Australia - New South Wales

New South Wales is home to the largest and perhaps the most recognisable city in Australia.

First discovered by Captain James Cook in 1770, Sydney has fast became the premier city in Australia. Not only is it the oldest settlement in Australia, it is also the hub for entertainment, cultural and sporting events nation wide.

Capital/Statistics
The capital of New South Wales (N.S.W) is Sydney. New South Wales has a population of 6,731,295 with approximately 4,000,000 living in the Sydney metropolitan region. Sydney is home to iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House, just to name a few.

New South Wales is approximately 809,444 km² in size and is the 5th biggest state or territory in Australia. It shares a border to the north with Queensland, a border to the south with Victoria and a border to the west with South Australia.

Geography
Geography New South Wales consists of 4 different geographical types.

1. Coastal: Extending south from Queensland to the Victorian border, the New South Wales coastline goes from being sub-tropical in it's northern most parts to cool temperate in the southern areas.

2. Mountainous: Vast areas of mountain ranges that extend from the inner western areas of the outer suburbs of Sydney to the western regions of New South Wales are part of the Great Dividing Range. This is the home of the legendary "Man From Snowy River" a fictional character written by Banjo Patterson. It is also home to the start of the excellent snow fields that extend south into Victoria.

3. Agricultural: Predominately plains and flood prone areas, this is a farming area where rice, wheat and citrus crops are grown. The Riverina area is where Australia's burgeoning wine industry has it's base.

4. Arid: This area can be found in the far west and north-west of the state. This area is sparsely populated but is home to iconic gold mining towns such as Broken Hill.

What to do/where to go
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras; The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race; Bondi Beach, Sydney; Circular Quay, Sydney; Darling Harbour, Sydney; Sydney Harbour; Sydney Opera House; The Rocks, Sydney; Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park; Royal National Park; Tamworth Country Music Festival; Big Day Out; Sydney Film Festival.

Climate
The climate of New South Wales is temperate. This means it normally does not experience extreme weather events, although this can occur.

The average temperatures for winter of 8.0°C –16.2°C. The average summer temperatures are 18.6°C–25.8°C, but can experience extremely hot summers in western areas.

Sydney experiences warmer summer temperatures at times, as well as seasonal bush fires.

Sport
New South Wales, and Sydney in particular are home to various codes of football and sporting teams.

New South Wales has 8 of the 15 National Rugby League teams. It is also home to one AFL team(Australian Football League), two National Basketball teams, one football A-League team, various netball and baseball teams, as well as the New South Wales Waratahs (Super 14 Rugby Union).

Famous New South Welshmen
Nicole Kidman (Actress), Hugh Jackman(Actor), Harry Kewell(English Premier League Footballer), Glenn McGrath(Cricket Fast Bowler), Jennifer Hawkins (former Miss Universe), Russell Crowe (born in NZ lives in Sydney), John Howard (current Prime Minister).

State Slogans
First State, Premier State State

Emblems
Foral: Waratah (Telopea speciosissima)
Fauna: Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis)