PORT STEPHENS COUNCIL

{{Infobox Australian Place | type = lga
| name = Port Stephens Council
| state = nsw
| image = Port stephens LGA NSW.png
| caption = Location in New South Wales
| pop = 60,484^[1]
| area = 979^[2]
| est =
| timezone = AEST
| utc = +10
| timezone-dst = AEDT
| utc-dst = +11
| coordinates =
| seat = Raymond Terrace (116 Adelaide St}
| mayor = Ron Swan Port Stephens Council ^[3]
| region = Hunter
| logo = Portstephens-logo.jpg
| url = http://www.portstephens.nsw.gov.au
| stategov = Port Stephens, Maitland
| fedgov = Paterson, Newcastle (from 2007)
| near-nw = Dungog
| near-n = Dungog, Great Lakes
| near-ne = Great Lakes
| near-w = Maitland
| near-e = Tasman Sea
| near-sw = Maitland
| near-s = Newcastle
| near-se = Tasman Sea
}}
'Port Stephens Council' is a Local Government Area (LGA) in the Hunter Region of Australia, located just north of Newcastle in New South Wales. It is bisected by the Pacific Highway which runs through Raymond Terrace, the largest town and Council seat. The LGA is named after Port Stephens, which is the major geographical feature of the area.

Contents

Main towns and villages

Demographics

Incomes

Sister cities

References

External links

Main towns and villages

Most of the population is concentrated in Raymond Terrace and its satellite suburb of Heatherbrae or around or near the shores of Port Stephens in the suburbs of Anna Bay, Boat Harbour, Corlette, Fingal Bay, Fishermans Bay, Karuah, Lemon Tree Passage, Mallabula, Nelson Bay, One Mile, Oyster Cove, Salamander Bay, Shoal Bay, Soldiers Point, Swan Bay, Tanilba Bay and Taylors Beach. However, another significant portion of the population lives in a large rural/semi-rural area to the west of the Pacific Highway in the towns and suburbs of Balickera, Butterwick, Duns Creek, Eagleton, East Seaham, Glen Oak, Hinton, Nelsons Plains, Osterley, Seaham, Wallalong and Woodville and in the predominantly residential estate of Brandy Hill.
In the southern part of the LGA are the rural communities of Bobs Farm, Fern Bay, Fullerton Cove, Salt Ash, Tomago and Williamtown. Tomago supports both rural and industrial communities while Williamtown is the location for a Royal Australian Air Force base that shares its airfield with Newcastle Airport.
At the northern end of the LGA are Karuah and Twelve Mile Creek. Located adjacent to Port Stephens and straddling the Karuah River, Karuah is predominantly residential. It is the location of the largest Aboriginal community in the LGA. Twelve Mile Creek is almost exclusively rural.
Centrally located in the LGA, between Raymond Terrace and Port Stephens are Campvale, Ferodale and Medowie. Ferodale is dominated by Grahamstown Dam, a man-made dam with a capacity of 131,800 megalitres that is a major source of fresh water in the region.^[4] The remainder of this area is a mix of rural, semi-rural and residential developments.
A map of the the various towns, suburbs and localities within the Port Stephens LGA is available from the Port Stephens Council website.

Demographics

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics ^[5], there:
- were 63,650 people as at 30 June 2006, the 35th largest Local Government Area in New South Wales. It was equal to 0.9% of the New South Wales population of 6,827,694
- was an increase of 365 people over the year to 30 June 2006, the 47th largest population growth in a Local Government Area in New South Wales. It was equal to 0.6% of the 58,753 increase in the population of New South Wales
- was, in percentage terms, an increase of 0.6% in the number of people over the year to 30 June 2006, the 90th fastest growth in population of a Local Government Area in New South Wales. In New South Wales the population grew by 0.9%
- was an increase in population over the 10 years to 30 June 2006 of 11,369 people or 22% (2.0% in annual average terms), the 14th highest rate of a Local Government Area in New South Wales. In New South Wales the population grew by 622,966 or 10% (1.0% in annual average terms) over the same period.

Incomes

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics ^[6] during 2003-04, there:
- were 21,149 wage and salary earners (ranked 42nd in New South Wales and 113rd in Australia, 0.8% of New South Wales's 2,558,415 and 0.3% of Australia's 7,831,856)
- was a total income of $757,559,870 (around $758 million) (ranked 45th in New South Wales and 117th in Australia, 0.7% of New South Wales's $107,179,688,262 (around $107 billion) and 0.2% of Australia's $304,034,755,876 (around $304 billion))
- was an estimated 'average' income per wage and salary earner of $35,820 (ranked 66th in New South Wales and 208th in Australia, 87% of New South Wales's $41,407 and 92% of Australia's $38,820)
- was an estimated 'median' income per wage and salary earner of $32,473 (ranked 69th in New South Wales and 233rd in Australia, 92% of New South Wales's $35,479 and 95% of Australia's $34,149).

Sister cities

Port Stephens has sister city relationships with the following cities:

★ Bellingham, Washington, USA^[7][8]

★ Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan

★ Tateyama, Chiba, Japan

★ Yugawara, Kanagawa, Japan

References

1. 2006 Census QuickStats : Port Stephens (A) (Local Government Area)
2. About Port Stephens
3. Port Stephens Council: Council: Councillors
4. Grahamstown Dam and The Williams River Catchment Area
5. Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2005-06 (catalogue no.: 3218.0)
6. Regional Wage and Salary Earner Statistics, Australia (catalogue no.: 5673.055.003)
7.
8.

External links

★ Port Stephens Wards & Localities map

★ Hunter Region Botanic Gardens