Nature
Geography of New South Wales
New South Wales landscapes range from subtropical rainforests to Australia’s highest mountain, Mount Kosciusko which sits 2,228 metres above sea-level. To the west are the hills of the Great Dividing Range, and further west still, the great plains extend, becoming progressively drier as they advance into the red sands of the Outback.
Australia’s longest river, the Darling River, flows 2,740km from northern NSW to join with the Murray River in the State’s south. NSW’s coastline is a succession of sandy crescents, and off the North Coast is Lord Howe Island, a pint-sized miracle with a World Heritage listing.
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World Heritage sites
New South Wales has five sites that have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Register, among them, the Sydney Opera House which is the youngest, and only, building on the list.
The remaining four are natural entities. Aboriginal people lived in the Willandra Lakes Region including Mungo National Park, as much as 60,000 years ago, leaving behind evidence that has helped unravel some of the mysteries of early human life.
The Lord Howe Island Group is a magical dot in the Tasman Sea teeming with birds and marine life and home to the world’s most southerly coral reef.
The Gondwana Rainforests are a mosaic of reserves and national parks along the state’s east coast that provide a habitat for half of all Australian plant families.
Bordering Sydney to the north and west, the Greater Blue Mountains Area is a densely forested sandstone plateau etched by rivers into trough-like valleys with sheer-sided walls.
Access to all NSW’s World Heritage sites is relatively easy with flights to major centres in these areas and specialist tours.