Australian Geography
New South Wales (NSW) & Sydney
NSW can be roughly divided into the following four regions: the coastal strip; the Great Dividing Range, about 100km inland from the coast; the Blue Mountains west of Sydney; and the Snowy Mountains in the south. West of the Great Dividing Range is farming country: dry plains that cover two-thirds of the state. The plains fade into the outback in the far west, where summer temperatures can soar to over 40ºC. The major rivers are the Murray and the Darling, which meander westward across the plains. In winter, the Snowy Mountains live up to their name.
Sydney is blessed with a pleasant climate, rarely dropping below 10ºC at night and with average summer temperatures of around 25°C. Summer temperatures can reach 40°C and high humidity can make it oppressive, but heavy downpours often break the heat between October and March. Winters are cool rather than cold. The weather in March-April and October-November is delightful, with clear, warm days and mild nights.
For more information about Sydney and surrounding area, view the NSW - Fact sheet (pdf 56kb or rtf 265kb) and/or visit the NSW Government Visitors website.