New England is a geographical region in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia, about 60 km (37 mi) inland from the Tasman Sea.

[3] Hamilton Collins Sempill was the first settler in the New England area when he took up the 'Wolka' run in 1832, establishing slab huts where 'Langford' now stands close to Walcha.

During the 1830s further squatters moved their sheep flocks onto the Northern Tablelands as they had been displaced by the Australian Agricultural Company, which dominated resources in the Hunter Valley.

[4] Australian red cedar (Toona ciliata) cutters moved into the headwaters of the Macleay River in the early 1830s to harvest the valuable trees.

[5] Work commenced in 1838 with the use of convicts to build a road, then known as Major's Line, across the Great Dividing Range to link the wool-growing settlement of Walcha with Port Macquarie.

On 22 May 1839 the New England District was gazetted thus: New England District: Bounded on the east by a line north by compass from the top of Werrikimber Mountain which is at the head of the Hastings River; on the south by a line west by compass from the top of Werrikimber Mountain to the Great Dividing Range; on the west by the western extreme of the Great Dividing Range so as to include the Tableland and on the north the boundary is indefinite.

In the late 19th century several gold and antimony mines were established at places such as Halls Peak and Hillgrove, as well as two ambitious hydro-electric schemes to power them, the remains of which can be seen today along the Styx River and at Gara Gorge.

The discovery of the Torrington Tin Lode was made in 1881 but the small prospectors soon lost control to overseas mining companies.

[3] Mining had a major influence on the rise and fall of other towns and villages such as, Bingara, Bear Hill, Elsmore, Emmaville, Metz, Nundle, Stannifer, Tingha and Torrington.

These boundaries also vary according to the units responsible for services, including county councils, local government areas, electorates and the Livestock Health and Pest Authority (formerly the Pastures Protection Boards) etc.

[17] New England's major settlements are Tenterfield, Inverell, Glen Innes, Moree, Armidale, Narrabri, Tamworth, Gunnedah, Quirindi and Wee Waa.

This definition of "New England" includes the towns and districts of Tenterfield, Glen Innes, Guyra, Inverell, Armidale and Walcha.

Towns and districts such as Moree, Narrabri, Gunnedah, the city of Tamworth and Quirindi, are included in the New England region according to this basis.

Smaller towns include, Manilla, Barraba, Bingara, Boggabri, Mungindi, Wee Waa and Werris Creek.

Other major towns and districts of New England include Narrabri, Moree, Glen Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield, Gunnedah and Walcha.

Police stations in New England Local Area Command (LAC) are Armidale, Ashford, Bundarra, Deepwater, Delungra, Emmaville, Glen Innes, Guyra, Inverell, Tenterfield, Tingha, Uralla and Yetman.

These gorges fragment the eastern side of the plateau, which in some areas such as New England National Park and Point Lookout are quite close to the coast.

[3] The hilltops of the Great Dividing Range are basalt from north of Uralla to Glen Innes, and the eastern slopes are the lighter "trap" soils.

Common birds are: cockatoos, currawongs, magpies, crows, wild ducks, galahs, parrots, kookaburras, ravens, rosellas and emus (on the western slopes).

Endangered species that may be seen include the brush-tailed rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) which may be spotted in isolated sections of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

[31] Werrikimbe National Park is the home of the rare (native) Hastings River mouse which was considered to be extinct until it was re-discovered in 1981.

Antimony, coal, gold, sapphires and tin have been the most important economic commodities mined in the New England region.

There are numerous other business activities across the region ranging from small enterprises to large multi-national corporations that are producing goods for domestic and international markets.

Thunderbolts Way from Gloucester provides the shortest route from Sydney to the New England and continues through Walcha, Uralla and Bundarra to Inverell.

On Western Slopes the Kamilaroi Highway runs in a north-western direction for 620 km, from Willow Tree passing through Quirindi, Gunnedah, Narrabri and Wee Waa until it reaches Bourke.

Fossickers Way is a tourist route that runs from Nundle to Warialda in the north and then east to Inverell and Glen Innes passing through some rich gem areas.

The New England Institute of TAFE has campuses in Tamworth, Armidale, Boggabilla, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Inverell, Moree, Narrabri, Quirindi and Tenterfield.

On 25 August 2000, the New England North West Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service (WRHS) commenced operation after four years of fundraising and planning.

[38] National parks including World Heritage listed areas that form part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves (CERRA), gorge country and wild rivers on the rugged eastern fringe of the region include: New England has been the home of Australia's most persistent attempt to form a new state within the Australian commonwealth.