Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of South western New South Wales, Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Council Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains. Located on the main route approximately midway between the large cities of Sydney and Adelaide at the junction of the Sturt, Cobb and Mid-Western Highways, Hay is an important regional and national transport node. The township itself is built beside the Murrumbidgee River, part of the Murray-Darling river system; Australia's largest. The main business district of Hay is situated on the north bank of the river.