}}The COLONY'''Colony OFof NEWNew SOUTHSouth WALESwasWales''' was a [[colony]] of the [[British Empire]] from 1788 to 1901, when it became a [[State of Australia|State]] of the [[Commonwealth of Australia]]. At its greatest extent, the colony of New South Wales included the present-day Australian states of [[New South Wales]], [[Colony of Queensland|Queensland]], [[Victoria (Australia)#Colonial Victoria|Victoria]], [[Colony of Tasmania|Tasmania]], and [[History of South Australia#The Proclamation of South Australia (1836)|South Australia]], the [[Northern Territory]] as well as [[Colony of New Zealand|New Zealand]]. The first [[Responsible government|"responsible"]] self-government of New South Wales was formed on 6 June 1856 with [[Stuart Donaldson|Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson]] appointed by Governor [[William Denison|Sir William Denison]] as its first [[Chief Secretary (British Empire)|Colonial Secretary]].<ref>Government Gazette June 1856</ref>
