New South Wales (NSW) is Australia's oldest and most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland. It was founded in 1788 and originally comprised much of the Australian mainland. During the 19th century large areas were
successively separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania (1825), Victoria (1851), Queensland (1859), and South Australia (which at that time included what is now the Northern Territory). In 1901 these colonies plus Western Australia federated to form the "Commonwealth of Australia".
New South Wales is known the world over for the picturesque harbour of its capital, Sydney, Australia's oldest and largest city and a centre of international finance. Sydney was the host city of the 2000 Olympic Summer Games.
An inhabitant of New South Wales is referred to as a New South Welshman or, in gender-free language, as a New South Welsh person.
Geography
New South Wales' three main cities from north to south are Newcastle, Sydney, and Wollongong which all lie along the coast. Notable towns include Albury, Broken Hill, Dubbo, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Armidale, Inverell, Lismore, Nowra, Griffith, Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra, Leeton, Wagga Wagga,
Goulburn and Coffs Harbour.
The state is bordered on the north by Queensland, on the west by South Australia, and on the south by Victoria. Its coast faces the Tasman Sea. New South Wales contains two Federal enclaves: the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and the Jervis Bay Territory.
New South Wales can be divided physically into four sections:
• A thin coastal strip, with climates warming from cool temperate on the far south coast to subtropical near the Queensland border, including the regions south of Sydney such as the Illawarra , the Shoalhaven near Nowra,
Newcastle, the Central Coast and the North Coast, North of The Hunter, as well as others.
• The mountainous areas of the Great Dividing Range and the high country surrounding them. Whilst not particularly steep, many peaks rise above 1000 m, with the highest Mount Kosciuszko at 2229
m (7308 ft). This includes the Southern Highlands, Central Tablelands and the New England regions.
• The agricultural plains that fill a significant portion of the state's area, with a much sparser population than the coast, includes the Riverina area around Wagga Wagga.
• The arid plains in the far north-west of the state, which are unsuitable for settlements of any notable size.
Highest maximum temperature: 50.0C (122.0F), Wilcannia, 11 January 1939
Lowest minimum temperature: -23.0C (-9.4F), Charlotte
Pass, 29 June 1994 (lowest temperature recorded in whole of Australia)
EVENTS & FESTIVALS
Ballooning Festival, Mildura
Brought into global focus by the spectacular Sydney Olympic Games, New South Wales excels at events and festivals, large and small.
Our New Year's Eve celebrations are legendary and the annual Sydney Arts Festival attracts visitors from all over the world with an exciting program and variety of venues including the Sydney Domain, famous for its outdoor concerts. New South Wales is multi-cultural and people from a
wide range of nationalities celebrate their traditional festivals including Chinese New Year.
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Film, music, arts and heritage festivals and Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras are all highlights of our annual events calendar.
While Sydney is a centre for many of our celebrations, country towns have their own programs including agricultural events, shows, sheep dog trials and outback and country events including local horse race meetings and the thrill of the rodeo. Also high on the list are food and wine
events include many regional festivals and celebrations connected with our wine industry and network of fresh and gourmet food producers. Click here for some Must See Regional Events. For garden lovers, fabulous seasonal displays feature in parks and gardens all over New South Wales
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HERITAGE HISTORY & CULTURE
Sydney Symphony Orchestra The rich and diverse cultural aspects of New South Wales include natural and built heritage as well as significant historic places.
An outstanding network of art galleries and museums features the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Museum in Sydney, The New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale and The Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery, home of the National Art Glass Collection.
Our cosmopolitan cities offer cultural attractions, arts and crafts, performing arts in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, historic parks and monuments and significant sports facilities including Sydney's Olympic Park.
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All around the State, buildings such as homesteads, banks, post offices, railway stations, hotels, old picture theatres and even entire preserved city precincts and towns document the pioneering and settlement days.
A number of living history parks bring the past to life in a colourful and imaginative way and there are many beautiful gardens and parks and places of cultural interest to visit and explore.
The best way to see Aboriginal rock art and engravings is to book a local tour with Aboriginal guides, just part of the impressive network of heritage and cultural tours and trails, self-guided walks and self-drive tours available in every region. |
| Wikipedia contributors (2006). New South Wales. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:05, April 10, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_South_Wales&oldid=47748730. |
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