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Table of Contents
New South Wales is an Australian state on the east coast. It is Australia’s most populated state. It is nicknamed “The First State” or “The Premier State”. To the north, it borders Queensland; to the south, Victoria; to the west, South Australia; and to the east, the Tasman Sea. It’s capital city is Sydney, which is Australia’s most populated city.
See the fact file below for more information on the New South Wales or alternatively, you can download our 24-page New South Wales worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
HISTORY
- The Aboriginal people who arrived in Australia over 40,000 to 60,000 years ago were the first inhabitants of New South Wales.
- There were approximately 250,000 Aborigines in the area before Europeans came to settle.
- Captain James Cook discovered New South Wales in 1770 when he was surveying along the uncharted eastern coast of the New Holland (modern-day Australia).
- Captain Arthur Phillip led the first British settlement – the First Fleet – that arrived in the region in 1788.
- It was under the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie that the construction of roads and public structures as well as the urban planning of Sydney was fulfilled.
- In the 19th century, the British colonies of Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland were formed.
- In 1841, New Zealand separated from the Colony of New South Wales.
- In 1855, a system of government incorporating parliamentary accountability was granted to the New South Wales colony.
- At the end of the 19th century, the six colonies of Australia, including New South Wales, agreed to form the Commonwealth of Australia.
- New South Wales experienced increased political conflict, mass unemployment, and economic collapse during the Great Depression.
- The discontent led to the second election of the government of Jack Lang – Premier of New South Wales – in November 1930.
- Jack Lang’s populist policy focused on nullifying the debt of New South Wales to British investors and redirecting the funds to provide work to the unemployed through public works.
- Both the Labor party and the Conservative side condemned this policy.
- At the peak of the 1932 constitutional crisis, Lang’s government was dismissed by Sir Philip Woolcott Game, Governor of New South Wales.
WORLD WAR II
- During World War II, New South Wales developed to be the center of industry, finance, and trade, because of the war economy.
- The only fighting that occurred within New South Wales at this time was the Cowra breakout of 1944, wherein Japanese prisoners attempted a suicidal escape from their camp in the Central West of New South Wales.
POST-WORLD WAR II
- Massive immigration and industrial conflict defined the post-World War II years of New South Wales.
- The Labor party stayed in power until 1965.
1970s TO THE PRESENT
- The 1970s were a time of economic reformation.
- Industries of finance, information technology, tourism, arts, humanities, and education took the place of the shipbuilding industry.
- In 1973, the Sydney Opera House was officially opened.
- One of Australia’s worst natural disasters was the 1989 Newcastle earthquake, which killed 13 people and damaged about A$4 billion in properties.
- The Labor Party was mostly in political power throughout Australia’s history, but from 1988 to 1995, the Liberal-National Coalition became the state’s government.
- The Labor Party resumed power with Bob Carr’s election in 1995, and stayed in office until 2011.
- It was only in 2001 that New South Wales was officially named and its boundaries declared.
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
- To the north, it borders Queensland; to the south, Victoria; to the west, South Australia; and to the east, the Tasman Sea.
- New South Wales’ three largest cities are Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong.
- New South Wales has a dry climate, west of the Great Dividing Range.
- It rains more along the east of the range and snows more in the highest points of the range.
DEMOGRAPHICS
- As of September 2018, there are 8,023,700 people living in New South Wales. Majority of this population live in Sydney.
- Aside from English, Mandarin and Arabic are the most common languages.
- The most common religions are Christianity and Islam.
- As of 2016, the most common ancestries are English, Australian, and Irish.
GOVERNMENT
- New South Wales has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia since 1901.
- Executive power is vested in the Governor of New South Wales.
- The Governor commissions the Premier, and the Premier appoints the Members of the Houses to the Ministry.
CULTURE
- New South Wales is home to Australia’s largest orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Australia’s largest opera company, Opera Australia, which both perform regularly at the Sydney Opera House.
- Major museums and art galleries in New South Wales include the Australian Museum, the Museum of Sydney, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
- The biggest sporting competition in the state is the National Rugby League and is based in Sydney.
- NSW’s capital Sydney was the host of the 2000 Summer Olympics.
New South Wales Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about New South Wales across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use New South Wales worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the New South Wales which is an Australian state on the east coast. It is Australia’s most populated state. It is nicknamed “The First State” or “The Premier State”. To the north, it borders Queensland; to the south, Victoria; to the west, South Australia; and to the east, the Tasman Sea. It’s capital city is Sydney, which is Australia’s most populated city.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- New South Wales Facts
- Fact or Bluff
- Demographic Review
- NSW Borders
- First Explorers
- Commonwealth of Australia
- History of NSW
- Towns and Cities
- New South Wales Acrostic
- Tourism Pamphlet
- Postcard to a Friend
Link/cite this page
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Link will appear as New South Wales Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 19, 2019
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.