What is the capital of NSW?

Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and Australia's oldest and largest city, with a metropolitan population of about 5.4 million in 2024. It sits on Port Jackson, one of the world's largest natural harbours, on the Tasman Sea coast of south-eastern Australia.

The city traces its founding to 26 January 1788, when Captain Arthur Phillip of the First Fleet established a penal colony at Sydney Cove. That date is now Australia Day, though it is also marked by many Indigenous Australians as a day of mourning. Sydney grew from a convict settlement into a major port and commercial hub during the 19th century, fuelled by the New South Wales gold rushes from 1851 and by wool exports from the inland pastoral districts.

Modern Sydney is Australia's financial capital and home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Australian Securities Exchange, and the headquarters of most major banks. Its global landmarks include the Sydney Opera House (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 and designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon), the Sydney Harbour Bridge (opened 1932), and Bondi Beach. The city hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Sydney is also Australia's most diverse city. About 38 per cent of residents were born overseas and more than 250 ancestries are represented, with large communities of Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Lebanese, and British heritage. The greater Sydney region stretches from the Blue Mountains in the west to the Royal National Park in the south, covering more than 12,000 square kilometres and including the world's second-oldest national park, gazetted in 1879.