Forbes, New South Wales — interactive Google street map, satellite and terrain views, Street View, live local weather conditions and 7-day forecasts, real-time local and world news, and an editorial description of Forbes, in the Forbes Shire Council local government area.
| Locality | Forbes |
| State | New South Wales (NSW) |
| Local Government Area | Forbes Shire Council |
| Country | Australia |
| Timezone | Australian Eastern Time (AEST/AEDT) |
| Remoteness | Outer Regional Australia |
| Latitude | -33.38992 |
| Longitude | 148.00034 |
| Population | 8,481 |
| Density | 8.7 /km² |
| Area | 980.4 km² |
| Elevation | 243 m |
| Postcode | 2871 |
| Area Code | 02 |
| Distance to Sydney | 302 km west |
Forbes is a locality in the Forbes Shire Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It has a population of approximately 8,481. The locality covers an area of 980.4 km², giving a population density of about 8.7 people per km². It sits at an elevation of around 243 m above sea level. It lies approximately 302 km west of Sydney. Forbes is located at 33.3899°S, 148.0003°E. It observes Australian Eastern Time (AEST/AEDT). Postcode: 2871. The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies the area as Outer Regional Australia.
Forbes rests by the Lachlan River, a broad, patient waterway that lends a certain grace to the surrounding plains. It lies 101.8 km west of Orange, NSW (from Orange, NSW: bearing 261°T), and is situated 39.5 km south-west of Parkes. The land here is a muted palette of ochre and pale green, stretching towards horizons that soften in the haze of distance, broken only by the occasional cluster of hardy eucalypts or the sturdy silhouette of a distant farmhouse. The air, especially in the early morning, carries a clean, dry scent, a promise of the day's heat to come, and the light, when it catches the river's surface, can shimmer with an almost liquid gold. This is country where the sky feels vast and the earth is solid beneath your feet, where the everyday unfolds with a quiet, deliberate cadence.
Forbes has long been a hub for this fertile stretch of New South Wales, its fortunes intrinsically tied to the agricultural bounty of the region. For generations, sheep and cattle have grazed these pastures, their wool and meat forming the backbone of the local economy, a tradition that continues to shape the character of Forbes. The river itself has been a lifeline, not just for irrigation, but for transport and sustenance since the earliest days of settlement. Evidence of this enduring connection to the land can be seen in the sturdy, practical architecture of the town and the unpretentious pride of its residents, who understand the deep, quiet strength of this place.
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This page provides an interactive Google map of Forbes, New South Wales with street, satellite and terrain views and integrated Street View imagery. Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorially written description provides background on Forbes, in the Forbes Shire Council local government area.
Detailed location data for Forbes includes the postcode (2871), telephone area code (02), and local government area (Forbes Shire Council), with an ABS remoteness classification of Outer Regional Australia. These are among the most commonly searched location details for any Australian city, town or locality.
Location data is drawn from Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020) and enriched with GeoNames and Australian Bureau of Statistics data, matched by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Forbes is identified even where the name is shared across multiple localities.
| Page generated | June 2026 |
| Location data | Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020); enriched with GeoNames and ABS 2021 Census data, matched by coordinate proximity |
| Description | Editorial description generated with AI assistance from verified Geoscape, ABS and GeoNames location data. |