locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
Councils
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
in the
Hunter Region
The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...
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. It is thought that the name means 'native plum tree' in the local
Aboriginal
Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to:
*Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology
* Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area
*One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
dialect.
History
In 1790, five convicts escaped from Sydney and relocated to the area. In 1795 the Karuah River was first surveyed as part of a wider survey of Port Stephens. In 1811 Governor Lachlan Macquarie decided to name the area the Clyde. By 1816 permits were issued to allow cedar cutting in the area. In 1824 the
Australian Agricultural Company
The Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) () is a public-listed Australian company that, as at 2018, owned and operated feedlots and farms covering around of land in Queensland and the Northern Territory, roughly one percent of Australia's la ...
purchased a million acres to create the township. In 1907 the name was changed from Sawyers Point to Karuah.
Geography
Karuah is split between the Port Stephens and Mid-Coast councils with most (approximately 51%) located in the Port Stephens Council area. The village of Karuah is also split between the two councils with almost all of the village located in Port Stephens Council. The
Karuah River
Karuah River, an open semi-mature tide dominated drowned valley estuary is located in the Mid North Coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
Karuah River rises on the southeastern slopes of Gloucester Tops o ...
, which runs approximately north to south through the centre of Karuah, forms the border between the two councils within the locality. Karuah is located at the north-western corner of Port Stephens into which the Karuah River feeds.
Demographics
According to the , there 1,411 people in Karuah.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 14.6% of the population.
* 80.1% of people were born in Australia and 89.8% of people spoke only English at home.
* The most common responses for religion were Anglican 26.7%, No Religion 25.0% and Catholic 19.9%.
The largest settlement within the locality is the village of Karuah, which is on the old Pacific Highway and straddles the Karuah River. Most of the village, which occupies only about of the suburb's total area of , lies within the Port Stephens LGA. It includes the largest Aboriginal community in the Port Stephens LGA and, at the 2006 Census, had a population of approximately 857. The rest of the suburb's population live in the rural properties which surround the village.
Transport
The Karuah bridge was built and opened in December 1957.Karuah Bridge /ref> In 2004, the Karuah Bypass was opened which, as part of the AusLink program, speeds up car and truck travel times past the township but left the town a backwater.
Oyster industry
Karuah village has long been known for its oysters, and a number of oyster shops line the old Pacific Highway within the town.