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| 'THE COATHANGER' - SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE |
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ABOUT NEW SOUTH WALES: |
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New South Wales is the site of Australia's first settlement by Europeans in
1788, is the most populated state in the Commonwealth of Australia with 7.29 million people (2011/12), and also contains
the Australian Capital Territory and Canberra (370,000), the Federal parliamentary capital of Australia in the south.
The capital, Sydney, has Australia's largest population (4,670,000 in 2011/12) and is built on
one of the most beautiful harbours in the world. The city is surrounded by mountains
and has many fine beaches. Sydney hosted the year 2,000 Olympic Games.
New South Wales can be divided into many sections of interest, particularly
along the eastern coastline. The far north near the border with Queensland,
where it meets the Gold Coast, is renowned for its fine beaches and relaxed life-style. South
of there is the rich rural and resort area which takes in large banana and primary
produce areas, around Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay. Just north of Sydney is
the industrial city of Newcastle, a major steel producer. It is also the centre
for a large primary industry and is the gateway to the Hunter Valley wineries
which produce some of Australia's finest wines.
To the west, and visible from the city of Sydney are the Blue Mountains,
part of the Great Dividing Range and a popular and spectacular area with quaint
villages and beautiful scenery to explore.
To the south, the Southern Highlands are rich in history and were a popular
country resort area for early Sydneysiders. Many fine historic homes still exist
and can be visited. Today it is a rich rural productive area with many National
Parks and some spectacular scenery.
Further South, the coastal resorts of Batemans Bay and Bega are popular
holiday destinations and, inland lies the ACT national capital of Canberra,
and the gateway to the Southern Alps, which are a major skiing and snow sports
resort in winter.
The border of New South Wales and Victoria is mainly formed by the mighty
Murray River and all the towns and cities along its length are prosperous rural
centres with a background as river ports dating back to last century, and still
popular water recreation centres. Fishing for the giant Murray Cod is one of
the great recreation activities available, as are water skiing, swimming and
boating. River cruises on paddle wheel steamers is available at some ports.
In the south-west, The Riverina is a large rice and grain producing area
along the Murrumbidgee River which rises in the alpine area and meanders several
hundred kilometres to join the Murray River near Robinvale.
The west of the state, beyond the Great Dividing Range leads to the real
outback of Australia, and vegetation and facilities diminish the further you
travel. The far west is on the eastern fringe of Sturt's Stony Desert and many
of the towns like Bourke, Broken Hill, and Wilcannia provide comfortable stopovers
for the traveller in the harsher environment.
New South Wales can be described as the complete state. Here you will find
mighty rivers, fantastic golden beaches, rugged mountain ranges, thriving cities
or outback towns consisting of one or two buildings, desert areas and rainforests,
waterfalls and saltlakes, and importantly, relics of both Australia's first
European settlers, and the indigenous tribes who preceded them.
A full list of Cities and Towns and National Parks covered in this series
will be found below.
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| GO TO TOURING AREAS: |
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| A list of the main
touring areas of the state with links to maps and other information |
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