Located in the south-east of Australia, New South Wales is the populated state of the country. In the past the state comprised of majority of the Australian mainland; initially New South Wales included Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. But then during the 19th century many portions were separated to form Tasmania, South
Australia, Victoria, and Queensland. The name of the state was given by James Cook; the cliffs in located near the Sydney Heads made him remember the cliffs in south Wales and this induced him to christen the region as New South Wales.
New South Wales is one of the few states in the country that boasts of all the pre requisites of a premium tourist destination. It features mesmerizing natural wonders that includes exquisite long and white sandy beaches and mountains to dazzling modern cities. There is no dearth of tourist destinations in the state. One of the major attractions of the state is Sydney, the city that hosted the 2000 Olympic Games. There are countless landmarks in the city that include the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and Centrepoint Tower. Besides this, the city is also home to Taronga Park Zoo, Darling Harbour Shopping Centre, and the colonial-style shops. There is also no dearth of restaurants, pubs, casinos and nightclubs in the city.
If you are looking for mind boggling natural wonders, then you can opt for a tour of Blue Mountains region. The region is home to the picturesque town of Katoomba, Skyway, Echo Point lookout, the Three Sisters rock formations and the Jenolan Caves. The central coast of the state is also another major attraction of the state featuring sights like includes the Hawkesbury River mouth and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The central west section of the province is popularly known as the "Explorer Country", there are many gold rush towns, wineries and national parks in the area. Some of the popular tourist destinations of the region are Bathhurst that is Australia's oldest inland town, the Dubbo zoo and the Warrumbungles National Park.
The north west of the state is comparatively remote than the other parts of the province, but then it boasts of some of the major highlights of the state including the black opal area of Lightning Ridge and Country Festival town of Tamworth. The extreme northern section of the state is renowned diving as well as a whale-watching site.
But then, New South Wales is more than a mere picturesque province of Australia, it is also the financial capital of the country featuring major financial and business centers.
For information on New South Wales visit www.Travel.mapsofworld.com.
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