Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The name New South Wales traces back to a British prince, a navigator, and a botanist with a flair for branding.
In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook claimed Australia's east coast for Britain. He initially named it "New Wales", struck by a resemblance to the coastline of South Wales (the southern region of Wales, UK). Cook, a Yorkshireman, knew the Welsh coast well from his naval service.
By 1802, Sir Joseph Banks—the famed botanist who'd accompanied Cook on the Endeavour voyage and later became President of the Royal Society—proposed a refinement. "New Wales" could confuse with the original Wales. He suggested "New South Wales" to clarify the geographic parallel: new southern land, like South Wales in Britain.
The title "Prince of Wales" at the time belonged to Henry Frederick (1762–1830), eldest son of King George III. He became Prince Regent in 1811 and King George IV in 1820. While the colony wasn't named for him directly, the "Wales" in its name echoes the heir's title—a subtle nod to the Crown.
What began as Cook's coastal notation became the official name of the penal colony established at Sydney Cove in 1788. Today, New South Wales is Australia's most populous state, its name a layered artifact of 18th-century exploration, Welsh geography, and imperial patronage.