The Northern Rivers region is situated in the far north-easterly corner of NSW Australia, encompassing the Tweed Valley and coastal towns of Byron Bay and Ballina in the North, Yamba, Maclean and Grafton in the south and inland to the business and rural townships of Lismore, Casino and Kyogle. It has three major river systems that flow through the region – the Tweed River, the Richmond River and the Clarence River.

The Region’s economic beginnings lie in the timber trade. Over time, development has seen expansion into agriculture and tourism, which has led to growth in population and business services.

Business income in the Northern Rivers is concentrated in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Construction, Financial and Insurance Services, Manufacturing and Retail Trade. Together, these sectors make up more than half of the Northern Rivers’ business income.

The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour and the coastal town of Kiama.

The Northern Rivers region is situated in the far north-easterly corner of NSW Australia, encompassing the Tweed Valley and coastal towns of Byron Bay and Ballina in the North, Yamba, Maclean and Grafton in the south and inland to the business and rural townships of Lismore, Casino and Kyogle. It has three major river systems that flow through the region – the Tweed River, the Richmond River and the Clarence River.

The Region’s economic beginnings lie in the timber trade. Over time, development has seen expansion into agriculture and tourism, which has led to growth in population and business services.

Business income in the Northern Rivers is concentrated in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Construction, Financial and Insurance Services, Manufacturing and Retail Trade. Together, these sectors make up more than half of the Northern Rivers’ business income.

The Riverina stretches from the foothills of the Snowy Mountains in the east through to the plains of Hay and Carrathool in the west. The Murrumbidgee River flows through the region, providing water to the irrigation areas around Griffith and Leeton. The regional city of Wagga Wagga is positioned on the main Sydney-Melbourne railway line, equally close to both state capitals.

The Riverina region occupies a large southern segment of the Murray Darling Basin. This system of rivers drains 15% of the Australian continent. It covers parts of the states of Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The Basin is characterised generally by low rainfall, light soils, hot summers and cool winters, with long sunlight hours. Where irrigation water can be delivered the soils and long sunlight hours ensure fast and luxuriant growth of crops.

The Riverina region enjoys unique advantages because of the combination of varied soil types and land forms, together with a warm climate, and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This has helped create an economy based on agricultural production, food and beverage manufacturing, and wood processing.

Manufacturing, Agriculture Forestry & Fishing are the two key drivers of the Riverina’s economy.

The Far West Region of NSW encompasses the semi-arid lands of western NSW and is known for the Barrier Ranges, and the Darling River which flows through western NSW.

The Far West embodies the dream of the Great Australian Outback with wide open spaces, untouched natural beauty, spectacular National Parks, red desert and rolling sand dunes, the mighty Darling River, rich Indigenous culture and history and an abundance of wildlife.

The region was first settled in the 1840’s with Broken Hill founded in 1883 following the discovery of silver and lead deposits and the formation of BHP. The far west region has historically been the mineral powerhouse of the State. It also contains some of the State’s most flourishing agricultural enterprises and large stretches of the world-famous outback.

There is a strong mining industry, historically centred in Broken Hill, with significant new prospects for expansion within the region. The far west has a strong economy based on mining, agriculture, film, the arts and tourism. The Far West is rich in promise, boasting mineral wealth and climatic conditions that give this region a unique competitive advantage in many industry sectors.

The region comprises of 2 Local Government areas, Broken Hill City and Central Darling Shire.

The Central West region of New South Wales is renowned for its food and wine and excellent agricultural produce. It covers an area of 63,000 square kilometres starting at the temperate, elevated Central Tablelands on the western side of the Blue Mountains and extends almost 500km to the semi-arid Central West plains.

The region is home to over 181,000 people within the 11 council areas of Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan, Lithgow, Oberon, Orange, Parkes and Weddin.

Unique in its diversity of economy, the Central West Region of NSW is rich in natural resources with agriculture, mining and tourism significant drivers of jobs and opportunities. Increasingly, health and education have taken on a significant role in the region’s economy.

The agriculture and mining industry output is underpinned by abundant natural resources within rich soil and mineral deposits. Additionally, varied topography and climatic conditions across the region provide various opportunities ranging from forestry, cool climate produce, dairy, sheep and beef livestock, as well as a variety of irrigation and broad acre crops.

Food manufacturing in the Northern Rivers is a $400 million ‘value add’ industry with regional exports exceeding $1.1 billion. It is the only industry in the region where local expenditure exceeds regional imports.

The region benefits from the rural co-operatives business structure with co-operative businesses NORCO and Northern Co-operative Meat Company, making significant ground in establishing trade arrangements in Asia. The success was a key driver for the Australian Government funded pilot project, Farming Together being located in the region.

More recently, newcomers to the region have brought entrepreneurial innovation and sustainability to the local food manufacturing industry. Sustainability and community are key to our local boutique food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Local attractions include Mutawintji National Park which is home to 30,000-year-old Indigenous rock carvings, unique White Cliffs underground opal mines, the historical ghost town of Silverton and an eclectic collection of galleries and current and past artists including ‘Brushmen of the Bush’, Pro Hart, Eric Minchin, Jack Absalom, John Pickup and Hugh Shulz.

The arid landscape of the NSW Far West supports a brilliant array of native species and contains 30,000-year-old Indigenous rock carvings.

The Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum, also known as the GeoCentre, represents the extensive mineral history of Broken Hill. This geological science museum boasts a 42kg silver nugget as well as a large mineral collection, and it is home to the Silver Tree.

Visit the Living Desert Sculptures, a stunning collection of 12 giant sandstone sculptures 9km north of Broken Hill in the Living Desert State Park. Created by 12 international artists as homage to the magnificent desert landscape, the sandstone changes colour with the light, glowing vividly at sunset.

Drop in to The Original Silverton Hotel – the filming location for a number of popular movies including Razorback, Mission Impossible II and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Movie buffs can also explore the Mad Max Museum, Australia's first and only museum dedicated to Mad Max 2.

The Illawarra is overlooked from the spectacular lookouts at the top of the Eastern Escarpment as you approach Wollongong, driving south from Sydney. It is this juxtaposition of mountain and beach that gives the whole south coast region its special character and nowhere is this environment better illustrated than here in the Illawarra, where the escarpment actually meets the sea.

With a thriving arts and cultural scene and more artists per capita than any other city in Australia, Newcastle’s makers, traders, creators, artists, designers and producers contribute to a billion-dollar industry in the Hunter Region alone – the significance of which is not lost on the City of Newcastle’s COVID-19 City Taskforce.

The Hunter features coastal and valley landscapes, internationally renowned wine production, important natural areas, both urban and rural lifestyles and extensive mining resources. Together with its global companies, these features make the Hunter an attractive place to work, live and play.

The region is also home to a multi-million dollar thoroughbred horse breeding industry, world-class wineries and national parks, and its river estuaries are the largest oyster producers in the state.

The NSW Minerals Council’s latest annual Member Expenditure Survey has found that in the last financial year 28 participating NSW mining companies supported thousands of mining jobs and maintained high levels of direct spending in the Hunter during the Covid-19 pandemic, boosting the region’s economy at a time when it was most needed.

With over 400km of pristine coastline as well as vast national and state parks, the NSW south coast is the third most visited region in NSW, attracting 4.9 million visitors (excluding figures for Jervis Bay).

This equates to 12.3% of total visits made within NSW making the Far South Coast one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations. This annual visitation is a balanced division between day-trippers and overnight visitors.

Over 70,000 international visitors travel to the Far South Coast region each year.

Much of the RDA Murray Regions’ economy is driven by agriculture, timber production, viticulture, horticulture, health care, retail, manufacturing, construction and tourism.

Of critical importance to the RDA Murray Region is water availability. The Region is situated on the Murray River and is reliant on the river system for its contribution to production, tourism and liveability.

The Australian nut industry is experiencing its largest expansion in a decade with the farm gate value expected to rise from $1billion in 2018 to $1.7 by 2025. Permanent nut tree infrastructure (including irrigation) and plantings are expanding significantly in the Murray Region

The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens 160 km north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolga, 562 km north of Sydney, a distance of roughly 400 km. It also includes the World Heritage Area of Lord Howe Island, about 600km east of Port Macquarie.

The Mid North Coast lies between the Great Divide and the east coast. The landscape is typified by winding rivers that feed lush hinterland, and over one hundred kilometres of pristine beaches. It benefits from a high rainfall and is considered by many to have the most ideal climate in Australia. Taree, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie.

Over the last twenty years the NSW Mid North Coast Region has evolved from a coastal retirement and tourist destination with a significant agricultural base - forestry, fishing and farming to a region with a diversified service- based economy.

The Central Coast is a region of New South Wales, Australia, lying on the Pacific Ocean north of Sydney. Towns like Terrigal and Avoca Beach feature expansive beaches and surfing. The Entrance is a resort area offering a range of recreation at the confluence of the ocean and Tuggerah Lake, a saltwater wetland. The city of Gosford is the main commercial hub and visitor gateway.

As a region, we have economic opportunities in front of us – the digital revolution, emerging local industries, smart technologies, a growing innovation eco-system, and a desirable growing visitor economy.

The dairy industry is moving towards a more intensive system of production, with efficiencies in establishing ‘dairy pads’ as well as the more traditional fodder-based dairies.

In the region, beef farming is undertaken on a smaller scale that other regions across NSW due to the smaller size of properties. It operates as part of a mixed farming system with cropping or hay production, enabling feed to be stored on farm for drier periods or sold. The nursery industry relies on many of the similar secondary industries as the other agricultural industries in the region.

Wheat, oats and maize grown in the Shoalhaven provide feed for dairy cattle in the region. Lucerne, pasture and cereal hay grown in the Shoalhaven provide feed for cattle and Lucerne hay for the equine industry. The Bega Cheese processing plant is the main milk processor in the South East and Tablelands Region. The plant employs over 500 staff in the Bega Valley.

The south coast’s oysters, mussels and scallops enjoy an international reputation as
being safe, sustainable and high quality. Aquaculture provides regional employment, tourism opportunities, food security and a reliable supply of quality fresh seafood for locals and international diners alike.

In the Northern Rivers, agribusiness is a major driver of our local economy. The sub-tropic climate and rich soils of our region provide ideal conditions for a broad variety of agriculture.

Well established agricultural industries in the region include beef, sugar cane, bananas, vegetables and dairy. More recently blueberries and macadamias have been our fastest growing industries. Increasing demand from Asia and other international markets has seen rapid growth for these products. The industry has responded to this by investing in research and development for more resilient and higher yielding varieties.

There is significant agricultural activity across the Region. Kyogle and Casino are the primary hubs, focused on cattle, milk and poultry (inland) and cane growing around Evans Head.

The Ballina and Lismore regions have similar strengths in macadamia and sugar cane production, as well as distinctions (nurseries in Ballina; milk, cattle and poultry production in Lismore). While not as great as elsewhere, Byron Shire still produces significant macadamia, nursery, cattle and milk output. Cattle, macadamias, poultry and milk are the Northern Rivers’ leading commodities.
The Northern Rivers provides opportunities for agribusiness research collaboration with Southern Cross University. The Australian Government has a number of programs to support research and development.

New industries currently investing in new technologies in the region include a multi-million dollar medicinal cannabis plant that will potentially generate up to $1 billion in revenue and create 300 new jobs in the region. This facility will utilise state of the art Ag-technology, with ongoing research and development a key focus of the plant.

The Northern Rivers has the highest number of creative practitioners and businesses outside our capital cities with the greatest concentration of these located in Lismore. This rich and diverse cultural profile places Lismore at the heart of the region's creative industries.

Via online artist portfolios, Northern Rivers Creative combats geographical, socio-economic and cultural barriers inhibiting emerging and established creatives from accessing national and international audiences. The resource will provide artistic excellence to potential markets while offering viable, sustainable work opportunities and professional development for our growing creative community.

Northern Rivers Creative celebrates the region’s thriving creative diversity, featuring a range of categories including creative services, visual arts, design, Indigenous arts, literature, music, performance and screen.

The Riverina stretches from the foothills of the Snowy Mountains in the east through to the plains of Hay and Carrathool in the west. The Murrumbidgee River flows through the region, providing water to the irrigation areas around Griffith and Leeton. The regional city of Wagga Wagga is positioned on the main Sydney-Melbourne railway line, equally close to both state capitals.

The Riverina region occupies a large southern segment of the Murray Darling Basin. This system of rivers drains 15% of the Australian continent. It covers parts of the states of Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The Basin is characterised generally by low rainfall, light soils, hot summers and cool winters, with long sunlight hours. Where irrigation water can be delivered the soils and long sunlight hours ensure fast and luxuriant growth of crops.

The Riverina region enjoys unique advantages because of the combination of varied soil types and land forms, together with a warm climate, and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This has helped create an economy based on agricultural production, food and beverage manufacturing, and wood processing.

Manufacturing, Agriculture Forestry & Fishing are the two key drivers of the Riverina’s economy.