Hat Head is a coastal town on the mid-northern coast 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 ...

, 459 kilometres north of

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

, and in the

Hat Head National Park Hat Head is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, via M1 and Pacific Highway/ A1, northeast of Sydney. It lies within the Hastings-Macleay Important Bird Area. Within the park is the eponymous village of Hat Head, with about 320 in ...

. At the time of the 2011 census, Hat Head had a population of 326 people. Straight Street is the main street and is below sea level; however it has been many years since any flood activity invaded the village. A flood gate has effectively halted any freshwater flowing along Korogoro Creek from its source at the Swan Pool wetland, to its mouth at Hat Head. As a result, the creek suffers increasingly from sedimentation and will benefit from periodic opening of the installed floodgates during small flood events. Part of the

Kempsey Shire Kempsey Shire is a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The shire services an area of and is located on the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line. Kempsey Shire was formed on 1 October ...

, Hat Head is a semi-isolated coastal location. It is predominantly a fishing village and tourist fishing resort. Approximately 350 permanent residents live on sand-based land mass surrounded by a national park and water — little, if any, land remains for new building — and property values are as much as fourfold higher compared to the balance of Kempsey Shire. It is a much sought-after location providing unique residential conditions. Hat Head has good community facilities such as a library with internet access as part of the Nicholl Community Centre, a tiny church, tennis courts, covered children's playground, and disabled access to a beach viewing platform. Due to a lack of road access, the area only started to be developed in the first part of the 20th century. Some early photographs show building and leisure activities - see: http://www.pictureaustralia.org/apps/pictureaustralia?action=PASearch&mode=subject&complete1=true&attribute1=subject&term1=Hat+Head+%28

References

Towns in New South Wales Mid North Coast Coastal towns in New South Wales {{NewSouthWales-geo-stub