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New South Wales

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"NSW" redirects here. For the historical region of Canada, see New Britain (Cana
da). For other uses, see NSW (disambiguation).
New South Wales
alt text for flag
alt text for coat of arms
Flag
Coat of arms
Slogan or nickname
The First State; The Premier State
Motto(s)
Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites
(Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine)
Map of Australia with New South Wales highlighted
Other Australian states and territories
Coordinates
32942S 14714ECoordinates: 32942S 14714E
Capital city
Sydney
Demonym New South Welshmen[1][2]
Government
Constitutional monarchy
- Governor
Marie Bashir
- Premier
Mike Baird (LP)
Australian state
- Established as Colony
26 January 1788
- Responsible government
1856
- Became state 1 January 1901
- Australia Act
3 March 1986
Area
- Total
809,444 km (5th)
312,528 sq mi
- Land 800,642 km
309,130 sq mi
- Water
8,802 km (1.09%)
3,398 sq mi
Population
(End of March 2013)[3]
- Population 7,439,200 (1st)
- Density
9.12/km (3rd)
23.6 /sq mi
Elevation
- Highest point
Mount Kosciuszko
2,228 m (7,310 ft)
Gross state product
(201213)
- Product ($m) $471,354[4] (1st)
- Product per capita $64,098 (4th)
Time zone(s)
UTC+10 (AEST)
UTC+11 (AEDT)
UTC+9:30 (ACST)
(Broken Hill)
UTC+10:30 (ACDT)
(Broken Hill)
UTC+10:30 (LHST)
(Lord Howe Island)
UTC+11:00 (LHDT)
(Lord Howe Island)
Federal representation
- House seats 48/150
- Senate seats 12/76
Abbreviations
- Postal
NSW
- ISO 3166-2 AU-NSW

Emblems
- Floral
Waratah
(Telopea speciosissima)[5]
- Animal
Platypus
(Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
- Bird Kookaburra
(Dacelo gigas)
- Fish Blue groper
(Achoerodus viridis)
- Mineral or Gemstone Black Opal
- Colours
Sky blue
(Pantone 291)[6]
Website www.nsw.gov.au
Footnotes
Coordinates[7]
New South Wales and its highways
286 kg (630 lb) gold nugget unearthed in 1872 from Hill End during the Gold Rush
New South Wales (abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of Australia.
It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, South Australia to th
e west, the Tasman Sea to the east and surrounds the whole of the Australian Cap
ital Territory. New South Wales' capital city is Sydney, which is also the natio
n's most populous city. In June 2013, the estimated population of New South Wale
s was 7.4 million,[3] making it Australia's most populous state. Just under twothirds of the state's population, 4.67 million, live in the Greater Sydney area.
[8] Inhabitants of New South Wales are referred to as New South Welshmen.[1][2]
The colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788. It originally comprised a lar
ger area of the Australian mainland also including Lord Howe Island, New Zealand
, Norfolk Island and Van Diemen's Land. During the 19th century, large areas wer
e separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania, South Australia, New Zeala
nd, Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory (1863).
Lord Howe Island remains part of New South Wales, while Norfolk Island has becom
e a federal Territory, as have the areas now known as the Australian Capital Ter
ritory and the Jervis Bay Territory.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Aborigines (indigenous people)
1.2 1788 British settlement
1.3 Mid-1800s
1.4 1901 Federation of Australia
1.5 Early 20th century
1.6 Post-war period
2 Government
2.1 Constitution
2.2 Parliament
2.3 Local government
2.4 Emergency services
3 Demographics
3.1 Population
4 Transport
4.1 Railways
4.2 Roads
4.3 Air
4.4 Ferries
5 Education
5.1 Primary and secondary
5.1.1 School Certificate

5.1.2 Higher School Certificate

5.2 Tertiary
6 Geography and ecology
7 Climate
8 Economy
8.1 Agriculture
9 National parks
10 Sport
11 Culture
12 See also
13 References
14 External links
History[edit]
Main article: History of New South Wales
Aborigines (indigenous people)[edit]
Main article: Prehistory of Australia
The original inhabitants of New South Wales were the Aboriginal tribes who arriv
ed in Australia about 40,000 to 60,000 years ago. Before European settlement the
re were an estimated 250,000 Aboriginal people in the region.[9]
The Wodi Wodi people are the original custodians of the Illawarra region of Sout
h Sydney.[10] Speaking a variant of the Dharawal language, the Wodi Wodi people
lived across a large stretch of land which was roughly surrounded by what is now
known as Campbelltown, Shoalhaven River and Moss Vale.[10]
The Bundjalung people are the original custodians of parts of the northern coast
al areas.
1788 British settlement[edit]
The European discovery of New South Wales was made by Captain James Cook during
his 1770 survey along the unmapped eastern coast of the Dutch-named continent of
New Holland, now Australia. In his original journal(s) covering the survey, in
triplicate to satisfy Admiralty Orders, Cook first named the land "New Wales". H
owever, in the copy held by the Admiralty, he "revised the wording" to "New Sout
h Wales".[11]
The first British settlement was made by what is known in Australian history as
the First Fleet; this was led by Captain Arthur Phillip, who assumed the role of
governor of the settlement on arrival in 1788 until 1792.[12][13]
After years of chaos, anarchy and the overthrow of Governor William Bligh, a new
governor, Lieutenant-Colonel (later Major-General) Lachlan Macquarie, was sent
from Britain to reform the settlement in 1809.[14] During his time as governor,
Macquarie commissioned the construction of roads, wharves, churches and public b
uildings, sent explorers out from Sydney and employed a planner to design the st
reet layout of Sydney. Macquarie's legacy is still evident today.
Mid-1800s[edit]
During the 19th century, large areas were successively separated to form the Bri
tish colonies of Tasmania (proclaimed as a separate colony named Van Diemen's La
nd in 1825), South Australia (1836), Victoria (1851) and Queensland (1859). Resp
onsible government was granted to the New South Wales colony in 1855. Following
the Treaty of Waitangi, William Hobson declared British sovereignty over New Zea
land in 1840. In 1841, it was separated from the Colony of New South Wales to fo
rm the new Colony of New Zealand.
Charles Darwin visited Australia in January 1836 and in The Voyage of the Beagle
(chapter 19 of the 11th edition) records his hesitations about and fascination
with New South Wales, including his speculations about the geological origin and
formation of the great valleys, the aboriginal population, the situation of the

convicts, and the future prospects of the country.

1901 Federation of Australia[edit]
At the end of the 19th century, the movement toward federation between the Austr
alian colonies gathered momentum. Conventions and forums involving colony leader
s were held on a regular basis. Proponents of New South Wales as a free trade st
ate were in dispute with the other leading colony Victoria, which had a protecti
onist economy. At this time customs posts were common on borders, even on the Mu
rray River.
Travelling from NSW to Victoria in those days was very difficult. Supporters of
federation included the NSW premier Sir Henry Parkes whose 1889 Tenterfield Spee
ch (given in Tenterfield) was pivotal in gathering support for NSW involvement.
Edmund Barton, later to become Australia's first Prime Minister, was another str
ong advocate for federation and a meeting held in Corowa in 1893 drafted an init
ial constitution.
In 1898 popular referendums on the proposed federation were held in NSW, Victori
a, South Australia and Tasmania. All votes resulted in a majority in favour, but
the NSW government under Premier George Reid (popularly known as "yesno Reid" be
cause of his constant changes of opinion on the issue) had set a requirement for
a higher "yes" vote than just a simple majority which was not met.
In 1899 further referendums were held in the same states as well as Queensland (
but not Western Australia). All resulted in yes votes with majorities increased
from the previous year. NSW met the conditions its government had set for a yes
vote. As a compromise to the question on where the capital was to be located, an
agreement was made that the site was to be within NSW but not closer than 100 m
iles (161 km) from Sydney, while the provisional capital would be Melbourne. Eve
ntually the area that now forms the Australian Capital Territory was ceded by NS
W when Canberra was selected.
Early 20th century[edit]
In the years after World War I, the high prices enjoyed during the war fell with
the resumption of international trade. Farmers became increasingly discontented
with the fixed prices paid by the compulsory marketing authorities set up as a
wartime measure by the Hughes government. In 1919 the farmers formed the Country
Party, led at national level by Earle Page, a doctor from Grafton, and at state
level by Michael Bruxner, a small farmer from Tenterfield.
The Great Depression, which began in 1929, ushered a period of political and cla
ss conflict in New South Wales. The mass unemployment and collapse of commodity
prices brought ruin to both city workers and to farmers. The beneficiary of the
resultant discontent was not the Communist Party, which remained small and weak,
but Jack Lang's Labor populism. Lang's second government was elected in Novembe
r 1930 on a policy of repudiating New South Wales' debt to British bondholders a
nd using the money instead to help the unemployed through public works. This was
denounced as illegal by conservatives, and also by James Scullin's federal Labo
r government. The result was that Lang's supporters in the federal Caucus brough
t down Scullin's government, causing a second bitter split in the Labor Party. I
n May 1932 the Governor, Sir Philip Game dismissed his government. The subsequen
t election was won by the conservative opposition.
Japanese POW camp in Cowra, 1944, several weeks before the Cowra breakout
By the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the differences between New South Wales
and the other states that had emerged in the 19th century had faded as a result
of federation and economic development behind a wall of protective tariffs.[cit
ation needed] New South Wales continued to outstrip Victoria as the centre of in
dustry, and increasingly of finance and trade as well.[citation needed] Labor re

turned to office under the moderate leadership of William McKell in 1941 and sta
yed in power for 24 years. World War II saw another surge in industrial developm
ent to meet the needs of a war economy, and also the elimination of unemployment
.
Post-war period[edit]
Labor stayed in power until 1965. Towards the end of its term in power it announ
ced a plan for the construction of an opera/arts facility on Bennelong Point. Th
e design competition was won by Jrn Utzon. Controversy over the cost of what woul
d eventually become the Sydney Opera House became a political issue and was a fa
ctor in the eventual defeat of Labor in 1965 by the conservative Liberal Party l
ed by Sir Robert Askin. Sir Robert remains a controversial figure with supporter
s claiming him to be reformist especially in terms of reshaping the NSW economy.
Others though, regard the Askin era as synonymous with corruption with Askin th
e head of a network involving NSW police and SP bookmaking (Goot).
In the late 1960s, a secessionist movement in the New England region of the stat
e led to a referendum on the issue. The new state would have consisted of much o
f northern NSW including Newcastle. The referendum was narrowly defeated and, as
of 2010, there are no active or organised campaigns for new states in NSW.
Askin's resignation in 1975 was followed by a number of short lived premierships
by Liberal Party leaders. When a general election came in 1976 the ALP under Ne
ville Wran were returned to power. Wran was able to transform this narrow one se
at victory into landslide wins (known as Wranslide) in 1978 and 1981.[citation n
eeded]
The Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973 and has become a World Heritage Sit
e.
After winning a comfortable though reduced majority in 1984, Wran resigned as pr
emier and left parliament. His replacement Barrie Unsworth struggled to emerge f
rom Wran's shadow and lost a 1988 election against a resurgent Liberal Party led
by Nick Greiner. Unsworth was replaced as ALP leader by Bob Carr. Initially Gre
iner was a popular leader instigating reform such as the creation of the Indepen
dent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). Greiner called a snap election in 199
1 which the Liberals were expected to win. However the ALP polled extremely well
and the Liberals lost their majority and needed the support of independents to
retain power.
Greiner was accused (by ICAC) of corrupt actions involving an allegation that a
government position was offered to tempt an independent (who had defected from t
he Liberals) to resign his seat so that the Liberal party could regain it and sh
ore up its numbers. Greiner resigned but was later cleared of corruption. His re
placement as Liberal leader and Premier was John Fahey whose government secured
Sydney the right to host the 2000 Summer Olympics. In the 1995 election, Fahey's
government lost narrowly and the ALP under Bob Carr returned to power.
Like Wran before him Carr was able to turn a narrow majority into landslide wins
at the next two elections (1999 and 2003). During this era, NSW hosted the 2000
Sydney Olympics which were internationally regarded as very successful, and hel
ped boost Carr's popularity. Carr surprised most people by resigning from office
in 2005. He was replaced by Morris Iemma, who remained Premier after being re-e
lected in the March 2007 state election, until he was replaced by Nathan Rees in
September 2008.[15] Rees was subsequently replaced by Kristina Keneally in Dece
mber 2009.[16] Keneally's government was defeated at the 2011 state election and
Barry O'Farrell became Premier on 28 March. On 17 April 2014, O'Farrell stood d
own as Premier after misleading an ICAC investigation concerning a gift of a bot
tle of wine. The Liberal Party then elected Treasurer Mike Baird as party leader
and Premier.

Government[edit]
Main article: Government of New South Wales
New South Wales Parliament House
Executive authority is vested in the Governor of New South Wales, who represents
and is appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The current Governor is Marie Bashir. T
he Governor commissions as Premier the leader of the parliamentary political par
ty that can command a simple majority of votes in the Legislative Assembly. The
Premier then recommends the appointment of other Members of the two Houses to th
e Ministry, under the principle of responsible or Westminster government. It sho
uld be noted, however, that as in other Westminster systems, there is no constit
utional requirement in NSW for the Government to be formed from the Parliamentmer
ely convention. The Premier is Mike Baird of the Liberal Party.[16]
Constitution[edit]
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution,
dating from 1856 and currently the Constitution Act 1902 (NSW).[17] Since 1901
New South Wales has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Austr
alian Constitution regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth.
Under the Australian Constitution, New South Wales ceded certain legislative and
judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained independence in all other are
as. The New South Wales Constitution says: "The Legislature shall, subject to th
e provisions of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, have power to ma
ke laws for the peace, welfare, and good government of New South Wales in all ca
ses whatsoever".[18]
Parliament[edit]
The State Parliament is composed of the Sovereign and two houses: the Legislativ
e Assembly (lower house), and the Legislative Council (upper house). Elections a
re held every four years on the fourth Saturday of March, the most recent being
on 26 March 2011. At each election one member is elected to the Legislative Asse
mbly from each of 93 electoral districts and half of the 42 members of the Legis
lative Council are elected by a statewide electorate.
Local government[edit]
New South Wales is divided into 152 local government areas. In addition, there i
s also the Unincorporated Far West Region which is not part of any local governm
ent area, in the sparsely inhabited Far West, and Lord Howe Island, which is als
o unincorporated but self-governed by the Lord Howe Island Board.
Emergency services[edit]
New South Wales is policed by the New South Wales Police Force, a statutory auth
ority. Established in 1862, the NSW Police Force investigates Summary and Indict
able offences throughout the State of New South Wales. The state has two fire se
rvices: the volunteer based New South Wales Rural Fire Service, which is respons
ible for the majority of the state, and the Fire and Rescue NSW, a government ag
ency responsible for protecting urban areas. There is some overlap due to suburb
anisation. Ambulance services are provided through the Ambulance Service of New
South Wales. Rescue services (i.e. vertical, road crash, confinement) are a join
t effort by all emergency services, with Ambulance Rescue, Police Rescue Squad a
nd Fire Rescue Units contributing. Volunteer rescue organisations include the Au
stralian Volunteer Coast Guard, State Emergency Service (SES), Surf Life Saving
New South Wales and Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA).
Demographics[edit]
See also: Demographics of Sydney and Demographics of Australia
Population[edit]

The estimated resident population since 1981

The estimated population of New South Wales at the end of June 2010 was 7.24 mil
lion people. The population grew by 1.5% over the preceding year,[19] lower than
the national rate of 1.7%.
The principal ancestries of New South Wales's residents (as surveyed in 2011) ar
e:[20]
25.0% Australian
24.2% English
7.4% Irish
6.0% Scottish
4.3% Chinese
62.9% of NSW's population is based in Sydney.[21]
A view of the Sydney central business district from The Domain
A portion of the eastern end of the Newcastle foreshore
Lookout over Wollongong from the Illawarra escarpment
Rank
Statistical Division/District June 2007 Population[22]
1
Sydney 4,336,374
2
Newcastle
523,662
3
Wollongong
280,159
4
Maitland
61,431
5
Wagga Wagga
56,147
6
Tweed Heads
53,650
7
Coffs Harbour 50,726
8
Tamworth
44,970
9
Albury 44,787
10
Port Macquarie 42,042
11
Orange 37,333
12
Queanbeyan
36,331
13
Dubbo 36,150
14
Nowra-Bomaderry 32,556
15
Bathurst
32,385
16
Lismore 31,865
Transport[edit]
Passage through New South Wales is vital for cross-continent transport. Rail and
road traffic from Brisbane (Queensland) to Perth (Western Australia), or to Mel
bourne (Victoria) must pass through New South Wales.
Railways[edit]
Sydney Trains A Set at Strathfield Station
The majority of railways in New South Wales are currently operated by the state
government. Some lines began as branch-lines of railways starting in other state
s. For instance, Balranald near the Victorian border was connected by a rail lin
e coming up from Victoria and into New South Wales. Another line beginning in Ad
elaide crossed over the border and stopped at Broken Hill.
Railways management are conducted by Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink[23] which m
aintain rolling stock. Sydney Trains operates trains within Sydney while NSW Tra
inLink operates outside Sydney, intercity, country and interstate services.
Roads[edit]
Major roads are the concern of both federal and state governments. The latter ma
intains these through the Department of Roads and Maritime Services, formerly th
e Roads and Traffic Authority, and before that, the Department of Main Roads (DM

R).
The main roads in New South Wales are
Hume Highway linking Sydney to Melbourne, Victoria;
Princes Highway linking Sydney to Melbourne via the Tasman Sea coast;
Pacific Highway linking Sydney to Brisbane, Queensland via the Pacific coast;
New England Highway running from the Pacific Highway, at Newcastle to Brisbane b
y an inland route;
Federal Highway running from the Hume Highway south of Goulburn to Canberra, Aus
tralian Capital Territory;
Sturt Highway running from the Hume Highway near Gundagai to Adelaide, South Aus
tralia;
Newell Highway linking rural Victoria with Queensland, passing through the centr
e of New South Wales;
Great Western Highway linking Sydney with Bathurst. As Route 32 it continues wes
t as the Mitchell Highway then as the Barrier Highway to Adelaide via Broken Hil
l.
Other roads are usually the concern of the RTA and/or the local government autho
rity.
Air[edit]
Kingsford Smith Airport (commonly Sydney Airport, and locally and erroneously re
ferred to as Mascot Airport), located in the southern Sydney suburb of Mascot is
the major airport for not just the state but the whole nation. It is a hub for
Australia's national airline Qantas.
Other airlines serving regional New South Wales include:[24]
Jetstar Airways[25]
Regional Express (also known as Rex);[26]
Virgin Australia[27] (formerly known as Virgin Blue Airlines).
Ferries[edit]
The state government through Sydney Ferries operates ferries within Sydney Harbo
ur and the Parramatta River. It also has a ferry service within Newcastle.[28] A
ll other ferry services are privately operated.[29]
Spirit of Tasmania ran a commercial ferry service between Sydney and Devonport,
Tasmania. This service was terminated in 2006.[30]
Private boat services operated between South Australia, Victoria and New South W
ales along the Murray and Darling Rivers but these only exist now as the occasio
nal tourist paddle-wheeler service.[31]
Education[edit]
The Sydney Grammar School, established in 1854, is the oldest secondary school s
till in use in Sydney CBD.
Primary and secondary[edit]
The NSW school system comprises a kindergarten to year 12 system with primary sc
hooling up to year 6 and secondary schooling between year 7 and 12. Schooling is
compulsory until age 17.[32]
Primary and secondary schools include government and non-government schools. Gov
ernment schools are further classified as comprehensive and selective schools. N
on-government schools include Catholic schools, other denominational schools, an
d non-denominational independent schools.
Typically, a primary school provides education from kindergarten level to year 6
. A secondary school, usually called a "high school", provides education from ye

ars 7 to 12. Secondary colleges are secondary schools which only cater for years
11 and 12.
The government classifies the 13 years of primary and secondary schooling into s
ix stages, beginning with early stage 1 (Kindergarten) and ending with stage 6 (
years 11 and 12).
School Certificate[edit]
Main article: School Certificate
The School Certificate was awarded by the Board of Studies to students at the en
d of Year 10. The Board of Studies administered five external tests in English-l
iteracy, Mathematics, Science, Australian History, Geography, Civics and Citizen
ship. The tests were designed to grade a student on their ability. The results o
f this test were categorised into bands 1 through to 6 with band 1 as the lowest
and band 6 as the highest.[33] Adrian Piccoli the NSW Education Minister confir
med that School Certificate tests would not continue after 2011.[34]
Higher School Certificate[edit]
Main article: Higher School Certificate (New South Wales)
The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the usual Year 12 leaving certificate in
NSW. Most students complete the HSC prior to entering the workforce or going on
to study at university or TAFE (although the HSC itself can be completed at TAFE
). The HSC must be completed for a student to get an Australian Tertiary Admissi
on Rank (formerly Universities Admission Index), which determines the students r
ank against fellow students who completed the Higher School Certificate.
Tertiary[edit]
The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is the oldest university in Austr
alia
Eleven universities primarily operate in New South Wales. Sydney is home to Aust
ralia's first university, the University of Sydney founded in 1850, and is the l
argest and highest ranked university in New South Wales.[35][36] Other universit
ies include the University of New South Wales, Macquarie University, the Univers
ity of Technology, Sydney and the University of Western Sydney. The Australian C
atholic University has two of its six campuses in Sydney, and the private Univer
sity of Notre Dame Australia also operates a secondary campus in the city.
Outside Sydney, the leading universities are the University of Newcastle and the
University of Wollongong. Armidale is home to the University of New England, an
d Charles Sturt University and Southern Cross University have campuses spread ac
ross cities in the state's south-west and north coast respectively.
The public universities are state government agencies, however they are largely
regulated by the federal government, which also administers their public funding
. Admission to NSW universities is arranged together with universities in the Au
stralian Capital Territory by another government agency, the Universities Admiss
ion Centre.
Primarily vocational training is provided up the level of advanced diplomas is p
rovided by the state government's ten Technical and Further Education (TAFE) ins
titutes. These institutes run courses in over 130 campuses throughout the state.
Geography and ecology[edit]
Main article: Geography of New South Wales
The Snowy Mountains
New South Wales is bordered on the north by Queensland, on the west by South Aus
tralia, on the south by Victoria and on the east by the Tasman Sea. The Australi
an Capital Territory and the Jervis Bay Territory form a separately administered

entity that is bordered entirely by New South Wales. The state can be divided g
eographically into four areas. New South Wales' three largest cities, Sydney, Ne
wcastle and Wollongong, lie near the centre of a narrow coastal strip extending
from cool temperate areas on the far south coast to subtropical areas near the Q
ueensland border.
Byron Bay beach in northern New South Wales
The Illawarra region is centred on the city of Wollongong, with the Shoalhaven,
Eurobodalla and the Sapphire Coast to the south. The Central Coast lies between
Sydney and Newcastle, with the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions reach
ing northwards to the Queensland border. Tourism is important to the economies o
f coastal towns such as Coffs Harbour, Lismore, Nowra and Port Macquarie, but th
e region also produces seafood, beef, dairy, fruit, sugar cane and timber.
The Great Dividing Range extends from Victoria in the south through New South Wa
les to Queensland, parallel to the narrow coastal plain. This area includes the
Snowy Mountains, the Northern, Central and Southern Tablelands, the Southern Hig
hlands and the South West Slopes. Whilst not particularly steep, many peaks of t
he range rise above 1,000 metres (3,281 ft), with the highest Mount Kosciuszko a
t 2,229 m (7,313 ft). Skiing in Australia began in this region at Kiandra around
1861. The relatively short ski season underwrites the tourist industry in the S
nowy Mountains. Agriculture, particularly the wool industry, is important throug
hout the highlands. Major centres include Armidale, Bathurst, Bowral, Goulburn,
Inverell, Orange, Queanbeyan and Tamworth.
There are numerous forests in New South Wales, with such tree species as Red Gum
Eucalyptus and Crow Ash (Flindersia australis), being represented.[37] Forest f
loors have a diverse set of understory shrubs and fungi. One of the widespread f
ungi is Witch's Butter (Tremella mesenterica).[38]
The western slopes and plains fill a significant portion of the state's area and
have a much sparser population than areas nearer the coast. Agriculture is cent
ral to the economy of the western slopes, particularly the Riverina region and M
urrumbidgee Irrigation Area in the state's south-west. Regional cities such as A
lbury, Dubbo, Griffith and Wagga Wagga and towns such as Deniliquin, Leeton and
Parkes exist primarily to service these agricultural regions. The western slopes
descend slowly to the western plains that comprise almost two-thirds of the sta
te and are largely arid or semi-arid. The mining town of Broken Hill is the larg
est centre in this area.[39]
One possible definition of the centre for New South Wales is located 33 kilometr
es (21 mi) west-north-west of Tottenham.[40]
Climate[edit]
The majority of New South Wales, west of the Great Dividing Range, has an arid t
o semi arid climate. Rainfall averages from 150 millimetres (5.9 in) to 500 mill
imetres (20 in) a year throughout most of this region and summer temperatures ca
n be scorching hot while winter nights can be freezing cold. Further east, along
the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, rainfall is higher, usually aro
und 600 millimetres (24 in) and falls fairly evenly throughout the year.[41]
Peaks along The Great Dividing Range vary from 500 metres (1,640 ft) to over 2,0
00 metres (6,562 ft) above sea level. Temperatures can be cool to cold in winter
with frequent frosts and snowfall and are rarely hot in summer due to the eleva
tion. Canberra has a climate typical of the range, as do the regional cities of
Orange and Armidale. Rainfall is moderate, from 600 millimetres (24 in) to 1,500
millimetres (59 in), falling fairly evenly throughout the year, however it peak
s slightly in the north in the summer months due to heavy thunderstorms and in t
he south in winter due to cold fronts moving across southern Australia. Snowfall

is also common in the higher parts of the range, sometimes occurring as far nor
th as the Queensland border. On the highest peaks of the Snowy Mountains, the cl
imate can be subpolar oceanic with very cold temperatures and heavy snow[41]
The climate along the flat, coastal plain east of the range varies from cool oce
anic in the south to humid subtropical in the far north of the state. Rainfall i
s highest in this area, however still varies from around 800 millimetres (31 in)
to as high as 3,000 millimetres (120 in) in the wettest areas, for example Dorr
igo. Along the southern coast, rainfall is heaviest in winter due to cold fronts
, while in the far north, around Lismore, rain is heaviest in summer from tropic
al systems and occasionally even cyclones.[41]
The highest maximum temperature recorded was 49.7 C (121 F) at Menindee in the wes
t of the state on 10 January 1939. The lowest minimum temperature was 23 C (9 F) at
Charlotte Pass in the Snowy Mountains on 29 June 1994. This is also the lowest t
emperature recorded in the whole of Australia excluding the Antarctic Territory.
[42]
[hide]Climate data for New South Wales
Month Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high C (F)
49.7
(121.5) 48.5
(119.3) 46.7
(116.1) 41.1
(106) 34.4
(93.9) 30.5
(86.9) 31.7
(89.1) 37.8
(100) 39.6
(103.3) 43.9
(111) 46.8
(116.2) 48.9
(120) 49.7
(121.5)
Record low C (F)
5.6
(21.9) 7.0
(19.4) 7.2
(19)
13.0
(8.6) 13.4
(7.9) 23.0
(9.4) 19.6
(3.3) 20.6
(5.1) 16.7
(1.9) 12.0
(10.4) 9.4
(15.1) 7.0
(19.4) 23.0
(9.4)
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[43]
Economy[edit]
Main article: Economy of New South Wales

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an important tourist attraction for New South Wales
.
Port Kembla is notable for its steelworks industry, with many ships utilising th
e port.
Since the 1970s, New South Wales has undergone an increasingly rapid economic an
d social transformation.[citation needed] Old industries such as steel and shipb

uilding have largely disappeared; although agriculture remains important, its sh

are of the state's income is smaller than ever before.[citation needed]
New industries such as information technology and financial services are largely
centred in Sydney and have risen to take their place, with many companies havin
g their Australian headquarters in Sydney CBD.[citation needed] In addition, the
Macquarie Park area of Sydney has attracted the Australian headquarters of many
information technology firms.
Coal and related products are the state's biggest export. Its value to the state
's economy is over A$5 billion, accounting for about 19% of all exports from NSW
.[44]
Tourism has also become important, with Sydney as its centre, also stimulating g
rowth on the North Coast, around Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay.[citation needed] T
ourism is worth over $40 billion to the New South Wales economy and employs 4.8%
of the workforce.[45] In 2007, then
Premier of New South Wales Morris Iemma est
ablished Events New South Wales to "market Sydney and NSW as a leading global ev
ents destination".
New South Wales had a Gross State Product in 201011 (equivalent to Gross Domestic
Product) of $419.9 billion which equalled $57,828 per capita.[46]
On 9 October 2007, NSW announced plans to build a 1,000 MW bank of wind powered
turbines. The output of these is anticipated to be able to power up to 400,000 h
omes. The cost of this project will be $1.8 billion for 500 turbines.[47] On 28
August 2008, the New South Wales cabinet voted to privatise electricity retail,
causing 1,500 electrical workers to strike after a large anti
privatisation camp
aign.[48]
The NSW business community is represented by the NSW Business Chamber which has
30,000 members.
Agriculture[edit]
See also: Agriculture in Australia
Agriculture is spread throughout the eastern two
thirds of New South Wales. Catt
le, sheep and pigs are the predominant types of livestock produced in NSW and th
ey have been present since their importation during the earliest days of Europea
n settlement. Economically the state is the most important state in Australia, w
ith about one
third of the country's sheep, one
fifth of its cattle, and one
thi
rd of its small number of pigs. New South Wales produces a large share of Austra
lia's hay, fruit, legumes, lucerne, maize, nuts, wool, wheat, oats, oilseeds (ab
out 51%), poultry, rice (about 99%),[49] vegetables, fishing including oyster fa
rming, and forestry including wood chips.[50] Bananas and sugar are grown chiefl
y in the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed River areas.
Wools are produced on the Northern Tablelands as well as prime lambs and beef ca
ttle. The cotton industry is centred in the Namoi Valley in northwestern New Sou
th Wales. On the central slopes there are many orchards, with the principal frui
ts grown being apples, cherries and pears.
About 40,200 hectares of vineyards lie across the eastern region of the state, w
ith excellent wines produced in the Hunter Valley, with the Riverina being the l
argest wine producer in New South Wales.[51] Australias largest and most valuable
Thoroughbred horse breeding area is centred on Scone in the Hunter Valley.[52]
The Hunter Valley is the home of the world famous Coolmore,[53] Darley and Kia-O
ra Thoroughbred horse studs.
About half of Australias timber production is in New South Wales. Large areas o
f the state are now being replanted with eucalyptus forests.

The Hunter Valley is known for its wineries.

National parks[edit]
See also: Protected areas of New South Wales
New South Wales has more than 780 national parks and reserves covering more than
8% of the state.[54] These parks range from rainforests, spectacular waterfalls
, rugged bush to marine wonderlands and outback deserts, including World Heritag
e areas.[55]
The Royal National Park on the southern outskirts of Sydney became Australias f
irst National Park when proclaimed on 26 April 1879. Originally named The Nation
al Park until 1955, this park was the second National Park to be established in
the world after Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. Kosciuszko National Park i
s the largest park in state encompassing New South Wales alpine region.[56]
The National Parks Association was formed in 1957 to create a system of national
parks all over New South Wales which led to the formation of the National Parks
and Wildlife Service in 1967.[57] This government agency is responsible for dev
eloping and maintaining the parks and reserve system, and conserving natural and
cultural heritage, in the state of New South Wales. These parks preserve specia
l habitats, plants and wildlife, such as the Wollemi National Park where the Wol
lemi Pine grows and areas sacred to Australian Aboriginals such as Mutawintji Na
tional Park in western New South Wales.
Sport[edit]
Main article: Sport in New South Wales
ANZ Stadium, Sydney home of the NRL Grand Final
Throughout Australian history, NSW sporting teams have been very successful in b
oth winning domestic competitions and providing players to the Australian nation
al teams.
The largest sporting competition in the state is the National Rugby League, whic
h expanded from the New South Wales Rugby League and Australian Rugby Leagues wh
ose headquarters are in Sydney. The state is represented by the The Blues in t
he traditional State of Origin series. Sydney is the spiritual home of Australia
n rugby league and to 9 of the 16 NRL teams: (Sydney Roosters, South Sydney Rabb
itohs, Parramatta Eels, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Wests Tigers, Penrith Panthe
rs, Canterbury Bulldogs and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles), as well as being the no
rthern home of the St George Illawarra Dragons, which is half-based in Wollongon
g. A tenth team, the Newcastle Knights is located in Newcastle. The City vs Coun
try Origin match is also taken to various regional cities around the state.
The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst
The state is represented by four teams in soccers A-League: Sydney FC (the inau
gural champions in 200506), the Western Sydney Wanderers, the Central Coast Marin
ers, based at Gosford and the Newcastle United Jets (200708 A League Champions).
Australian rules football has historically not been strong in New South Wales ou
tside the Riverina region. However, the Sydney Swans relocated from South Melbou
rne in 1982 and their presence and success since the late 1990s has raised the p
rofile of Australian rules football, especially after their AFL premiership in 2
005. A second NSW AFL club, the Greater Western Sydney Giants, entered the compe
tition in 2012. Other teams in national competitions include basketballs Sydney
Kings, Sydney Uni Flames, rugby unions NSW Waratahs and netballs Sydney Swift
s.
The Sydney Cricket Ground at the 4th Australia vs India test, 2004

Sydney was the host of the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 1938 British Empire Game
s. The Olympic Stadium, now known as ANZ Stadium is the scene of the annual NRL
Grand Final. It also regularly hosts State of Origin matches and rugby union int
ernationals, and hosted the final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the football W
orld Cup qualifier between Australia and Uruguay.
The main summer sport is cricket and the SCG hosts the New Year cricket Test m
atch from 26 January each year, and is also one of the sites for the finals of th
e One Day International series. The NSW Blues play in the Ford Ranger Cup and Sh
effield Shield cricket competitions. The annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race begi
ns in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day. The climax of Australias touring car racing
series is the Bathurst 1000, held near the city of Bathurst.
The popular equine sports of campdrafting and polocrosse were developed in New S
outh Wales and competitions are now held across Australia. Polocrosse is now pla
yed in many overseas countries.
Major professional teams include:
Australian rules football: Sydney Swans, Greater Western Sydney Giants
Basketball: Sydney Kings, Wollongong Hawks
Cricket: New South Wales Blues, Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder
Netball: New South Wales Swifts
Baseball: Sydney Blue Sox
Rugby league:
Representative: New South Wales Blues
Clubs: Sydney Roosters, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Wests Tigers, St George Illawarr
a Dragons, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Parramatta
Eels, Penrith Panthers, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Newcastle Knights
Rugby union: New South Wales Waratahs
Soccer: Sydney FC, Western Sydney Wanderers, Newcastle Jets, Central Coast Marin
ers
Culture[edit]
The Big Golden Guitar in Tamworth represents the citys country music culture.
As Australias most populous state, New South Wales is home to a number of cultu
ral institutions of importance to the nation. In music, New South Wales is home
to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australias busiest and largest orchestra. Aus
tralias largest opera company, Opera Australia, is headquartered in Sydney. Bot
h of these organisations perform a subscription series at the Sydney Opera House
. Other major musical bodies include the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Sydney is
host to the Australian Ballet for its Sydney season (the ballet is headquartere
d in Melbourne). Apart from the Sydney Opera House, major musical performance ve
nues include the City Recital Hall and the Sydney Town Hall.
New South Wales is home to a number of major art galleries. The Art Gallery of N
ew South Wales (AGNSW), houses a significant collection of Australian art, while
the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney focuses on contemporary art.
Major museums include the natural history-focussed Australian Museum, the techno
logy and arts-and-crafts focussed Powerhouse Museum, the Sydney Maritime Museum
which focuses on Australias maritime history, and the history-focussed Museum o
f Sydney. Other museums include the Sydney Jewish Museum.
Sydney is home to five Arts teaching organisations, which have all produced worl
d famous students: The National Art School, The College of Fine Arts, the Nation
al Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), the Australian Film, Television & Radio Sch
ool and the Conservatorium of Music (now part of the University of Sydney).
New South Wales has been the backdrop of many international films, including Mis

sion: Impossible II (shot in Sydney), and Mad Max 2 (known in the US as The Road
Warrior), (shot in outback New South Wales, around Broken Hill).
20th Century Fox operates Fox Studios Australia in Sydney.
See also[edit]
Portal icon
Geography portal
Portal icon
Oceania portal
Portal icon
Commonwealth realms portal
Portal icon
Australia portal
Portal icon
New South Wales portal
Australia Wikipedia book
Outline of Australia
Index of Australia-related articles
Geology of New South Wales
NSW Volunteer of the Year
Postage stamps and postal history of New South Wales
Selection (Australian history)
Squatting (pastoral)
Territorial evolution of Australia
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External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to New South Wales.

Official NSW Website

NSW Parliament
Official NSW Tourism Website
New South Wales at DMOZ
New South Wales travel guide from Wikivoyage
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