The 1885 New South Wales colonial election was for 122 members representing 72 electoral districts. The election was conducted on the basis of a simple majority or first-past-the-post voting system. In this election there were 35 multi-member districts returning 85 members and 37 single member districts giving a total of 122 members. In the multi-member districts each elector could vote for as many candidates as there were vacancies. 7 districts were uncontested. There was no recognisable party structure at this election. The average number of enrolled voters per seat was 1,831, ranging from East Maitland (1,018) to Canterbury (2,630).