New South Wales (NSW) is Australia's oldest state. It is a very diverse state, with large areas covered by farms and cattle ranges, but also with huge eucalypt forests, mountain ranges and semi-deserts. Its capital is Sydney ("S" on the map right), with its famous Opera House.

Embedded in NSW is the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) with Australia's capital city Canberra (C). Most towns of NSW are located in the coastal area, like Wollongong and Newcastle, both not really far from Sydney. Murwillumbah (M) in the Tweed River valley lies almost at the border with Queensland. The Great Dividing Range separates the coastal plains from the hinterland - the mining town of Broken Hill (B) lies far west of that range, in the outback.

The most important National Parks of NSW are located in the Great Dividing Range, like the Blue Mountains NP directly west of Sydney, or the New England Tableland parks in the north west. In the south, the Great Dividing Range rises even higher, up to the Australian Alps and to Mount Kosciuszko, with 2228m the highest mountain of Australia.