Baylis Street

Wagga Wagga (pronounced Wogga Wogga), the largest inland city in New South Wales, with a population of around 60,000 people, is located on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. The city is universally referred to as Wagga.

The Wagga Wagga Tourist Information Centre, located inside the Wagga Wagga Civic Centre (cnr Baylis and Morrow Streets) provides helpful advice to people visiting the city.

Understand

Originally inhabited by the Wiradjuri people, considered to be the largest Aboriginal mob in New South Wales. They inhabited much of what is now the Riverina area.

Early colonists first sighted the land on which the city of Wagga Wagga now stands in December 1829 during an expedition of discovery down the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers. Settlement swiftly followed.

Wagga Wagga was proclaimed a town in 1849 and by the 1860s had a population of 700. The train line reached Wagged in the 1870s and by 1881 it had increased to 3,975. In 1879 the railway line was extended south of the river.

"Wagga" in the local Wiradjuri Aboriginal dialect means "crow". The repetition of a word was the method of expressing the plural or emphasis, thus Wagga Wagga means "crows" or "the place where crows assemble in large numbers". The Murrumbidgee River which runs through the city also derived its name from the Aboriginal language and means "plenty water" or "big water".

Get in

By plane

1 Wagga Wagga Airport (WGA  ^IATA). is served by flights to Melbourne and Sydney. Airlines serving the airport are QantasLink and Regional Express. The standard advance purchase flight is around $120 with prices rising to several times that if you book close to when you travel. Occasional discounts can be found. The airport is 15 minutes out of town, both taxis and hire cars are available at the airport. Approximate cost for a taxi to the centre of the city is $40.  

• Melbourne operated by Regional Express
• Sydney operated by QantasLink and Regional Express

Ground transportation

• Wagga Shuttle Bus, ☏ +61 458350100. 7 days. Services available to and from Wagga Airport, and to and from the Army recruit training ground at Kapooka. 
• Wagga Wagga Taxis, ☏ +61 2 6921 4242. 

Best to book in advance if you want a hire car at the airport. Not just to ensure a vehicle is available, but also to ensure there is someone to meet your flight. Car hire from Wagga is usually limited milage. To get unlimited milage, Canberra is the best bet, around 3 1/2 hours drive away.

• Avis, ☏ +61 136333. 
• Budget, ☏ +61 132727. 
• Hertz, ☏ +61 133039. 
• Thrifty, ☏ 1300 367 227 (local rate). 

By train

• 2 Wagga Wagga railway station. NSW Trainlink offer a daily train service, with the city on the line between Sydney and Melbourne, providing two services a day in each direction.; From Sydney: 7 hours, departing at 6:50AM or 8:40PM. Concession price: $42.80 one way  

By bus

• Firefly Express no longer stops in Wagga (since 2018). There is no effective and practical way of getting from Sydney to Wagga by coach.

Get around

Route 961 serviced by Busabout

• Wagga Radio Cabs operate 24/7 throughout the city.

• Busabout. services most suburbs in Wagga Wagga from M-Sa (No services on Sundays and public holidays) (updated Feb 2019)

See

• 1 Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga Civic Centre, Cnr Baylis & Morrow Streets, ☏ +61 2 6926 9660. houses the Australian Print Collection and the Print Australia Archive. The gallery is home to the National Art Glass Collection, Australia's premier display of glass art. Free entry. 
• Museum of the Riverina which is in the historic council chambers at the Wagga Wagga Civic Centre (Cnr Baylis & Morrow Streets) and the Botanic Gardens (Lord Baden Powell Drive).
• 2 Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens, Macleay Street. 8 hectares of beautiful gardens, which are also home to the Wagga Wagga Zoo (contains a free flight aviary) and the Wagga Wagga Miniature Railway (see listing below) 
• 3 Willans Hill Miniature Railway, Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens on Willans Hill. 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month. A railway station and working controls are features along the extensive track. If you aren't the train type a pedestrians bridge over the train gives an expansive view of the train as it leaves the station. $2 per ride. 

RAAF Wagga Aviation Heritage Centre, an old guard house at RAAF Base Wagga

• 4 Charles Sturt University Winery, McKeown Drive, ☏ +61 2 6933 2435. Sample and buy quality local wines 
• 5 RAAF Wagga Aviation Heritage Centre, Sturt Highway, Forest Hill (Located in the old guard house at the main entrance of the RAAF Base.), ☏ +61 2 6937 5402. 10AM - 4PM Monday - Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (excluding public holidays). showcases the RAAF's history and its significant involvement in the Riverina region. Free entry. 
• 6 Wagga Wagga Rail Heritage Museum, Station Place (Located in the Porter's Room at the Railway Station), ☏ +61 2 69223393. Monday 10AM - 2PM. Show casing the heritage of the railway in the Riverina Gold coin ($1 or $2). 
• 7 Ladysmith Tourist Railway Open Day, Ladysmith Railway Station (20 minutes east of Wagga Wagga). second Saturday of each month, 12pm - 3pm. Gold coin donation. 

Do

Civic Theatre

• Walk, the Wollundry Track or the Wiradjuri Walking track with maps available at the Wagga Wagga Visitor Information Centre.
• 1 Forum 6 Cinemas, 77 Trail Street, ☏ +61 2 6921 6863. 
• Swim in the Murrumbidgee River, at Wagga Beach (which is a sand beach).
• The local newspaper, The Daily Advertiser, is a good guide to what's on around town.
• Oasis Regional Aquatic Centre, Morgan Street, ☏ +61 2 69373737. Monday to Friday: 6:30AM - 9PM Saturday & Sunday: 8.30AM - 6PM. Home to Australia's only wave-ball, 2 outdoor pools (including diving pool) and four indoor heated pools (including whirlpool, baby pool and wave ball). Adult swim - $5 Child/student swim - $3.50 Pensioner/soncession swim - $3.50 Family swim - $14 Spectator entry - $1 Children under 2 Free. 
• Walk the track to the top of The Rock, a short drive away from Wagga.

Eat

• Blessed Bean (in Best Street). is open M-Sa and offers breakfast and lunches, such as sandwiches on fresh sourdough with a taste of the region's finest ingredients. They also claim to offer the best coffee in town, made by NSW's "best latte artist". (updated Feb 2019)

• The Quinty Bakehouse at Uranquinty is a 10 minute drive from Wagga (South on the Olympic Highway, A41). Offers a range of products made using organic flour, such as sourdough melts and pies with real meat. They are famous for their tarts, which come in three sizes and more than 10 flavours.

• The Riverina Hotel, also known as The Bridge, serves good pub meals for very reasonable prices. A schnitzel, veg and gravy costs about $10. The special of the day is about $6 to $7.

• Il Corso dishes out large tasty Italian dishes at mid-range prices. Baylis Street cnr Edward Street.

• Nemos Fish and Chips, 110 Fitzmaurice St, ☏ +61 6971 0668. Open 12PM Daily. Offers a variety of seafood; snapper, barramundi, whiting, flathead, blue grenadier and flake. 
• Thirsty Crow Brewery, 31 Kincaid Street, ☏ +61 2 6921 7470. Famous for its diverse range of beers made on site and its unique range of pizzas 
• Uneke Lounge, 140 Fitzmaurice Street, ☏ +61 2 6925 8143. A comfortable café with a cosy atmosphere. 
• The Pot 'n' Kettle Coffee House, 10 Blake Street, ☏ +61 2 6921 3340. A small, intimate café that serves quality food and coffee. Free wifi and friendly staff. 

Buy

Baylis Street is the main street of Wagga and is where you will find most shops. You'll find the Sturt Mall and Marketplace shopping centres which should have everything you need. You'll also find some smaller malls in the suburbs such as the Kooringal Mall (Kooringal) and the Southcity Shopping Centre (Glenfield Park).

• 1 Riverina Producers' Market, Wagga Wagga Showground, Bourke Street. every Thursday, 1.30pm to 6.30pm (summer) 1pm to 6pm (winter). A range of local produce is on offer, including flowers, cheese, meat and even pistachios 
• 2 Sprout and About Markets, Burns Way (next to the lagoon at the Civic Centre and Civic Theatre). second Saturday of every month. A range of local produce is on offer, including flowers, cheese, meat and even pistachios 
• 3 Markets by the Lake, Apex Park, Lake Albert. Last Saturday of the month. Stalls selling fresh produce, arts and crafts, hand made gifts, clothes, plants, bric-a-brac and more. Free entry. 
• Wagga Wagga Marketplace, 87 Baylis St. A major shopping centre. Contains a supermarket, a discount department store, a post office, a food court, and over 60 specialty stores. 

Drink

• 1 Kooringal Hotel, 88 Fay Avenue, ☏ +61 2 6922 6370. located in the eastern suburb of Kooringal 
• 2 Que Bar and Nightclub, 109 Baylis Street, ☏ +61 2 5925 5305. Sunday 11:00am – 12:00am, Wednesday – Saturday 11:00am – 3:00am. 
• 3 The Riverina Hotel (The Riv), 188 Fitzmaurice Street, ☏ +61 2 6921 2222. Wednesday night trivia sessions. Popular with local agricultural students. 
• 4 The Victoria Hotel (The Vic), 55 Baylis Street, ☏ +61 2 6921 5233. Wednesday night trivia sessions. Popular with local agricultural students. 
• 5 Wagga Wagga Winery, Oura Road (15 minutes from Wagga on the Oura Road), ☏ +61 2 6922 1221. Seven days from 11.00AM. Offers cellar door sales and a fully licensed restaurant set amongst 17 acres of established grape vines near the Murrumbidgee River. 

Sleep

• Allonville Motel, 3691 Sturt Hwy (Located on the Eastern outskirts, about 10 minutes out of Wagga.), ☏ +61 2 6922 7269. Has stables, kennels and yards available. Small pool. Restaurant and room service dinners available by prior arrangement. rooms start from $95. 
• Best Western Plus Charles Sturt Suites and Apartments, 82 Tarcutta St, ☏ +61 2 6923 4100. Offers both standard rooms and serviced apartments, located in the CBD. Restaurant on site. Free Wifi. rooms start from $125. 
• International Hotel, Corner of Sturt Hwy and Lake Albert Rd, ☏ +61 2 6971 7007. Modern hotel conveniently located on the Sturt Highway, close to the CBD. rooms start from $129. 
• Mantra Pavilion Hotel, 22 Kincaid Street, ☏ +61 2 6921 6411. Unique 35 metre high canopy roof makes this building a local landmark. Modern rooms and conveniently located in the city centre. rooms start from $140. 
• Mercure Wagga Wagga, 1 Morgan Street, ☏ +61 2 6921 6444. Hotel in the centre of Wagga Wagga, with comfortable rooms at reasonable prices, a Swimming pool and a fitness centre. rooms start from $124. 
• Townhouse Hotel, 70 Morgan Street, ☏ +61 2 6921 4337. Upmarket, modern hotel located in the heart of the shopping district. Swimming pool and gym. Restaurant and bar onsite. rooms start from $129-145. 

Go next

If you are driving, Wagga Wagga is at a crossroads. Head west on the Sturt Highway (Route A20) for a long drive to Adelaide (approx. 11hr drive), east on the Sturt Highway (Route A20) and then the Hume Highway (Route A31) to Canberra (3hrs) and Sydney (5hrs) or south on the Olympic Highway (Route A41) and then the Hume Highway (Route A31) to Melbourne (5hrs).