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== Geography == {{Main|Geography of New South Wales}} [[File:Charlotte Pass Village in August.jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Snowy Mountains]]]] [[File:2014-04-25 Breenhold Gardens, Mount Wilson, New South Wales 02.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Wilson, New South Wales|Mount Wilson]] in the [[Blue Mountains (New South Wales)|Blue Mountains]] during autumn]] 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 [[Coral Sea|Coral]] and [[Tasman Sea]]s. 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's three largest cities, [[Sydney]], [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Newcastle]] and [[Wollongong]], lie near the centre of a narrow coastal strip extending from cool temperate areas on the far south coast to [[subtropical]] areas near the Queensland border. [[Gulaga National Park]] in the [[South Coast (New South Wales)|South Coast]] features the southernmost [[subtropical rainforest]] in the state.<ref>[https://rune.une.edu.au/web/bitstream/1959.11/13719/6/open/SOURCE04.pdf Rainforest In Southern New South Wales] by the [[University of New England (Australia)|University of New England]]. Retrieved 11 August 2023.</ref> The [[Illawarra]] region is centred on the city of Wollongong, with the [[Shoalhaven]], [[Eurobodalla]] and the [[Sapphire Coast]] to the south. The [[Central Coast, New South Wales|Central Coast]] lies between Sydney and Newcastle, with the [[Mid North Coast]] and [[Northern Rivers]] regions reaching northwards to the Queensland border. Tourism is important to the economies of coastal towns such as [[Coffs Harbour]], [[Lismore, New South Wales|Lismore]], [[Nowra, New South Wales|Nowra]] and [[Port Macquarie]], but the region also produces seafood, beef, dairy, fruit, sugar cane and timber.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agriculture Industry Snapshot for Planning: Illawarra/Shoalhaven Region |url=https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1260489/Illawarra-Shoalhaven-Snapshot.pdf |website=NSW Department of Primary Industries}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Agricultural adjustments in the Illawarra region |url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=wollgeo |website=University of Wollongong| date=January 1980 | last1=Dayal | first1=E. }}</ref> [[File:My Favourite Valley - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The [[Southern Highlands (New South Wales)|Southern Highlands]]]] The [[Great Dividing Range]] extends from Victoria in the south through New South Wales to Queensland, parallel to the narrow coastal plain. This area includes the [[Snowy Mountains]], the [[Northern Tablelands, New South Wales|Northern]], [[Central Tablelands|Central]] and [[Southern Tablelands]], the [[Southern Highlands (New South Wales)|Southern Highlands]] and the [[South West Slopes (New South Wales)|South West Slopes]]. Whilst not particularly steep, many peaks of the range rise above {{Convert|1000|m|ft|0}}, with the highest [[Mount Kosciuszko]] at {{Convert|2228|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. [[Skiing in Australia]] began in this region at [[Kiandra]] around 1861. The relatively short ski season underwrites the tourist industry in the [[Snowy Mountains]]. Agriculture, particularly the wool industry, is important throughout the highlands. Major centres include [[Armidale]], [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]], [[Bowral]], [[Goulburn, New South Wales|Goulburn]], [[Inverell]], [[Orange, New South Wales|Orange]], [[Queanbeyan]] and [[Tamworth, New South Wales|Tamworth]].{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} There are numerous forests in New South Wales, with such tree species as Red Gum [[Eucalyptus]] and Crow Ash (''[[Flindersia|Flindersia australis]]''), being represented.<ref>Joseph Henry Maiden. 1908. ''The Forest Flora of New South Wales'', v. 3, Australian Government Printing Office.</ref> Forest floors have a diverse set of understory shrubs and fungi. One of the widespread fungi is [[Tremella mesenterica|Witch's Butter]] (''[[Tremella mesenterica]]'').<ref>C. Michael Hogan, [http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=50127 ''Witch's Butter: Tremella mesenterica'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed; N. Stromberg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921064833/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=50127 |date=21 September 2012 }}</ref> The [[Southeast Australia temperate savanna|western slopes and plains]] fill a significant portion of the state's area and have a much sparser population than areas nearer the coast. Agriculture is central to the economy of the western slopes, particularly the [[Riverina]] region and [[Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area]] in the state's south-west. Regional cities such as [[Albury, New South Wales|Albury]], [[Dubbo]], [[Griffith, New South Wales|Griffith]] and [[Wagga Wagga]] and towns such as [[Deniliquin]], [[Leeton, New South Wales|Leeton]] and [[Parkes, New South Wales|Parkes]] exist primarily to service these agricultural regions. The western slopes descend slowly to the western plains that comprise almost two-thirds of the state and are largely arid or semi-arid. The mining town of [[Broken Hill]] is the largest centre in this area.<ref>Australian Encyclopaedia, Vol. 7, Grolier Society.</ref> One possible definition of the centre for New South Wales is located {{Convert|33|km|mi|0}} west-north-west of [[Tottenham, New South Wales|Tottenham]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/centre.htm |title=Geoscience Australia – Center of Australia, States and Territories |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822124000/https://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/centre.htm |archive-date=22 August 2008 }}</ref> === Climate === [[File:New South Wales Köppen.svg|thumb|left|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] in New South Wales]] A little more than half of the state has an [[arid]] to [[semi arid]] climate, where the rainfall averages from {{convert|150|to|500|mm}} a year throughout most of this climate zone. Summer temperatures can be very hot, while winter nights can be quite cold in this region. Rainfall varies throughout the state. The far north-west receives the least, less than {{Convert|180|mm|abbr=on|0}} annually, while the east receives between {{Convert|700|and|1400|mm|abbr=on|0}} of rain.<ref name="NSWclimate">{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/sevwx/facts/stormy-weather.pdf |title=Stormy Weather |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=16 May 2014 |archive-date=20 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920170035/http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/sevwx/facts/stormy-weather.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The climate along the flat, [[coastal plain]] east of the range varies from [[Oceanic climate|oceanic]] in the south to [[humid subtropical]] in the northern half of the state, right above [[Wollongong]]. Rainfall is highest in this area; however, it still varies from around {{convert|800|mm}} to as high as {{convert|3000|mm}} in the wettest areas, for example [[Dorrigo, New South Wales|Dorrigo]]. In the state's south, on the westward side of the [[Great Dividing Range]], rainfall is heaviest in winter due to [[cold front]]s which move across [[southern Australia]], while in the north, around [[Lismore, New South Wales|Lismore]], rain is heaviest in summer from tropical systems and occasionally even [[tropical cyclone|cyclones]].<ref name="NSWclimate"/> During late winter, the coastal plain is relatively dry due to [[Southeast Australian foehn|foehn winds]] that originate from the Great Dividing Range;<ref>Sharples, J.J. Mills, G.A., McRae, R.H.D., Weber, R.O. (2010) ''Elevated fire danger conditions associated with foehn-like winds in southeastern Australia. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology''.</ref> the mountain range [[rain shadow|block]] the moist, [[westerlies|westerly]] cold fronts that arrive from the [[Southern Ocean]], whereby providing generally [[foehn wind|clear conditions]] on the [[leeward]] side.<ref>[https://www.willyweather.com.au/news/5291/rain+shadows.html Rain Shadows] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922232632/https://www.willyweather.com.au/news/5291/rain+shadows.html |date=22 September 2021 }} by Don White. Australian Weather News. Willy Weather. Retrieved 24 May 2021.</ref><ref>[https://thenewdaily.com.au/weather/2020/05/28/bom-winter-weather-forecast-2020/ And the outlook for winter is ... wet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725121537/https://thenewdaily.com.au/weather/2020/05/28/bom-winter-weather-forecast-2020/ |date=25 July 2021 }} by Kate Doyle from [[The New Daily]]. Retrieved 24 May 2021.</ref> The climate in the southern half of the state is generally warm to hot in summer and cool in the winter. The seasons are more defined in the southern half of the state, especially as one moves inland towards [[South West Slopes]], [[Central West (New South Wales)|Central West]] and the [[Riverina]] region. The climate in the [[Northern Rivers|northeast region]] of the state, or the [[New South Wales North Coast|North Coast]], bordering [[Queensland]], is hot and humid in the summer and mild in winter. The [[Northern Tablelands]], which are also on the North coast, have relatively mild summers and cold winters, due to their high elevation on the Great Dividing Range. Peaks along the Great Dividing Range vary from {{convert|500|m|ft|0}} to over {{convert|2000|m|ft|0}} above sea level. Temperatures can be cool to cold in winter with frequent [[frost]]s and [[snowfall]], and are rarely hot in summer due to the elevation. [[Lithgow, New South Wales|Lithgow]] has a climate typical of the range, as do the regional cities of [[Orange, New South Wales|Orange]], [[Cooma]], [[Oberon, New South Wales|Oberon]] and [[Armidale]]. Such places fall within the [[subtropical highland]] (''Cwb'') variety. Rainfall is moderate in this area, ranging from {{convert|600|to|800|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}. Snowfall is common in the higher parts of the range, sometimes occurring as far north as the [[Queensland]] border. On the highest peaks of the [[Snowy Mountains]], the climate can be [[Oceanic climate#Subpolar variety (Cfc, Cwc)|subpolar oceanic]] and even [[alpine climate|alpine]] on the higher peaks with very cold temperatures and heavy snow. The [[Blue Mountains (New South Wales)|Blue Mountains]], [[Southern Tablelands]] and [[Central Tablelands]], which are situated on the Great Dividing Range, have mild to warm summers and cold winters, although not as severe as those in the Snowy Mountains.<ref name="NSWclimate"/> The highest maximum temperature recorded was {{Convert|49.7|°C|°F|0}} at [[Menindee, New South Wales|Menindee]] in the west of the state on 10 January 1939. The lowest minimum temperature was {{Convert|-23|°C|°F|0}} at [[Charlotte Pass, New South Wales|Charlotte Pass]] in the Snowy Mountains on 29 June 1994. This is also the lowest temperature recorded in the whole of Australia excluding the Antarctic Territory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/extreme/records/national.pdf|title=Rainfall and Temperature Records: National|publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)|Bureau of Meteorology]]|access-date=14 November 2009|archive-date=27 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327211715/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/extreme/records/national.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> {{Weather box |location = New South Wales |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan record high C = 49.7 |Feb record high C = 48.5 |Mar record high C = 45.0 |Apr record high C = 40.0 |May record high C = 34.4 |Jun record high C = 31.0 |Jul record high C = 31.7 |Aug record high C = 37.8 |Sep record high C = 39.6 |Oct record high C = 43.9 |Nov record high C = 46.8 |Dec record high C = 48.9 |year record high C = 49.7 |Jan record low C = -5.6 |Feb record low C = -7.0 |Mar record low C = -7.2 |Apr record low C = -13.0 |May record low C = -13.4 |Jun record low C = -23.0 |Jul record low C = -19.6 |Aug record low C = -20.6 |Sep record low C = -16.7 |Oct record low C = -12.0 |Nov record low C = -9.4 |Dec record low C = -7.0 |year record low C = -23.0 |source 1 = Bureau of Meteorology<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/extremes/daily_extremes.cgi?period=%2Fcgi-bin%2Fclimate%2Fextremes%2Fdaily_extremes.cgi&climtab=tmax_high&area=nsw&year=2013&mon=12&day=11|title=Official records for Australia in January|date=31 July 2013|work=Daily Extremes|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|access-date=12 March 2014|archive-date=4 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904005534/http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/extremes/daily_extremes.cgi?period=%2Fcgi-bin%2Fclimate%2Fextremes%2Fdaily_extremes.cgi&climtab=tmax_high&area=nsw&year=2013&mon=12&day=11|url-status=live}}</ref> |date=March 2014 }}
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