Regions of New South Wales
Encyclopedia
In the state of New South Wales
, Australia
, there are many areas which are commonly known by regional names. Regions are areas that share similar characteristics. These characteristics may be natural such as the Murray River, the coastline, or the Snowy Mountains. Alternatively, the characteristics may be cultural, such as a viticulture
land use. New South Wales is divided by numerous regional boundaries, based on different characteristics. In many cases boundaries defined by different agencies are coterminous.
, municipalities
, shire
s and region
s.
New South Wales has more than 100 Local Government Areas which have an elected council and carry out various functions delegated to them by the New South Wales state government.
, demographic and economic statistics . The basis for the boundary delineations center on socioeconomic criteria . The thirteen divisions for New South Wales are:
The original basis for descriptive regional names in New South Wales is based on the geography
of the State.
The State can be divided into four components:
These four components are then typically divided into north, central and southern components based upon their location relative to Sydney
.
This two-way subdivision gives rise to the generic pattern of regions:
The "North Coast" is often subdivided into the "Mid North Coast" and the "Northern Rivers" in the far north east of the State.
The "South Coast" is often divided into the "Illawarra
" (between Royal National Park
and Nowra
), and "South Coast" (south of Nowra
).
Two additional regions are typically defined. The "Hunter Region" lies between the North Coast and the Central Coast, and includes the valley of the Hunter River which extends far inland between the Northern Tablelands and the Central Tablelands, as well as the Newcastle, New South Wales
–Lake Macquarie connurbation.
The "Riverina
" region lies in the central south of the State, around the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers. This region may, or may not, include the South-West Slopes, depending on the context.
, typically with names like "Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils
" ( WSROC ) have the main function of lobbying the State Government on various matters, coordinating economic development, joint purchasing between councils and regional promotion. They have no formal administrative function.
Historically, groupings of local governments were also involved in sharing electricity and water supply undertakings.
This classification subdivides the most commonly accepted notion of "The Riverina" into two separate regions, "Riverina" and "The Murray".
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, there are many areas which are commonly known by regional names. Regions are areas that share similar characteristics. These characteristics may be natural such as the Murray River, the coastline, or the Snowy Mountains. Alternatively, the characteristics may be cultural, such as a viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
land use. New South Wales is divided by numerous regional boundaries, based on different characteristics. In many cases boundaries defined by different agencies are coterminous.
Local government
In New South Wales the third tier of elected government after the federal and state governments is the Local Government Authorities, which are responsible for the Local Government areas. The types of LGA's in New South Wales are citiesCity
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, municipalities
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, shire
Shire
A shire is a traditional term for a division of land, found in the United Kingdom and in Australia. In parts of Australia, a shire is an administrative unit, but it is not synonymous with "county" there, which is a land registration unit. Individually, or as a suffix in Scotland and in the far...
s and region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
s.
New South Wales has more than 100 Local Government Areas which have an elected council and carry out various functions delegated to them by the New South Wales state government.
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has multiple regional structures for which it analyses and reports data. These regional structures derive from the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (AGSC). The AGSC defines at the very smallest level, the Census Collection District (CCD). These CCD's aggregate to form the Statistical Local Area (SLA), which is the common base unit for each of the larger regional structures . The boundaries of the SLA are designed to be typically coterminous with Local Government Areas unless the LGA does not fit entirely into a Statistical Subdivision (SSD), or is not of a comparative nature to other LGA's . Bureau of Statistics provides statistics for Local Government Areas, as well as three other statistical structures: Statistical Divisions, Statistical Regions, and Statistical Districts.Statistical Divisions
Statistical Divisions (SD) form the main structural hierarchy of statistical analysis. These regions are structured to provide a broad range of socialSocial
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
, demographic and economic statistics . The basis for the boundary delineations center on socioeconomic criteria . The thirteen divisions for New South Wales are:
-
- Central West, Far West, Hunter, Illawarra, Mid-North Coast, Murray, Murrumbidgee, North Western, Northern, Off-Shore Areas & Migratory, Richmond-Tweed, South Eastern, Sydney
Statistical Regions
The Statistical Region (SR) structure was established in 1986 as a means for labor force analysis .-
- Sydney: Canterbury-Bankstown, Central Northern Sydney, Central Western Sydney, Eastern Suburbs, Fairfield-Liverpool, Gosford-Wyong, Inner Sydney, Inner Western Sydney, Lower Northern Sydney, North Western Sydney, Northern Beaches, Outer South Western Sydney, St George-Sutherland
- Balance of New South Wales: Central West, Far West-North Western, Hunter, Illawarra, Mid-North Coast, Murray-Murrumbidgee, Northern, Richmond-Tweed, South Eastern
Statistical Districts
The Statistical District (SDist) is a non-capital, urban region of one or more adjoining areas, with a population of 25,000 or more. The SDist is defined with consideration of a 20 year growth forecast. The SDist does not need to conform to LGA boundaries or to state territory boundaries.. The thirteen Statistical Districts in New South Wales are:-
- Newcastle, Wollongong, Nowra-Bomaderry, Bathurst-Orange, Lismore, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga (New South Wales and Victoria), Gold Coast-Tweed (New South Wales and Queensland), Canberra-Queanbeyan (New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory)
Informal divisions
New South Wales is also informally divided into a smaller number of regions. These regions have no general administrative function or status. Many of them are only vaguely defined, or are defined in different ways for different purposes. For example, departments of the New South Wales government, such as the New South Wales Police Force, or the Department of Health, define regions of the State for their own internal administrative purposes. These regions may be defined in completely different ways, as shown by the maps in the references.The original basis for descriptive regional names in New South Wales is based on the geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
of the State.
The State can be divided into four components:
- the coastal regions fronting the Tasman SeaTasman SeaThe Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
in the east of the State - the highlands which form part of the Great Dividing RangeGreat Dividing RangeThe Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
- the western (inland) slopes of the highlands, which form the main agricultural region of the State
- the arid western plains
These four components are then typically divided into north, central and southern components based upon their location relative to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
This two-way subdivision gives rise to the generic pattern of regions:
- North Coast
- Central Coast
- South Coast
- Northern Tablelands
- Central TablelandsCentral TablelandsThe Central Tablelands in New South Wales is an area that is between the Sydney Metropolitan Area and the Central West Slopes and Plains. This area has a part of the Great Dividing Range running through it, including the Blue Mountains...
- Southern TablelandsSouthern TablelandsThe Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of the State of New South Wales, Australia. This area is located west of the Great Dividing Range.The area is characterised by flat country which has generally been extensively cleared and used for grazing purposes...
- North-West Slopes
- Central Western Slopes
- South-West SlopesSouth West Slopes, New South WalesThe South West Slopes is a region predominantly in New South Wales, Australia. It covers the lower inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range extending from north of Cowra through southern NSW into western Victoria...
- Western Plains
The "North Coast" is often subdivided into the "Mid North Coast" and the "Northern Rivers" in the far north east of the State.
The "South Coast" is often divided into the "Illawarra
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
" (between Royal National Park
Royal National Park
Royal National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 29 km south of Sydney CBD.Founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales, and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, it is the world's second oldest purposed national park, the first usage of the term...
and Nowra
Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
), and "South Coast" (south of Nowra
Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
).
Two additional regions are typically defined. The "Hunter Region" lies between the North Coast and the Central Coast, and includes the valley of the Hunter River which extends far inland between the Northern Tablelands and the Central Tablelands, as well as the Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
–Lake Macquarie connurbation.
The "Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
" region lies in the central south of the State, around the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers. This region may, or may not, include the South-West Slopes, depending on the context.
Weather Forecasting
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology divides New South Wales into fifteen districts which it groups into four broader regions.- North East: Northern -Rivers, Mid North Coast, Hunter, Northern Tablelands-
- Metropolitan
- South East: Illawarra, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands
- Western Inland: North West Slopes and Plains, Central West Slopes and Plains, South West Slopes, Riverina, Lower Western, Upper Western.
Regional Organisations of Councils
The Local Government Areas in New South Wales have created regional groupings. The NSW Regional Organisations of CouncilsNSW Regional Organisations of Councils
New South Wales has 17 Regional Organisations of Councils which are voluntary groupings of councils in Australia. ROCs usually involve collaborative partnerships between neighbouring councils in a particular region or area...
, typically with names like "Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils
Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils
Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils is one of the oldest Regional Organisations of Councils or ROCs in NSW, Australia. It was formed in November 1973 to represent the councils of Western Sydney and to advocate for the people of the region...
" ( WSROC ) have the main function of lobbying the State Government on various matters, coordinating economic development, joint purchasing between councils and regional promotion. They have no formal administrative function.
Historically, groupings of local governments were also involved in sharing electricity and water supply undertakings.
Department of State and Regional Development
The Department of State and Regional Development lists fourteen regions in New South Wales.-
- Far South Coast, Central Coast, Central West, Greater Western Sydney, Far West, The Hunter, Illawarra, Mid North Coast, Murray, New England - North West, Northern Rivers, Orana, Riverina, and Sydney
Department of Local Government
The Department of Local Government lists twelve regions-
- Central West, Mid North Coast, North Western, Far West, Murray, Richmond Tweed, Hunter, Murrumbidgee, South Eastern, Illawarra, Northern, and Sydney Surrounds
Department of Planning
The Department of Planning divides New South Wales into seven regions:- Alpine region, Central Coast, Hunter, Illawarra, South Coast, North Coast, Western NSW
Department of Health
The New South Wales Health Department divided New South Wales into 8 separate regions, called 'Area Health Services'. These are- Area Health Services in Metropolitan NSW
- Northern Sydney/Central Coast
- South East Sydney/Illawarra
- Sydney South West
- Sydney West
- Area Health Services in Rural NSW
- Greater Southern
- Greater Western
- Hunter New England
- North Coast
New South Wales Police Force
The New South Wales Police Force is organised into approximately 81 local area commands, which are aggregated into six regions:- Central Metro Region
- North West Metro Region
- Northern Region
- South West Metro Region
- Southern Region
- Western Region
New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service
This New South Wales government agency subdivides the State into 17 bioregions based on ecological factors. These bioregions extend into neighbouring States.Australia Travel
Yet another subdivision of New South Wales into Regions is as follows:- Sydney
- Central Coast
- Hunter
- Blue Mountains
- Snowy Mountains
- Illawarra
- South Coast
- Capital Country (similar to Southern Tablelands in other lists)
- Northern Rivers
- North Coast NSW (which is actually what other lists call the Mid North Coast)
- New EnglandNew England (Australia)New England or New England North West is the name given to a generally undefined region about 60 kilometres inland, that includes the Northern Tablelands and the North West Slopes regions in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:The region has been occupied by Indigenous...
North West (Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes) - Central New South Wales
- Riverina
- The Murray
- Outback New South Wales
This classification subdivides the most commonly accepted notion of "The Riverina" into two separate regions, "Riverina" and "The Murray".
See also
- Regional Organisations of CouncilsRegional Organisations of CouncilsRegional Organisations of Councils – sometimes called Voluntary Regional Organisations of Councils – are voluntary groupings of councils in Australia...
- NSW Regional Organisations of CouncilsNSW Regional Organisations of CouncilsNew South Wales has 17 Regional Organisations of Councils which are voluntary groupings of councils in Australia. ROCs usually involve collaborative partnerships between neighbouring councils in a particular region or area...
- Western Sydney Regional Organisation of CouncilsWestern Sydney Regional Organisation of CouncilsWestern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils is one of the oldest Regional Organisations of Councils or ROCs in NSW, Australia. It was formed in November 1973 to represent the councils of Western Sydney and to advocate for the people of the region...
External links
- Map of NSW weather forecasting zones - website
- NSW Department of Local Government Directory - Regional Organisations of Councils.
- WSROC website - example of a regional organisation of councils.
- Map of Health NSW regions - NSW Health Department website
- NSW Police regions
- Department of State and Regional Development Regions
- National Parks Bioregions - website
- Description of bioregions - website
- About Australia Travel - website