Port Stephens Council New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	32°45′S 151°55′E / 32.750°S 151.917°E / -32.750; 151.917Coordinates: 32°45′S 151°55′E / 32.750°S 151.917°E / -32.750; 151.917
Maps	Google Maps Bing Maps
Population	64,807 (2011)[1]
• Density	66.2/km² (171.5/sq mi)
Area	979 km² (378.0 sq mi)[2]
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Mayor	Bruce MacKenzie[3]
Location	168 km (104 mi) NNE of Sydney 25.8 km (16 mi) N of Newcastle 22 km (14 mi) E of Maitland
Council seat	Raymond Terrace
Region	Hunter,[4] Mid North Coast
State/territory electorate(s)	Port Stephens[5] Maitland[6]
Federal Division(s)	Paterson[7] Newcastle[8]
Website	www.portstephens.nsw.gov.au
LGAs around Port Stephens Council: Dungog Dungog, Great Lakes Great Lakes Maitland Port Stephens Council Tasman Sea Maitland Newcastle Tasman Sea

Port Stephens Council is a local government area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is just north of Newcastle and is adjacent to the Pacific Highway which runs through Raymond Terrace, the largest town and Council seat. The area is named after Port Stephens, which is the major geographical feature of the area.

The Mayor of the Port Stephens Council is Cr. Bruce MacKenzie.^[3]

Main towns and villages [edit]

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.

Although entirely geographically in the Hunter Region, Port Stephens is also considered to be part of the Mid North Coast as demonstrated by this sign, only 900 m (2,953 ft) north of the Hunter River.

In the southern part of the area 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 area 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 area. Twelve Mile Creek is almost exclusively rural.

Centrally located in the area, 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 (4,650×10^⁶ cu ft) that is a major source of fresh water in the region.^[9] The remainder of this area is a mix of rural, semi-rural and residential developments.

A map of the various towns, suburbs and localities within the Port Stephens Council area is available from the Port Stephens Council website.^[10]

Demographics [edit]

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, at 30 June 2010,^[11] there:

• were 67,825 people resident in the area, the 36th largest in New South Wales. It was equal to 0.9% of the New South Wales population of 7,232,589
• was an increase of 1,139 people over the year to 30 June 2009, the 33rd largest population growth in a Local Government Area in New South Wales. It was equal to 1.1% of the 105,421 increase in the population of New South Wales
• was, in percentage terms, an increase of 1.7% in the number of people over the year to 30 June 2009, the 32nd fastest growth in population of a Local Government Area in New South Wales. In New South Wales the population grew by 1.5%
• was an increase in population over the 10 years to 30 June 2010 of 8,860 people or 15% (1.5% in annual average terms), the 18th highest rate of a Local Government Area in New South Wales. In New South Wales the population grew by 657,372 or 10% (1.0% in annual average terms) over the same period.

Incomes [edit]

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, during 2003–04,^[12] 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).

Council [edit]

Current composition and election method [edit]

Port Stephens Council is composed of ten Councillors, including the Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is directly elected while the nine other Councillors are elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing three Councillors. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council, including the Mayor, is as follows:^[3][13]

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, is:

Climate [edit]

Port Stephens Council covers an area of 979 square kilometres (378 sq mi), stretching approximately 57 kilometres (35 mi) from east to west and approximately 30 km (19 mi) from north to south, and experiences various climatic conditions throughout the LGA.^[2][10] These are monitored by five weather stations, four of which are located at the approximate cardinal points of the area, operated by the Bureau of Meteorology. The fifth station is located on RAAF Base Williamtown. The following tables indicate average climatic data throughout the area.

Eastern

North

South-central

Western

Southern

Sister cities [edit]

Port Stephens has sister city relationships with the following cities:

City	Prefecture/State	Country	Year	Sources
Bellingham	Washington	United States	1982	[19][20][21]
Kushiro	Hokkaidō	Japan	1994	[19]
Tateyama	Chiba	Japan	2009	[19]
Yugawara	Kanagawa	Japan	1999	[19]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Port Stephens Council

• "Port Stephens Urban Settlement Strategy" (PDF). Port Stephens Council. October 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2008. ^{[dead link]}
• Hunter Region Botanic Gardens