Sydney is the capital of the state of New South Wales in southeastern Australia. It was founded as a penal colony and named for the contemporary British Home Secretary, Viscount Sydney. Around the turn of the nineteenth century, it was one of the sites of the Australian Frontier Wars between indigenous people and colonial settlers. In 1804, it was the site of the Castle Hill Rebellion of Irish convicts. It became Australia’s first city in 1842. Today, Sydney is recognizable for its distinct opera house and the Sydney Harbor Bridge.