and around Moss Vale.

If you don't. The town shopping centre is easily walkable. But there isn't much there, and it isn't really a tourist attraction in its own right.

You can bicycle around town and easily get out to the river, Bong Bong, and even to Bowral (around 10km).

There is a limited bus service operated by Berrima Bus Lines. There is limited service on Saturdays, and no service on Sundays.

The railway offers 2 hourly connections to the surrounding towns, of Bowral, Mittagong and less frequently onward to Bundanoon

Taxis are available at the station, or by reserving by phone.

Do

• 1 Cycle the Bong Bong Cycleway. A 5km cycleway follows the Wingecarribee River past the historic location of the Bong Bong township. Not much of the old township remains, but the cycleway by the side of the river is flat, and pleasant. You can bring a bike from Sydney on the train. The cycleway extends to the station at Burradoo. 
• 2 Leighton Gardens, Argyle St. 24 hours. A pleasant park sandwiched between the train line and the main street, just south of the train station, Leighton Gardens is most interesting on a Monday morning, when you can sit in the park and watch all the hungover people waiting outside the courts for their DUI hearing arising from the weekend's partying. (updated Mar 2015)

Eat

• Sattahip Thai Restaurant, 249 Argyle St (opposite the station on Argyle St), ☏ +61 2 4869-1891. Busy Thai restaurant, popular with locals. Eat in or take away. BYO. mains around $15. 
• Bernies Diner. Burgers, dogs and shakes in 50s American diner style. (updated Nov 2018)

Drink

There are a couple of pubs in the centre of town. Well patronised by a mostly local crowd on Friday and Saturday nights.

Sleep

• 1 Highland Garden Hideaway, 16 Church Rd, ☏ +61 2 4869 1603. A B&B that lives up to its name. In a very quiet and secluded area with its own garden. $150-200 per night. (updated Nov 2019)

Connect

There is good mobile reception on all networks in Moss Vale.