About Port Stephens
About Port Stephens
The Port Stephens Council area is located in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, about 200 kilometres north of Sydney. The Port Stephens Council area is bounded by Dungog Shire and the Great Lakes Council area in the north, the Tasman Sea in the east and south-east, the City of Newcastle in the south-west and Maitland City in the west. The Port Stephens electorate includes the towns and localities of Anna Bay, Ash Island, Boat Harbour, Bobs Farm, Bundabah, Campvale, Carrington, Corlette, Fern Bay, Ferodale, Fingal Bay, Fishermans Bay, Fullerton Cove, Hawks Nest, Heatherbrae, Hexham, Karuah, Kooragang, Lemon Tree Passage, Mallabula, Mayfield, Mayfield West, Medowie, Motto Farm, Mungo Brush, Nelson Bay, Nerong, North Arm Cove, One Mile, Oyster Cove, Pindimar, R.A.A.F. Williamtown, Raymond Terrace, Salamander Bay, Salt Ash, Sandgate, Shoal Bay, Soldiers Point, Swan Bay, Tahlee, Tanilba Bay, Taylors Beach, Tea Gardens, Tomago, Twelve Mile Creek, Warabrook, Williamtown.
The Port Stephens electorate is named after Sir Phillip Stephens, Secretary of the British Admiralty. The Port Stephens electorate is predominantly rural, with expanding urban areas and some industrial, military and commercial land uses. The Council area encompasses a total land area of over 800 square kilometres, of which a significant proportion is National Park, State Forest and nature reserves. The main industries are tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, fishing and oyster farming. The original inhabitants of the Port Stephens area were the Worimi Aboriginal people. European settlement dates from 1812 when cedar getters arrived and farms were established, including the Australian Agricultural Company sheep farms. Gradual growth took place from the 1820s to the 1860s, aided by agricultural activity sending imports and export through Port Stephens by ship. Growth continued in the late 1800s and early 1900s, aided by timber getting, ship building, fishing and oyster industries and the subdivision of many farms. The most significant development occurred in the post-war years. The population of the electorate has grown to over 45,000 electors. Most of this growth was in the Tomaree Peninsula area.
Major features of the electorate include Tomaree National Park, the Hunter River, Newcastle Airport, Williamtown RAAF Base, RAAF Williamtown Fighter World, Raymond Terrace CBD, Salamander Shopping Centre, Mayfield & Warabrook shopping precincts, Myall Shores Shopping Centre, Hunter Institute of TAFE (Tomaree Campus), Horizons Golf Resort & Golf Course, Nelson Bay Golf Course, Tomaree Sports Complex, Gan Gan Army Camp, Oakvale Farm & Fauna World, Mambo Wetlands Reserve, Tilligerry Nature Reserve, Wallaroo Nature Reserve, Fly Point-Halifax Point Aquatic Reserve and various beaches.