Crown land in Australia refers to public lands without a specific tenure, such as National Parks or State Forests, which are held in the "right of the Crown" of either an individual State or the Commonwealth of Australia. Crown land is owned and managed by the state government on behalf of the people of the state. Crown lands represent approximately 34 million hectares, making up about 42% of the state of New South Wales. Crown lands comprise around 23% of Australian land, of which the largest single category is vacant land, comprising 12.5% of the land. Crown land is used for such things as airports, military grounds, public utilities, or is sometimes unallocated and reserved for future development. Crown reserves are land set aside on behalf of the community for a wide range of public purposes, including environmental and heritage protection, recreation and sport, open space, community halls, special events, and government services. Crown lands are managed by the relevant state government department, such as the NSW Department of Industry. Crown land can be sold if surplus to government requirements. When New South Wales was first colonized by the British, the British presumed that all land in the colony was owned by the British monarchy, or Crown. As the colony developed and demand for private landholding grew, land was made available for sale or lease to the public. The system of reserving Crown land developed at that time to ensure that land was also retained for public and future uses.