Did you know that most
immigrants to Australia wind up in NSW -- New South Wales? Actually, this translates to most immigrants to Australia
ending up in Sydney, Australia's largest city. But NSW contains more people than any other Australian state, with
Aussies scattered among Newcastle, Lismore, Byron Bay, and Coffs Harbour to name a few. The Snowy Mountains and
the Blue Mountains rock, too.
New South Wales
(NSW)
First State/Premier State/Suck
In All The Tourists State
"If you want to impress people
that you're psychic, walk up to any Australian and guess s/he's from New
South Wales. You'll probably be right."
Doug Knell,
Doug's Republic
Two images spring to mind when those who've never been to Australia
think of it: surfing and Sydney. While surfing is not
exclusive to New South Wales, Sydney is. It's Australia's largest
city, with almost 4.5m people, and has Australia's most recognizable
buildings. Sydney attracts the largest share of immigrants
to Australia. In the 1991 Census, Sydney had 28.5% of
Australia's overseas-born. It's virtually a cliche today to hear
about another Vietnamese immigrant to Sydney -- the two words go
together almost as seamlessly as 'Big' and 'Mac.'
Backpackers and working-holiday
visaholders flock to Sydney and its outlying areas for job
opportunities, drunken nights out, and
sleazy pickups.
New South Wales is the most heavily industrialized state in the country,
if that means anything anymore in a West that's been de-industrializing
faster than Nicolas Cage is losing his hair. Three-quarters of
this industry is based in Sydney. Newcastle has dwindling
steelworks and shipbuilding industry that's all but defunct. The
Hunter Valley has coal deposits, but the mines are high cost, and you
can get coal in many other cheaper locales.
Manufacturing industries still remain in the state. Manufacturing
accounts for 14% of the Gross State Product and more than 30% of
Australia's total manufacturing output. In NSW are produced one-third
of Australia's food & beverages, 45% of its medicines and
pharmaceuticals, and 60% of its medical and surgical equipment. The
popular and cheesy Australian soap opera, Home And Away,
features external shots from all over the country, but
all the interiors and beach shots are done in Sydney and
surrounding NSW locations.
Don't fight NSW.
As a visitor, you'll probably be flying in here. On a
working holiday, you'll undoubtedly spend some or maybe all
of your time working here. Is seduction the name of
your game? Little question that some, if not
all, of your illicit night time romps will involve NSW
locals or backpackers slumming it in NSW. Doug
bucked the trend and spent only 9 nights in NSW out of a
year in Australia.
For the majority of visitors, NSW and neighboring
Queensland (QLD) are all they see of Australia. For
the more alcoholically-inclined, the inside of a NSW pub is
all they'll see.
Are you hip to visit NSW or
New South Wales. Immigrants to Australia are. They flock to Sydney. The rest of the population center in NSW is in Newcastle,
Lismore, Byron Bay, and Coffs Harbour. Don't skip a trip to the Snowy Mountains or the Blue Mountains, mate.
