Forster is a coastal town in the

Mid North Coast The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolg ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, in the Mid-Coast Council LGA, about 308 km north-north-east of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. It is immediately adjacent to its twin,

Tuncurry Tuncurry is a coastal town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Coast Council LGA, about north north east of Sydney. It is immediately adjacent to its twin town of Forster, which is the larger of the two t ...

, which is the smaller of the two towns. Forster is known for its stunning waters and Manning Valley beauty.

History

Forster is named after William Forster, who also was the 4th Premier of New South Wales and who later served as Agent-General in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The first

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

in Forster opened on 1 October 1872, with John Wyllie Breckenridge as postmaster at a salary of £10 a year. The area was well known in the early days for its timber cutting and sawmills. Timber was collected from the lakes and rivers by the logpunts (droghers). A bridge over the

Coolongolook River Coolongolook River, a Perennial stream, watercourse of the Mid-Coast Council system, is located in the Mid North Coast district of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Coolongolook River rises on the northern slopes below Mount Chapm ...

that marks the entrance to

Wallis Lake Wallis Lake, an open and trained wave dominated barrier estuary, is located within the Mid-Coast Council local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Wallis Lake is located adjacent to the towns of Forster ...

was built in 1959 linking Forster and Tuncurry and replacing the punt service that had operated since 1890.

Demographics

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 13,740 people in Forster. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.8% of the population. * 82.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 3.4% and New Zealand 1.1%. * 89.8% of people spoke only English at home. * The most common responses for religion were Anglican 28.4%, No Religion 23.4% and Catholic 22.3%.

Tourism

Because of its close proximity to Sydney, just under 4 hours drive, Forster-Tuncurry has established itself as a popular summer holiday destination; in the hotter months the population increases considerably. Due to this most of its shops and restaurants work on seasonal income, with some opening in the summer months exclusively. The school holidays in the colder months also bring a considerable number of holidaymakers. Forster-Tuncurry is predominantly a family holiday location with large lakes and white sandy beaches. Notable nearby attractions the Bicentennial Trail,

Cape Hawke Cape Hawke () is a coastal headland in Australia on the New South Wales coast, just south of Forster/ Tuncurry and within the Booti Booti National Park. The cape was named by Captain Cook when he passed it on his ''Endeavour'' voyage on 12 May ...

, and Booti Booti National Park. The most popular beaches are Forster Main Beach, Burgess Beach, and One Mile Beach, serviced by Forster and Cape Hawke

Surf Lifesaving Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, inc ...

Clubs respectively. One Mile Beach, Pebbly Beach and Tuncurry Beach are popular with local surfers. Forster's ocean pool and the Tuncurry rock pool are very popular destinations for those with families.

Climate

Forster experiences a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen: ''Cfa'', Trewartha: ''Cfal/Cfbl''); with hot summers and mild winters; and with a moderately high precipitation amount of 1,218.7 millimetres (47.99 in). The highest temperature recorded at Forster was 43.0 °C (109.4 °F) on 1 December 2004; the lowest recorded was 1.0 °C (23.9 °F) on 29 May 2019. On average, it has 124.5 clear days annually.

Clubs

Forster has a range of sporting clubs in the area. * Forster Bodyboarding Club * Cape Hawke Surf Club * Pacific Palms Surf Life Saving Club * Black Head Surf Life Saving Club * Forster-Tuncurry Hawks Rugby League Club * Great Lakes United Football Club

Notable people

Courtney Houssos Courtney Houssos is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since the 2015 state election. She is currently Minister for Finance and Natural Resources in the Minns government. Houssos ...

– New South Wales politician *

Jamal Idris Jamal Dasuki Idris is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. Idris was a junior athletics record holder and played in representative teams such as: Country, the indigenous nrl all stars New South Wales and Australia . A , he ...

– former rugby league player *

Ben Jeffries Ben Jeffries (born 4 September 1980) is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the North Queensland Cowboys NRL Women's Premiership team, the PNG Orchids and the Indigenous Women's All Stars. ...

– former rugby league player *

Adam Pearce Adam John Pearce (born June 24, 1978) is an American professional wrestling executive and former professional wrestler. He is currently employed by WWE as Director of Live Events, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#agent, producer, trainer, ...

– football player * Scott Hill – rugby league player *

Luke Ricketson Luke Ricketson (born 5 February 1973) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian and Ireland international, and New South Wales State of Origin representative back-row forward, ...

– former rugby league player was born in Forster before moving to Sydney as a young child *

Jack River (musician) Holly Isabella Rankin (born 19 December 1991), who performs as Jack River, is an Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Her debut album, '' Sugar Mountain'' (22 June 2018), peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums C ...

References

External links

Forster-Tuncurry Visitor Guide – www.Forster.com.au
{{authority control Towns in the Hunter Region Suburbs of Mid-Coast Council Fishing communities in Australia Coastal towns in New South Wales Seaside resorts in Australia