Is Australia cool for poor outdoorsy people? [Vacation]

EggyToast

My wife has a job thing that's going to take her to Australia, around Sydney, in October, and I could join her for 1 week (all vacation) or 2 weeks (half vacation, half working in Sydney for her). Part of the decision is whether there would actually be enough things to do before we get bored and think "well we've seen all of this area," and if I joined her for the full time we would have a full week where I'd be free to bum around the city -- which, as I've only just been told about this, I'm not sure would actually be cool. I'm not saying it wouldn't be, just that I don't know.

So, for those in Australia and especially around Sydney, what are cool things to see that are NOT:

* Shopping
* Cruises
* Expensive Guided Tours
* Expensive Cuisine and Bars
* Opera (I hear they have some sort of house for such things)

But which might be:

* Awesome scenery/mountains/deserts
* Unique Cultural Stuff (history/architecture/animals)
* Fun Things That Even Locals Do

If Sydney is kind of lame for a tourist after a week, is it feasible to rent a car with my rigorously-approved US drivers license and see nearby cool stuff, maybe with a B&B/hostel string of movement to see lots of awesome things, or is everything pretty far away from everything else? We have relatives in Perth but that's kind of at the wrong end of the continent.

(and while I appreciate "just buy a guide book," my wife is undoubtedly going to do that anyway, so I'm looking for what actual Australians think is cool )

Donovan Puppyfucker

NSW outdoorsy stuff near Sydney? The Blue Mountains. Camp, hike, climb etc.

burntheladle

Renting a car will be fine. There are lots of nice national parks in the area, if you're into that sort of thing (and October is a nice time of year for it too, it's the middle of spring), or take a drive down the south coast. I'm not a Sydney local, but I'm sure you can find enough things to fill your week (Powerhouse museum, the NSW Art Gallery, so much good eating). Australians are also generally pretty outdoorsy, so if you poke around a bit you'll be able to keep yourself occupied. If all else fails, go to the beach!

EggyToast

Yeah I'm excited about it being the springtime. The Blue Mountains look great. Is the Taronga Zoo super-busy all the time, or is it big enough to be a pleasant experience?

I live on a coast and have been to the "other" coast many times, so beaches and coastline are cool but kind of "meh" unless they've also got bizarre geography. The idea of there being cool things (geographically) right around the corner are kind of foreign to me, as I've spent the last 8 years in boring Appalachia/East Coast.