New South Wales
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For the historical region of Canada, see New Britain (Canada).
"NSW" redirects here. For other uses, see NSW (disambiguation).
New South Wales
Flag
Slogan or nickname
Coat of arms
The First State
The Premier State
Motto(s)
Orta Recens Quam Pura
Nites
(Newly Risen, How Brightly
You Shine)
Other Australian states and territories
Coordinates
32°S 147°ECoordinates:
32°S 147°E
Capital city
Sydney
Demonym
New South Welshman[1][2]
Government
Constitutional monarchy
• Governor
David Hurley
• Premier
Gladys Berejiklian (LP)
Australian state
• Established as Colony
26 January 1788
• Responsible
6 June 1856
government
• Became Australian
1 January 1901
state
• Australia Act
3 March 1986
Area
• Total
809,444 km² (5th)
312,528 sq mi
• Land
800,642 km²
309,130 sq mi
• Water
8,802 km² (1.09%)
3,398 sq mi
Population
(Mar 2018)[3]
• Population
7,955,900 (1st)
• Density
9.93/km² (3rd)
25.7 /sq mi
Elevation
• Highest point
Mount Kosciuszko
2,228 m (7,310 ft)
Gross state product
(2016-17)
• Product ($m)
$556,233[4] (1st)
• Product per capita
$71,541 (3rd)
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
• Fossil
Mandageria fairfaxi
• Colours
Sky blue
(Pantone 291)[6]
Website
www.nsw.gov.au
Footnotes
Coordinates[7]
Emblems[8]
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, and South Australia to the west. Its
coast borders the Tasman Sea to the east. The Australian Capital Territory is an enclave
within the state. New South Wales' state capital is Sydney, which is also Australia's most
populous city. In March 2018, the population of New South Wales was over 7.9
million,[3] making it Australia's most populous state. Just under two-thirds of the state's
population, 5.1 million, live in the Greater Sydney area.[9] Inhabitants of New South Wales are
referred to as New South Welshmen.[1][2]
The Colony of New South Wales was founded as a penal colony in 1788. It originally
comprised more than half of the Australian mainland with its western boundary set at 129th
meridian east in 1825. The colony also included the island territories of New Zealand, Van
Diemen's Land, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Island. During the 19th century, most of the
colony's area was detached to form separate British colonies that eventually became New
Zealand and the various states and territories of Australia. However, the Swan River
Colony has never been administered as part of New South Wales.
Lord Howe Island remains part of New South Wales, while Norfolk Island has become a
federal territory, as have the areas now known as the Australian Capital Territory and
the Jervis Bay Territory.
Contents
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1History
o 1.1Aborigines (indigenous people)
o 1.21788 British settlement
o 1.3Mid-19th century
o 1.41901 Federation of Australia
o 1.5Early 20th century
o 1.6Post-war period
2Government
o 2.1Constitution
o 2.2Parliament
o 2.3Local government
o 2.4Emergency services
3Demographics
o 3.1Population
4Transport
o 4.1Railways
o 4.2Roads
o 4.3Air
o 4.4Ferries
5Education
o 5.1Primary and Secondary
 5.1.1Record of School Achievement
 5.1.2Higher School Certificate
o 5.2Tertiary
6Geography and ecology
7Climate
8Economy
o 8.1Agriculture
 8.1.1Riparian water rights
9National parks
10Sport
11Culture
12Sister states
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13See also
14References
15External links
History[edit]
Main article: History of New South Wales
Aborigines (indigenous people)[edit]
Main article: Prehistory of Australia
The prior inhabitants of New South Wales were the Aboriginal tribes who arrived in Australia
about 40,000 to 60,000 years ago. Before European settlement there were an estimated
250,000 Aboriginal people in the region.[10]
The Wodi Wodi people are the original custodians of the Illawarra region of South
Sydney.[11] Speaking a variant of the Dharawallanguage, 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.[11]
The Bundjalung people are the original custodians of parts of the northern coastal 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", named after Wales.
However, in the copy held by the Admiralty, he "revised the wording" to "New South
Wales".[12]
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.[13][14]
After years of chaos and anarchy after 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.[15] During his time as governor, Macquarie commissioned
the construction of roads, wharves, churches and public buildings, sent explorers out from
Sydney and employed a planner to design the street layout of Sydney. Macquarie's legacy is
still evident today.
Mid-19th century[edit]
During the 19th century, large areas were successively separated to form the British colonies
of Tasmania (proclaimed as a separate colony named Van Diemen's Land in 1825), South
Australia (1836), Victoria (1851) and Queensland (1859). Responsible government was
granted to the New South Wales colony in 1855. Following the Treaty of Waitangi, William
Hobson declared British sovereignty over New Zealand in 1840. In 1841 it was separated
from the Colony of New South Wales to form 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 Australian
colonies gathered momentum. Conventions and forums involving colony leaders were held
on a regular basis. Proponents of New South Wales as a free trade state were in dispute
with the other leading colony Victoria, which had a protectionist economy. At this time
customs posts were common on borders, even on the Murray River.
Travelling from New South Wales to Victoria in those days was very difficult. Supporters of
federation included the New South Wales premier Sir Henry Parkes whose 1889 Tenterfield
Speech (given in Tenterfield) was pivotal in gathering support for New South Wales
involvement. Edmund Barton, later to become Australia's first Prime Minister, was another
strong advocate for federation and a meeting held in Corowa in 1893 drafted an initial
constitution.
In 1898 popular referenda on the proposed federation were held in New South Wales,
Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. All votes resulted in a majority in favour, but the New
South Wales government under Premier George Reid (popularly known as "yes–no Reid"
because 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 referenda 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.
New South Wales 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 New South Wales but not closer than 100 miles (161 km) from
Sydney, while the provisional capital would be Melbourne. Eventually the area that now
forms the Australian Capital Territory was ceded by New South Wales when Canberra was
selected.
Early 20th century