![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/New-South-Wales-in-Australia-300x270.png\" "\\"\\"")
The Colony of New South Wales<\/a> 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<\/a>, Van Diemen’s Land<\/a>, Lord Howe Island<\/a>, and Norfolk Island<\/a>. 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<\/a> has never been administered as part of New South Wales.<\/p>\n 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.<\/a><\/p>\n The prior inhabitants of New South Wales were the Aboriginal tribes<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n The Wodi Wodi people are the original custodians of the Illawarra<\/a> region of South Sydney. Speaking a variant of the Dharawal<\/a> language, the Wodi Wodi people lived across a large stretch of land which was roughly surrounded by what is now known as Campbelltown<\/a>, Shoalhaven River<\/a> and Moss Vale<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Bundjalung<\/a> people are the original custodians of parts of the northern coastal areas<\/a>.<\/p>\n The European discovery of New South Wales was made by Captain James Cook<\/a> during his 1770 survey along the un-mapped eastern coast of the Dutch-named continent of New Holland<\/a>, now Australia. In his original journal(s) covering the survey, in triplicate to satisfy Admiralty<\/a> Orders, Cook first named the land “New Wales”, named after Wales<\/a>. However, in the copy held by the Admiralty, he “revised the wording” to “New South Wales”.<\/p>\n The first British settlement was made by what is known in Australian history as the First Fleet<\/a>; this was led by Captain Arthur Phillip<\/a>, who assumed the role of governor of the settlement on arrival in 1788 until 1792.<\/p>\n After years of chaos and anarchy after the overthrow<\/a> of Governor William Bligh<\/a>, a new governor, Lieutenant-Colonel (later Major-General) Lachlan Macquarie<\/a>, was sent from Britain to reform the settlement in 1809. 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, William Hobson<\/a> 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Charles Darwin<\/a> visited Australia in January 1836 and in The Voyage of the Beagle<\/a> (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.<\/p>\n At the end of the 19th century, the movement toward federation between the Australian colonies<\/a> 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> whose 1889 Tenterfield Speech<\/a> (given in Tenterfield<\/a>) was pivotal in gathering support for New South Wales involvement. Edmund Barton<\/a>, later to become Australia’s first Prime Minister, was another strong advocate for federation and a meeting held in Corowa<\/a> in 1893 drafted an initial constitution.<\/p>\n 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 favor, but the New South Wales government under Premier George Reid<\/a> (popularly known as “yes\u2013no 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.<\/p>\n 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 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<\/a> was selected.<\/p>\n In the years after World War I<\/a>, 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<\/a> government. In 1919 the farmers formed the Country Party<\/a>, led at national level by Earle Page<\/a>, a doctor from Grafton<\/a>, and at state level by Michael Bruxner<\/a>, a small farmer from Tenterfield.<\/p>\n The Great Depression<\/a>, which began in 1929, ushered in a period of political and class 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<\/a>, which remained small and weak, but Jack Lang<\/a>‘s Labor<\/a> populism. Lang’s second government was elected in November 1930 on a policy of repudiating New South Wales’ debt to British bondholders and using the money instead to help the unemployed through public works. This was denounced as illegal by conservatives, and also by James Scullin<\/a>‘s federal Labor government. The result was that Lang’s supporters in the federal Caucus brought down Scullin’s government, causing a second bitter split in the Labor Party. In May 1932 the Governor, Sir Philip Game<\/a> dismissed his government. The subsequent election was won by the conservative opposition.<\/p>\n By the outbreak of World War II<\/a> 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. New South Wales continued to outstrip Victoria as the centre of industry, and increasingly of finance and trade as well. Labor returned to office under the moderate leadership of William McKell<\/a> in 1941 and remained in power for 24 years. World War II saw another surge in industrial development to meet the needs of a war economy, and also the elimination of unemployment.<\/p>\n Labor stayed in power until 1965. Towards the end of its term in power, it announced a plan for the construction of an opera\/arts facility on Bennelong Point<\/a>. The design competition was won by J\u00f8rn Utzon<\/a>. Controversy over the cost of the Sydney Opera House<\/a> became a political issue and was a factor in the eventual defeat of Labor in 1965 by the conservative Liberal Party<\/a> led by Sir Robert Askin<\/a>. Sir Robert remains a controversial figure with supporters 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 the head of a network involving NSW police and SP bookmaking.<\/p>\n In the late 1960s a secessionist movement<\/a> in the New England<\/a> region of the state led to a referendum on the issue. The new state would have consisted of much of northern NSW including Newcastle<\/a>. The referendum was narrowly defeated and, as of 2010, there are no active or organised campaigns for new states in NSW.<\/p>\n 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 Neville Wran<\/a> were returned to power. Wran was able to transform this narrow one seat victory into landslide wins (known as Wranslide) in 1978 and 1981.<\/p>\n After winning a comfortable though reduced majority in 1984, Wran resigned as premier and left parliament. His replacement Barrie Unsworth<\/a> struggled to emerge from Wran’s shadow and lost a 1988 election against a resurgent Liberal Party led by Nick Greiner<\/a>. Unsworth was replaced as ALP leader by Bob Carr. Initially Greiner was a popular leader instigating reform such as the creation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)<\/a>. Greiner called a snap election in 1991 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.<\/p>\n 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 the Liberals) to resign his seat so that the Liberal party could regain it and shore up its numbers. Greiner resigned but was later cleared of corruption. His replacement as Liberal leader and Premier was John Fahey<\/a> whose government secured Sydney the right to host the 2000 Summer Olympics<\/a>. In the 1995 election, Fahey’s government lost narrowly and the ALP under Bob Carr<\/a> returned to power.<\/p>\n 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 helped boost Carr’s popularity. Carr surprised most people by resigning from office in 2005. He was replaced by Morris Iemma<\/a>, who remained Premier after being re-elected in the March 2007 state election<\/a>, until he was replaced by Nathan Rees<\/a> in September 2008. Rees was subsequently replaced by Kristina Keneally<\/a> in December 2009. Keneally’s government was defeated at the 2011 state election<\/a> and Barry O’Farrell<\/a> became Premier on 28 March. On 17 April 2014 O’Farrell stood down as Premier after misleading an ICAC investigation concerning a gift of a bottle of wine. The Liberal Party then elected Treasurer Mike Baird<\/a> as party leader and Premier. Baird resigned as Premier on 23 January 2017, and was replaced by Gladys Berejiklian<\/a>.<\/p>\n New South Wales is bordered on the north by Queensland, on the west by South Australia, on the south by Victoria and on the east by the Tasman Sea. The Australian 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 geographically into four areas. New South Wales’ three largest cities, Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong<\/a>, lie near the center of a narrow coastal strip extending from cool temperate areas on the far south coast to subtropical areas near the Queensland border.<\/p>\n The Illawarra<\/a> region is centered on the city of Wollongong, with the Shoalhaven<\/a>, Eurobodalla<\/a> and the Sapphire Coast<\/a> to the south. The Central Coast<\/a> lies between Sydney and Newcastle, with the Mid North Coast<\/a> and Northern Rivers regions reaching northwards to the Queensland border. Tourism is important to the economies of coastal towns such as Coffs Harbour<\/a>, Lismore<\/a>, Nowra<\/a> and Port Macquarie<\/a>, but the region also produces seafood, beef, dairy, fruit, sugar cane and timber.<\/p>\n The Great Dividing Range<\/a> extends from Victoria in the south through New South Wales to Queensland, parallel to the narrow coastal plain. This area includes the Snowy Mountains<\/a>, the Northern<\/a>, Central<\/a> and Southern Tablelands<\/a>, the Southern Highlands<\/a> and the South West Slopes<\/a>. Whilst not particularly steep, many peaks of the range rise above 3,281 feet, with the highest Mount Kosciuszko<\/a> at 7,313 feet. Skiing in Australia<\/a> began in this region at Kiandra<\/a> around 1861. The relatively short ski season underwrites the tourist industry in the Snowy Mountains.<\/p>\n Agriculture, particularly the wool industry, is important throughout the highlands. Major centres include Armidale<\/a>, Bathurst<\/a>, Bowral<\/a>, Goulburn<\/a>, Inverell<\/a>, Orange<\/a>, Queanbeyan<\/a> and Tamworth<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since the 1970s, New South Wales has undergone an increasingly rapid economic and social transformation. Old industries such as steel and shipbuilding have largely disappeared; although agriculture remains important, its share of the state’s income is smaller than ever before.<\/p>\n New industries such as information technology and financial services are largely centered in Sydney and have risen to take their place, with many companies having their Australian headquarters in Sydney CBD<\/a>. In addition, the Macquarie Park<\/a> area of Sydney has attracted the Australian headquarters of many information technology firms.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Tourism has also become important, with Sydney as its center, also stimulating growth on the North Coast, around Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay<\/a>. Tourism is worth over $25.1 billion to the New South Wales economy and employs 7.1% of the workforce. In 2007, then-Premier of New South Wales Morris Iemma established Events New South Wales to “market Sydney and NSW as a leading global events destination”. In July 2011 Events NSW<\/a> merged with three key state authorities including Tourism NSW to establish Destination NSW (DNSW<\/a>).<\/p>\n 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 homes. The cost of this project will be $1.8 billion for 500 turbines. 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 campaign.<\/p>\n The NSW business community is represented by the NSW Business Chamber<\/a> which has 30,000 members.<\/p>\n Agriculture is spread throughout the eastern two-thirds of New South Wales. Cattle, sheep and pigs are the predominant types of livestock produced in NSW and they have been present since their importation during the earliest days of European settlement. Economically the state is the most important state in Australia, with about one-third of the country’s sheep, one-fifth of its cattle, and one-third of its small number of pigs. New South Wales produces a large share of Australia’s hay, fruit, legumes<\/a>, lucerne<\/a>, maize, nuts, wool, wheat, oats, oilseeds<\/a> (about 51%), poultry, rice (about 99%), vegetables, fishing including oyster farming, and forestry including wood chips. Bananas and sugar are grown chiefly in the Clarence<\/a>, Richmond<\/a> and Tweed River<\/a> areas.<\/p>\n Wools are produced on the Northern Tablelands as well as prime lambs and beef cattle. The cotton industry is centered in the Namoi Valley<\/a> in northwestern New South Wales. On the central slopes there are many orchards, with the principal fruits grown being apples, cherries and pears.<\/p>\n About 40,200 hectares of vineyards lie across the eastern region of the state, with excellent wines produced in the Hunter Valley<\/a>, with the Riverina<\/a> being the largest wine producer in New South Wales.<\/p>\n About half of Australia’s timber production is in New South Wales. Large areas of the state are now being replanted with eucalyptus forests.<\/p>\n Passage through New South Wales is vital for cross-continent transport. Rail and road traffic from Brisbane<\/a> (Queensland) to Perth<\/a> (Western Australia), or to Melbourne<\/a> (Victoria) must pass through New South Wales.<\/p>\n 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 states. For instance, Balranald<\/a> near the Victorian border was connected by a rail line coming up from Victoria and into New South Wales. Another line beginning in Adelaide<\/a> crossed over the border and stopped at Broken Hill.<\/p>\n Railways management are conducted by Sydney Trains<\/a> and NSW TrainLink<\/a> which maintain rolling stock. Sydney Trains operates trains within Sydney while NSW TrainLink operates outside Sydney, intercity, country and interstate services.<\/p>\n Both Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink have their main terminus at Sydney’s Central station<\/a>. NSW TrainLink regional and long-distance services consist of XPT<\/a> services to Grafton<\/a>, Casino<\/a>, Brisbane<\/a>, Melbourne<\/a> and Dubbo<\/a>, as well as Xplorer<\/a> services to Canberra<\/a>, Griffith<\/a>, Broken Hill<\/a>, Armidale<\/a> and Moree<\/a>. NSW TrainLink intercity trains operate on the Blue Mountains Line<\/a>, Central Cost & Newcastle Line<\/a>, South Coast Line<\/a>, Southern Highlands Line<\/a> and Hunter Line<\/a>.<\/p>\n Major roads are the concern of both federal and state governments. The latter maintains these through the Department of Roads and Maritime Services<\/a>, formerly the Roads and Traffic Authority<\/a>, and before that, the Department of Main Roads (DMR).<\/p>\n The main roads in New South Wales are:<\/p>\n Kingsford Smith Airport<\/a> (commonly Sydney Airport, and locally referred to as Mascot Airport or just ‘Mascot<\/a>‘), 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other airlines serving regional New South Wales include:<\/p>\n Harbour City Ferries<\/a> operates ferries within Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River<\/a>, while Newcastle Transport<\/a> has a ferry service within Newcastle. All other ferry services are privately operated.<\/p>\n The current state flag of New South Wales was officially adopted by the government of New South Wales in 1876.<\/p>\n The flag is based on the defaced<\/a> British Blue Ensign<\/a> with the state badge located in the fly. The badge, based on the coat of arms<\/a>, is a white disc with the cross of St George<\/a>, a golden lion passant guardant in the center of the cross and an eight-pointed gold star on each arm of the cross.<\/p>\n This flag was adopted due to criticisms from the British Admiralty that the previous design was too similar to the design of the Victorian flag<\/a>.<\/p>\n The state badge was designed by the Colonial Architect James Barnet<\/a> and Captain Francis Hixson<\/a>, a retired Royal Navy officer. Even though no meaning for the design was given, it is perhaps a simplified version of what was the semi-official arms of New South Wales at the time.<\/p>\n The first flag of New South Wales was adopted 1867. It too was a defaced British Blue Ensign with the letters “NSW” in white located in the fly. The flag was a response to the passing of the British Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865 in which all colonial vessels should “wear the Blue\/Red Ensign with the seal or badge of the colony in the fly thereof”.<\/p>\nHistory:<\/h2>\n
Prehistory:<\/h3>\n
![\"Indigenous](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Indigenous-Art-300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
1788 British Settlement:<\/h3>\n
![\"Governor](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Governor-Lachlan-Macquarie.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Mid-19th Century:<\/h3>\n
1901 Federation of Australia:<\/h3>\n
![\"Proclamation](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Proclamation-of-Confederation-Brisbane.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Early 20th Century:<\/h3>\n
![\"Great](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Great-Depression-in-Australia-300x231.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Post-War Period:<\/h3>\n
![\"Sydney](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Sydney-Opera-House-300x166.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"Byron](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Byron-Beach-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/The-Snowy-Mountains-300x224.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"Sydney](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Sydney-Harbour-Bridge-300x137.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Mixed](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Crops-Near-Coolamon-300x195.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Hunter](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Hunter-Valley-Vineyard-300x82.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Transportation:<\/h2>\n
Railways:<\/h3>\n
![\"Sydney](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Sydney-Waratah-Train-300x184.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Roads:<\/h3>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/New-South-Wales-Highway-Map-300x255.png\" "\\"\\"")
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Air:<\/h3>\n
![\"Sydney](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Sydney-International-Airport-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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Ferries:<\/h3>\n
Flag of New South Wales:<\/h2>\n
![\"Flag](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Flag-of-New-South-Wales-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Flag](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Flag-of-Victoria-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
Historical Flags:<\/h3>\n
![\"Flag](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Flag-of-New-South-Wales-1867-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Flag](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/06\/Flag-of-New-South-Wales-1870-1876-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")