The North West Slopes region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, refers generally to the area west of the Northern Tablelands, to the north of the Central West region and to the east of the

Far West Far West may refer to: Places * Western Canada, or the West ** British Columbia Coast * Western United States, or Far West ** West Coast of the United States * American frontier, or Far West, Old West, or Wild West * Far West (Taixi), a term us ...

region. Despite its name, the region is in north-central New South Wales, corresponding generally to the Australian

Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. It was established in 1906 under the Meteorology Act, and brought together ...

's forecast area of ''North West Slopes and Plains''. The administrative areas of the region include the city of Tamworth, Gunnedah, Moree,

Narrabri Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. ...

and Inverell. The region is higher, hillier and wetter on its eastern edge than on its western edge. The North West Slopes are situated on various tributaries to the

Darling River The Darling River (Paakantyi: ''Baaka'' or ''Barka'') is the third-longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its conflu ence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its long ...

, such as the Barwon, Gwydir, and

Namoi River The Namoi River, a major perennial river that is part of the Barwon catchment of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes districts of New South Wales, Australia. The Namoi River rises on the we ...

s, which rise in the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

country to its east. The region has one city, Tamworth. The North West Slopes also includes the towns of Gunnedah, Warialda, Manilla,

Boggabri Boggabri ( ) is a small town in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Narrabri Shire and lies between Gunnedah and Narrabri on the Kamilaroi Highway. At the , the town had a population of 856 people. The original town si ...

, Mungindi,

, Moree, Quirindi and

Wee Waa Wee Waa () is a town located on the north-western slopes of the New England region in New South Wales, Australia. The town is within the Narrabri Shire local government area and is on the Namoi River. Wee Waa is north-west of Narrabri and nor ...

; and many villages. It has traditionally been a major

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

-growing area, but in recent decades irrigated crops, especially

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

, have become significant. The primary exports are cotton,

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

, beef, lamb and pork, cereal and oilseed grains. The North West region is traversed by the New England Highway, the

Newell Highway Newell Highway is a national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amounts of freight. At in length, the Newell is th ...

, the

Kamilaroi Highway Kamilaroi Highway is a state highway located in the north-western region of New South Wales, Australia, and links via and to . The highway is named after the Kamilaroi Indigenous Australian people who live in the area. Route The highway ...

, the

Oxley Highway Oxley Highway is a rural highway in New South Wales, Australia, linking Nevertire, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Tamworth, and Walcha to Port Macquarie, on the coast of the Tasman Sea. It was named to commemorate John Oxley, the first European t ...

and the Gwydir Highway; and by railways such as the

Main Western railway line The Main Western Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains, Central West, North West Slopes and the Far West regions. It is with operational & under construction & repairs. Description o ...

, linking Bourke to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

with connections to the port of Newcastle. The Main North railway line trains no longer continue to the

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

border, but Werris Creek, Tamworth and Kootingal are still served by the

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Queensland and South Austral ...

Xplorer service between Sydney and Armidale.

Mount Kaputar National Park The Mount Kaputar National Park is a national park located in New South Wales, Australia, surrounding the proximities of Mount Kaputar, a volcano active between 17 and 21 million years ago. It is located east of Narrabri and northwest o ...

, near Narrabri, is within the North West Slopes region. This region is often included as part of the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

region. Sometimes the region is also known as the New England North West or less commonly the Northern Inland RegionNorthern Inland Region
Retrieved 2009-10-7 when it also includes the Northern Tablelands.

Local Government Areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The phra ...

include

Gunnedah Shire Gunnedah Shire is a local government area in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Liverpool Plains in the Namoi River valley and is traversed by the Oxley Highway and the Kamilaroi H ...

, Liverpool Plains Shire,

Moree Plains Shire Moree Plains Shire is a local government area in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The northern boundary of the Shire is located adjacent to the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The Shire is located adjac ...

, Narrabri Shire, Gwydir Shire and

Tamworth Regional Council Tamworth Regional Council is a local government area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located adjacent to the New England Highway and the Main North railway line. It was established in M ...

Climate

The climate here is at the mercy of the Horse Latitudes high pressure belt for the grand majority of the year. Thus a distinct summer rainfall peak is observed, in stark contrast to its more poleward counterpart, the

South West Slopes The South Western Slopes, also known as the South West Slopes, is a region predominantly in New South Wales, Australia. It covers the lower inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range, extending from north of Dunedoo through central NSW and into ...

(wherein a spring or winter rainfall peak is observed). The seasonal range of maximum temperatures is also strikingly narrower than that observed in the South West Slopes. Summers are very long, stable and hot, with severe thunderstorms a frequent occurrence. Winters are considerably sunnier than those farther south; cold by nightfall, though mild and sometimes even warm by day; constituting a great diurnal range and frequent, oftentimes heavy

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a g ...

Snowfall Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

is a very rare occurrence in the lowlands (snow has been recorded as low as Gunnedah), though it occurs annually on high-points such as the

Nandewar Range The Nandewar Range, a mountain range that is part of the Great Dividing Range, is located in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The range is situated approximately east of the township of Narrabri. John Oxley was the f ...

and Coolah Tops. Even so, it is far from a regular occurrence on account of the region's northern latitude. In nearly all cases, a snowfall event this far north requires a

cut-off low A cut-off low (or cutoff low), sometimes referred to as the weatherman's woe, is defined as "a closed upper-level low which has become completely displaced (cut off) from basic westerly current, and moves independently of that current" by the Nat ...

system: in which the snow-bearing frontal rainbands bypass the usual southern alpine regions, instead advancing in a north-northeasterly direction up the centre of New South Wales.

References

External links

Map of North Western Slopes botanical division in New South Wales
{{coord missing, New South Wales Newell Highway

Climate

See also

References

External links