Greater Sydney is the most populous

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

. Located in the state of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, it encompasses the City of Sydney (the state capital), its neighbouring

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 ph ...

and surrounding regions. It covers an area stretching from the Hawkesbury River to the

Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the ...

in the north, to the Blue Mountains in the west, and lastly, to the Wollondilly, Campbelltown and

Sutherland Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...

regions in the south. Under the New South Wales Greater Cities Commission (formerly the Greater Sydney Commission), the Greater Sydney Region, along with Newcastle, the Central Coast and Wollongong, will constitute a Sandstone Mega-region that will make-up 70% of the New South Wales population and 25% of the national population.

History

A Greater Sydney had been proposed several times prior to its eventual formation, usually curtailed by some form of national crisis. There had been a Labor Party Greater Sydney Bill before the NSW legislature, defeated because of the controversy over conscription during the Boer War. A Bill proposed by William McKell that had stalled in committee failed outright when the

Lang Lang may refer to: *Lang (surname), a surname of independent Germanic or Chinese origin Places * Lang Island (Antarctica), East Antarctica * Lang Nunatak, Antarctica * Lang Sound, Antarctica * Lang Park, a stadium in Brisbane, Australia * Lang, ...

government fell. Labor Party proposals of the 1940s fell by the wayside because of World War 2. An early 1960s proposal was opposed by moves to instead create a City of North Sydney, and was quashed outright by the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

government of Robert Askin in 1965.

Definitions

In its broadest definition, Greater Sydney covers the city of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in addition to four neighbouring regions: the Blue Mountains, the Hawkesbury, Macarthur and Wollondilly. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Greater Sydney was defined as the city of Sydney itself as well as the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

(including both the

City of Wollongong The City of Wollongong is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated adjacent to the Tasman Sea, the Princes Motorway and the Illawarra railway line. Locate ...

in the north and the City of Shellharbour in the south).

Greater Sydney Districts

The Greater Sydney Region Plan defines the five districts that form the Greater Sydney metropolitan area as follows:

Sydney Greater Capital City Statistical Area

The Sydney Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA) is the definition of Greater Sydney used by the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...

(ABS). It covers the following level-four statistical areas: * Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury * Blacktown * Central Coast * City and Inner South * Eastern Suburbs * Inner South West * Inner West * Northern Beaches * North Sydney and Hornsby * Outer South West * Outer West and Blue Mountains * Parramatta * Ryde * South West * Sutherland Therefore, the Sydney GCCSA covers all of Sydney in addition to the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, the Hawkesbury and Macarthur. However, it does not include the Illawarra.

Gallery

Map of Greater Sydney Regions and Suburbs.jpg, Greater Sydney Regions and Suburbs Greater Sydney 2.png Greater Sydney wards, 2024.svg

History

Definitions

Greater Sydney Districts

Sydney Greater Capital City Statistical Area

Gallery

References

Bibliography

External Links