By Craig Kidd

There are many different sources that can be accessed to gain information about various destinations. Though when conducting my research for this site I used a number of different resources, these include using;  Visiting local travel agents and gathering there information  Using NSW state tourism website, which is seen below   Also using the Australian Tourism website, which can be seen below   Encyclopaedia and other reference books found in the local library such as “the Lonely Planet”  Using a network system, of people who have travelled around NSW, and using their first hand experience.

 The state of NSW is diverse in many ways including its climate, population, cultures, geography and many more.  The state of NSW is 809,444 km², with a population of 7,017,100, with 62% of its population living in the capital city of Sydney. Because New South Wollongong has such a big area, it can be theoretically divided into 15 sections including;

 One of the main major man-made tourist attractions is the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  The total length of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is 1.5km long, with the weight of the steel arch weighing 39,000tons. The bridge first opened on the 19 th of March 1932, after 8 years of construction.  The bridge is locally named known as “the coathanger” because of its based arch design.  The Sydney Harbour Bridge has become renown and an international symbol of Australia.

It can be accessed by the following link: This train network is called CountryLink  There are many different forms of transport that can be of service within NSW, these can include major freeways linking Albury to Sydney and Sydney to Queensland.  NSW also has a public train service that links together all of the major cities and towns and also connecting the major cities with some of the smaller but popular tourist attractions found in smaller cities or towns.

 Prior to the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1770, New South Wales was inhabited by Indigenous Australians for at least 40,000 years. The First Fleet, comprising 11 ships and around 1,350 people, was dispatched to the unknown continent - the only information about New South Wales was that from Cook's voyage of  From these records it was decided the first settlement would be at Botany Bay, and a second settlement would be established at Norfolk Island to provide wood for ships and masts.

 However, on arrival at Botany Bay on 18 January 1788, Captain Phillip decided the site was not suitable and resolved to look for another.  He decided upon Port Jackson, the site of modern day Sydney, and the people of the First Fleet established Australia's first settlement on 26 January 1788.

The 26 th January is the Day on which Australians commemorate the founding of the modern Australian nation. Flag-raising ceremonies, citizenship ceremonies, barbecues, fireworks and regattas are just a few of the events which take place.

 New South Wales is home to 6.9 million people, which is almost one-third of Australia’s population.  The state of New South Wales is home to a multilingual and well educated workforce. In 2006, more than two million employees in NSW or 64% of the total held post-school qualifications.  The tourism industry contributes 250,000 jobs and delivers more than $23.3 billion to the NSW economy.  NSW receives over 35% of total visitors to Australia

There are countless events that are held in New South Wales annually, several of these include:  Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Mount Panorama, Bathurst  Sydney Royal Easter Show Sydney Olympic Park  Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Central Sydney

 Chinese New Year Festival Chinatown  Australia Day Sydney Harbour, Darling Harbour & Hyde Park  New Year's Eve Fireworks Sydney Harbour  Ironman Triathlon Port Macquarie