Far West | |||||||||||||
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  Far West | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:31°57′24″S141°28′04″E / 31.95667°S 141.46778°E /-31.95667; 141.46778 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | New South Wales | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorates | |||||||||||||
| • Federal divisions | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 146,981 km2 (56,750 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 44,917 (2016 census)[Note 1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.305597/km2 (0.791493/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
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TheFar West region ofNew South Wales, Australia refers generally to the western part of the state, which is too dry to supportwheat or othercrops or intensivepastoral endeavours. It is west of theNorth West Slopes,Central West and theRiverina. It is an area with limited rainfall. The only major rivers found in it are theDarling River and theMurray River (on its southern edge), which originate in theGreat Dividing Range to the east. The region corresponds to the combination of the AustralianBureau of Meteorology's forecast areas ofUpper Western andLower Western.[1] It also corresponds to theWestern Division established under the New South WalesWestern Lands Act 1901.[2][3]
The only city in the Far West isBroken Hill. Other significant towns areBourke,Brewarrina,Cobar,Ivanhoe andWentworth.
Ninety-five per cent of the region is uncleared.[4] Major economic activities are mining and extensive pasturing. During good seasons in the 1870s and 1880s, large sheepstations were established with high stocking rates, partly in response to a widespread belief that the introduction of agriculture would result inclimate change toward European conditions. The error of this "rain follows the plough" concept was exposed by the droughts of the 1890s. Many of the stations established during this period failed and were subsequently abandoned.
The Far West region is traversed by theBarrier Highway, theSilver City Highway, theMitchell Highway, theCobb Highway and theSturt Highway. It is also served by theSydney-Perth Railway.
