1820 to 1900

The NSW Legislative Council (Australia's first Legislative body) first met in 1824.

In 1825, the colony of Van Diemen's Land (the present Australian State of Tasmania) was separated from the colony of NSW.

Transportation of convict from Britain to NSW effectively ended in 1840. By 1842, there were 130,000 Europeans living in NSW and convicts accounted for around 30% of that population. Free immigration from Britain was increasing.

When the first elected Legislative Council met in 1843, the NSW Governor still had more power than the Council.

When the  colony of Victoria separated from the colony of NSW in 1850, the NSW coast had acquired its present boundary to the south. The few thousand convicts left in NSW represented less than 2% of the population of 187,000. The first Australian railway was under construction in Sydney.

The discovery of gold in 1851 led to a massive increase in population. Labour shortages in the cities led to high wages. Cities grew in a housing boom.

By 1856, the colony of NSW achieved responsible self government. The NSW government was expected to legislate on issued such as railways, public water supplies, postal services and customs duties.

In 1859, when the northern part of the colony of NSW became the separate colony of Queensland,  the NSW coast had acquired its present north and south boundaries. The population of NSW was 348,000.

As Sydney Harbour became more polluted, the natural rock pools on Sydney's ocean shores offered appealing bathing places, protected from waves and sharks and the undertow.

By the 1880s the sewage systems designed to safeguard the public health of the growing Sydney population and reduce pollution in Sydney harbour had an ocean outfall at Bondi.

The NSW Public Instruction Act made education compulsory for all children aged six to 14.

The beaches of NSW had already become popular tourist destinations. In Sydney, Manly, Bondi and Coogee attracted large numbers of tourists from the 1870s. Tourism was developing at other coastal ports like Newcastle, Wollongong and Kiama. Ocean, bay and harbour baths added to the pleasures of holiday-makers and residents.

There was little surf bathing during daylight hours. Many coastal municipalities banned bathing in public view from the ocean beach during daylight hours. Newcastle, unlike most other coastal settlements, supported daylight surf bathing.

Swimming had become both popular and competitive by the 1890s.

NSW and the other Australian colonies were discussing federation to form a single nation.

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