New South Wales is Australia's most populous state, concentrated along the east coast. Inland are mountain ranges, commonly refered to as the Great Dividing Range. This barrier is made up of well known ranges like the Snowy Mountains, the Southern Tablelands, and includes Australia's highest mountain on its mainland, Mount Kowscuszko. On the western side of the Great Dividing Range, population is much sparser, and agriculture dominates this land.

New South Wales has some of the longer trails in the country, like parts of the Bicentennial National Trail, the Australian Alps Walking Track, and all of the Great North Walk, and the Hume and Hovell Walking Track.