Far West (New South Wales) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Far West New South Wales
Far West Location in New South Wales
Population	44,917 (2016 census)
• Density	0.305597/km2 (0.79149/sq mi)
Area	146,981 km2 (56,749.7 sq mi)
LGA(s)	City of Broken Hill Central Darling Shire Unincorporated Far West
State electorate(s)	Barwon Murray
Federal Division(s)	Parkes Farrer
Localities around Far West: Far North South West Queensland North West Slopes Far North Far West Orana, Central West Murray and Mallee Murray Riverina

The Far West is a large region in the western part of New South Wales, Australia. It's known for being very dry, which means it doesn't get much rain. Because of this, it's hard to grow crops like wheat or raise many farm animals.

This area is west of other regions like the North West Slopes and the Riverina. Even though it's dry, two important rivers, the Darling River and the Murray River, flow through or near it. These rivers start far away in the Great Dividing Range.

Map of Far West New South Wales

Towns and Cities

The only big city in the Far West is Broken Hill. It's a very important mining town.

Other smaller but significant towns in the region include:

• Bourke
• Brewarrina
• Cobar
• Ivanhoe
• Wentworth

What People Do There

Most of the Far West, about 95%, is still natural and undeveloped land. The main ways people make a living here are through:

• Mining: Digging for valuable minerals.
• Extensive Pasturing: Raising animals like sheep or cattle over very large areas. This is different from intensive farming, where many animals are kept in a small space.

In the 1870s and 1880s, people tried to set up many large sheep farms. They hoped that bringing farming to the area would make the climate wetter, a belief called "rain follows the plough". However, this idea was wrong. The droughts of the 1890s showed that the land was still very dry, and many farms had to close down.

Getting Around

Several main roads cross the Far West region, helping people travel and transport goods. These include:

• Barrier Highway
• Silver City Highway
• Mitchell Highway
• Cobb Highway
• Sturt Highway

The region is also connected by the Sydney-Perth Railway. This train line links Sydney on the east coast to Perth on the west coast of Australia.