Speers Point is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

Greater Newcastle Newcastle ( ; Awabakal language, Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the City of Newcastle, Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie, Lake Macquarie Local gov ...

, and the location of the council seat of the

City of Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is west-southwest of the city of

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

on the northern shore of

Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent ...

, in Cockle and Warners Bays, between the suburbs of

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

and

Warners Bay Warners Bay is a suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, and is located from Newcastle's central business district on the eastern side of Lake Macquarie. It was named after Jonathan Warner, who settled the area. ...

. Speers Point was settled in 1828 and local commerce began through a

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

in 1843. By 2006, the suburb had a population of 3,230. There has been a proposal to rename part of the suburb to 'Lake Macquarie', to reflect the name of the city.

History

Before European settlement, the

Awabakal people The Awabakal people , are those Aboriginal Australians who identify with or are descended from the Awabakal tribe and its clans, Indigenous to the coastal area of what is now known as the Hunter Region of New South Wales. Their traditional te ...

of Lake Macquarie had inhabited the area and called it ''Biddaba'' or ''Milloba''. The first claimant to the land was a settler named William Brooks, who selected the area now called Kahibah Parish in 1828, named his property ''Lochend'' and received deeds in 1839. The title deeds covered the area east of Cockle Creek,

Boolaroo Boolaroo is a suburb of Greater Newcastle, city of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, located west of Newcastle's central business district in Lake Macquarie's West Ward. It was the epicenter of the 1989 Newcastle earthquake. Boolar ...

and the place now known as Speers Point. However, before Brooks' claim the land had been occupied by R. Sadleir, who did not make a claim to the land. Brooks developed his claim and opened the Lochend Colliery in 1843, which mined coal from the bottom of the hills around Speers Point. In 1870, William Speer, a wealthy businessman from

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 ...

, settled there and obtained some of Brooks' land. Speer's residence was erected opposite the current Council Administration Centre. William Brooks' name of Lochend was forgotten and Speer's name remained as Speers Point, referring to the

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

of land into

that part of the area is located on.Lake Mac Library: Speers Point
Retrieved 2014-07-25. In 1887, a 'Mr Ryan' was the only resident of the area. Ryan was Speer's estate administrator. However, Speers Point began to become more populated when its first subdivision occurred in 1902. Further subdivisions occurred and industry began to open up, and Speers Point Park was transferred to the

council in 1910. In 1912, a steam

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

line began service, whilst the Lake Macquarie council offices moved to Speers Point in 1915 (and moved again in 1955). In 1916 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 ...

was opened along with another mine. In 1920, a rowing boat (later hire boat and ferry) service operated across Cockle Creek, however a footbridge was constructed in 1928. In 1930 the steam tram service ceased operations, but was replaced by a private bus service in 1931. Two routes were opened by the government in 1937, whilst an industrial port bus service began operation in 1938. Sewerage systems were put in place in 1945, and two public schools opened in January 1957 and January 1959. The first winner of the

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately . The race is run i ...

in 1945, a cutter called Rani was built by the Steel brothers of Lake Macquarie. Being the second smallest of the nine competing, it was 'given up as lost' by the organisers.Marine history – Hot Shot Kaskelot 'Salt'
Retrieved 2007-09-22Dugard, Martin. ''Knockdown, The Harrowing True Account of a Yacht Race Turned Deadly''. Pocket Books. The post office closed in 1976 and the

1989 Newcastle earthquake The 1989 Newcastle earthquake was an intraplate earthquake that occurred in Newcastle, New South Wales on Thursday 28 December. The shock measured 5.6 on the Richter magnitude scale and was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, kil ...

brought substantial damage to the town, especially to the Boolaroo-Speers Point RSL club and its youth section. The epicentre of the

magnitude Magnitude may refer to: Mathematics *Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction *Magnitude (mathematics), the relative size of an object *Norm (mathematics), a term for the size or length of a vector *Order of ...

5.6 earthquake was the neighbouring suburb of Boolaroo.1989 Earthquake damage to RSL club – Lake Macquarie City Library
Retrieved 2007-11-02

Geography

Speers Point is located approximately WSW of

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

and north-east of

,Google Earth
map directions for Speers Point – Newcastle. Retrieved 2007-09-11

Google Earth
map directions for Speers Point – Sydney. Retrieved 2007-09-11 within the

at . The boundaries of Speers Point are generally Cockle Creek to the west, Seventh Street to the north, Fairfax Road to the east and

to the south.Newcastle and Lower Hunter Valley UBD street directory
Retrieved 2007-09-12 The elevation of Speers Point is approximately 27 metres

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

.Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia – Map of Speers Point, NSW
Retrieved 2007-09-12

Climate

Speers Point has 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° ...

(''Cfa'') with hoy summers and mild winters.

Economy

Early industry in Speers Point included the Lochend Colliery from 1843 where coal was mined until 1916, when the Speers Point Gully mine was opened by T.D.H. Rhodes. Soon after settlement by William Speer, a dairy began operating and before 1874 a citrus orchard was in operation by the lakeside. The nearby

Cockle Creek Smelter Cockle Creek Smelter was a zinc and lead smelter located at the northern end of Lake Macquarie near Boolaroo in Newcastle, New South Wales. The smelter was built in by the Sulphide Corporation in 1896 and the first attempts to refine zinc using th ...

operated from 1896, however operations ceased on 12 September 2003. Since the departure of the mining industry Speers Point has not housed any major businesses.Hunter New England Health
Retrieved 2007-08-13

Facilities

The Lake Macquarie area in general receives the same media outlets as nearby

. However, the ''

Lake Macquarie News The ''Lake Macquarie News'' was a small, independent weekly community newspaper serving the City of Lake Macquarie area in New South Wales and owned by the Cumberland Newspaper Group, a News Limited News Corp Australia is an Australian med ...

'' is a local newspaper owned by the News Limited community newspaper circle.Lake Macquarie News
Retrieved 2007-08-13 Despite its small size, Speers Point is home to many sports clubs, many of which may be considered '

niche market A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focused. The market niche defines the product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that it ...

s', such as the Speers Point Amateur Sailing Club, a major social ground for many residents.Speers Point Amateur Sailing Club – About Us
Retrieved 2007-09-20 This organisation was founded on Lake Macquarie in the early 1900s and is currently situated at Speers Point Park. Speers Point is also home to a swim centre.Speers Point: Lake Macquarie City Council
Retrieved 2007-09-20 Opposite the Speers Point swim centre is Speers Point Park, which boasts a stage area, playgrounds, barbecue facilities and lighting. The park is dog friendly.Speers Point Park – Community Directory – Lake Macquarie City Council
Retrieved 2007-09-20 Speers Point also gives its name to a RSL sub-branch in nearby

.RSL Sub-branch listing A-K
Retrieved 2007-09-20 A bowls club is located near there.Speers Point Sailing Club – Speers Point (township)
Retrieved 2007-11-02 There is no hospital in Speers Point but in the nearby suburb of

there is one

private hospital A private hospital is a hospital not owned by the government, including for-profits and non-profits. Funding is by patients themselves ("self-pay"), by insurers, or by foreign embassies. Private hospitals are commonly part, albeit in varying degr ...

(Warners Bay Private Hospital). Speers Point has one public school, Speers Point Public School, located on Bell Street. It has enrollment figures of 170, with years K-6 attending. The school was founded in 1957 and currently features an outdoor playground, undercover areas, sports facilities, computer labs and resources.Speers Point Public School – Facilities Tour
Retrieved 2007-09-23 Only one high school serves the 2284 postcode area, Lake Macquarie High School, located in nearby Booragul.School Locator – Speers Point Public School
Retrieved 2007-09-23 An

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

is located in nearby Booragul called St Pauls High School.Schools – NSW (Nationwide Index)
Retrieved 2007-09-23

Demographics

At the ABS 2011 census, Speers Point had a population of 3,230, an increase of 127 people from the 2006 census and 193 from the 2001 census. Speers Point residents had a median age of 44 years, compared to the northern Lake Macquarie regional average of 38 years, and the

and

n median of 37 years. The median individual income was below average for the region— $408 per week compared with $432 per week across northern Lake Macquarie and $461 a week in New South Wales. The 2006 Census figures put Speers Point's unemployment rate at 1.6% below the Newcastle average. Females make up 50.7% of the 3103 residents of Speers Point (a total of 1573), whilst males, at 1530, make up only 49.3%. This differs from the national

n average of 50.6% females and 49.4% males. The population of Speers Point is predominantly Australian-born, with some 84.8% of its residents as at the 2006 census. The second most prevalent birthplace was the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

at 3.90%. 2.00% reported one or more parents of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

birth. At the 2006 census, 1.42% of residents identified as

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

. The most popular religious affiliations in descending order in the 2006 census were

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, no religion and Uniting. The All Saints Anglican Church, Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church and Boolaroo Uniting Church are all located on Main Road in or near the suburb's northern boundary.

Transport

Cars are the preferred mode of

transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

in the suburb. At the 2001 census, the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for statistical collection and analysis and for giving evidence-based advice to federal, state and territory governments ...

reported that 74.96% of Speers Point's residents were drivers or passengers of cars in their commute to work, a figure significantly higher than the regional average of 71.87%. Other private modes of transport included motorcycling (0.48%), cycling (0.72%) and walking (1.86%). A state bike path runs close to the suburb (Newcastle 39).Bike Paths map
Retrieved 2007-11-02 At the 2001 census, 4.12% of Speers Point residents used public transport to get to work, compared with 2.72% regionally. The suburb is served by the 363 bus route (Monday-Saturday) between Belmont/

and Newcastle's central business district, provided by

Newcastle Buses & Ferries Newcastle Buses & Ferries was a commuter bus and ferry service operating in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie from 1935 until 2017. Part of the State Transit Authority, it operated 26 bus routes and the Stockton ferry across the Hunter River. H ...

. The bus also connects with the Main North railway line at

Cockle Creek railway station Cockle Creek railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the City of Lake Macquarie suburb of Boolaroo. The station is on the eastern side of Cockle Creek and a balloon loop exists west of the ...

approximately to the north of the suburb, and a major regional shopping centre,

Stockland Glendale Stockland Glendale (previously known as Stockland Super Centre Glendale) is a large shopping centre located in the suburb of Glendale in the City of Lake Macquarie. It is located on Lake Road on a parcel of land, and primarily serves the Lake ...

.Newcastle Buses – Route Information
Retrieved 2007-09-22 Early transport included steam

s (beginning in 1912 and closing 1930), a rowing boat ferry service operated by Harry Linsley across Cockle Creek in 1920 (a footbridge was built in 1928) and government bus services beginning 1937.

Government and politics

At federal level, Speers Point is within the

Division of Charlton The Division of Charlton was an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Matthew Charlton, who was Leader of the Australian Labor Party 1922–28. The division was locate ...

, a safe seat for the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

. It has been held since 2007 by former

ACTU The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated trade union, unions and eight t ...

secretary

Greg Combet Gregory Ivan Combet (; born 28 April 1958) is a former Australian politician and trade unionist. He was Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions between 1999 and 2007. He was elected member for the New South Wales Federal seat of Ch ...

. The Speers Point booth was won comfortably at the 2007 federal election by the Labor Party, with a two-party preferred vote of 60.97%. In the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

, Speers Point is within the electorate of

. Normally a safe

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

seat, it was won at the 2007 election by Independent

Greg Piper Gregory Michael Piper (born 31 August 1957 in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales), an Australian politician, is the independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Lake Macquarie since 2007. Piper also served as Mayor o ...

, the former mayor of the Lake Macquarie City Council. Speers Point is located within the West Ward of the

,West Ward – City of Lake Macquarie
Retrieved 2007-11-02 and hosts the city's council offices.Council Meetings – City of Lake Macquarie
Retrieved 2007-11-02 Polling place statistics are presented below from the ''Speers Point'' polling place in the federal and state elections as indicated.

References

External links

{{City of Lake Macquarie suburbs Suburbs of Lake Macquarie