New South Wales - The First State

No matter where you are in the world you will meet people who want to talk about Sydney. no, I don't live there, you explain. No, it's not the capital. Yes, it's very beautiful you reassure them. the Harbour Bridge... very good! Ah, yes, the Opera House. Excellent, you tell them. Is that all there is to Sydney? To most tourists, probably. Ask a local, however, and the answer is a very strong No way!

While Sydney certainly has a lot going for it, it also has a lot against it and it is probably the most avoided city in Australia. It’s super high real estate prices (and cost of living in general) is often cited as a reason for not living there.

If you are a person who loves the big city, then Sydney is the place for you.

For people looking to avoid the big city and all of its distractions, then Wollongong, Newcastle and even Wagga Wagga are probably your best bet.

Maybe even Canberra could be more your style?

6.6 Million people call NSW home, and the mix of races is about 92% Caucasian, 7% asian and 1% aboriginal. Just in case you were wondering.

Does it ever get cold in Sydney?
If you close your eyes and imagine Sydney, the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and beautiful blue skies are (hopefully) going to come to straight to mind. Beautiful Bondi with its golden sand and bronzed bodies; Sydney is home to perfect weather. Sometimes.

The reality is, and lots of people seem to forget this, is that it is going to rain, it does get cold and even during summer it’s going to rain. The good news is, however, that most of the time there are more sunny days than rainy days.

Inland NSW includes the mountains of the Great Dividing Range and the western plains. Temperatures here can sit around 40 degrees during a summers day, or get down around 0 degrees on a winter evening.

The highest temperature recorded in NSW is 52.8 degrees, at Bourke and the lowest is -23 at Charlottes Pass. The most rain falls in Dorrigo, with an average rainfall of 2,004mm per year. So it's not all beaches and boardshorts, though there is plenty of that too.

Facts about New South Wales
NSW, on the east coast of Australia, runs from just north of the most easterly point in Australia at Byron Bay, down to Eden in the south, a distance of about 1000 kilomters. NSW stretches out across the mountains and out into the plains and then the desert, where it meet the SA border.

The Great Dividing Range is a major attraction for a lot of people and is a great location for a range of outdoor activities from hiking to sky diving to mountain biking.

The population loves to live near the coast, and that is where you are going to find the biggest universities. Farming and agriculture is the big feature of inland NSW. Lots of big, big farms.

Major Cities in New South Wales
NSW is divided into 4 regions: Northern, Southern, Sydney, and Western and the majority of the population can be found in the first three.

Top 5 attractions in Sydney
1. Take a walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The hard way! Not for the faint haearted or the tourist short on cash. Bridge Climb, Sydney Harbour Bridge

2. Sit back and relax and enjoy the harbour views: Take the Manly Ferry and visit Manly

3. It's reallynot just for kids y'know: The Powerhouse Museum

4. Time for lunch? Head into the city and then up into the sky for a buffet meal with a view at AMP Tower

5. And now you're totally bloated and exhausted, head out to Bondi Beach and watch the sunset. Ahh, what a day!

How many international students study in NSW?
Based on figures for the year 2003, there were 45,000 international students in New South Wales. That's the second highest in Australia, behind Victoria.

Most popular beer
Tough to call, this one, but Tooheys New is probably in the lead. You’re going to have to order it in a middie or a schooner.

Major Universities
University of New South Wales, University of Sydney, Macquarie University, UTS, University of Wollongong