The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. The region, situated 416km north of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at

Hawks Nest Hawk's Nest or Hawks Nest may refer to: *Hawks Nest, New South Wales, a small coastal village in Australia *Hawk's Nest (Orange County, New York), a scenic overlook near Port Jervis, New York, US *Hawks Nest (Sullivan County, New York), a mountain ...

to as far north as

Woolgoolga Woolgoolga is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Highway, approximately 550 km north of Sydney and 365 km south of Brisbane. The closest city to Woolgoolga is Coffs Harbour, which lies 24 ...

, near

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...

. The region has many beaches and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

national parks and forests as well as rural farmland and logging. Major coastal towns include

, Forster and

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie, sometimes shortened to Port Mac and commonly locally nicknamed Port, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane, on the Tasman Sea coast at the mouth of the ...

. The Mid North Coast is a popular destination for camping or resorts and surfing, with coastal and hinterland tracks, with the unique heritage-listed mountain village of

Bellbrook Bellbrook is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,317 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It sits about southeast of Dayton. History Bellbrook was laid out in 1816. The nam ...

popular for day trips inland or 4wd campers and keen bass fishers. Heading northwards beyond

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

, the Mid North Coast region's main towns include the towns of

Bulahdelah Bulahdelah () is a town and locality in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia in the Mid-Coast Council local government area. Geography The town is situated north of Sydney along the eastern and northern banks of the Myall ...

, Forster, Tuncurry, Wingham,

Taree Taree () is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. It and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then it has grown to a population of 26,381, and commands a significant agricultural district. Situ ...

, Kempsey,

South West Rocks South West Rocks is a town located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, near the mouth of the Macleay River. It is approximately from Kempsey. Jerseyville is located nearby. The population of South West Rocks is 5,443 peopl ...

, Macksville,

Nambucca Heads Nambucca Heads is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Nambucca Valley. It is located on a ridge, north of the estuary of the Nambucca River near the Pacific Highway. Its population at the was 6,668 (6,314 in t ...

, Bellingen and

. Of these Taree, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour are the major commercial centres, all with large shopping centres, public facilities and attractions. Kempsey and Forster-Tuncurry are considered semi-major commercial centres. Smaller towns that are popular tourist spots are

, North Haven,

, Urunga,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

, Crescent Head,

Old Bar Old Bar is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in Mid-Coast Council. It lies around east of Taree on the Mid North Coast, and around north of Sydney. Geography Old Bar is on the southern side of the mouth of the Manning River. Demo ...

, Lake Cathie and Pacific Palms. The region has a

subtropical climate The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...

and is known for its waterways, beaches and hinterland of forests and farms. Major industries are farming, logging and tourism.

Demography and area

The following

local government areas 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, province, division, or territory. The ph ...

are contained within the region:

Public transport

Bus

Many bus services run throughout the region. Providers include Buslines, Busways, Eggins, Ryans and Sawtell Coaches.

Rail

There are several railway stations on the Mid North Coast serviced by three trains; the Grafton, the Casino and the Brisbane XPT trains. Each run north and south once a day. Heading north from Sydney Central, the first station on the mid north coast is

followed by Wingham and

. Further north are Kendall, Wauchope (for Port Macquarie), Kempsey, Eungai, Macksville,

, Urunga, Sawtell and

. There is no station for Forster–Tuncurry.

Air

Port Macquarie Airport Port Macquarie Airport is an airport in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is westAeronautical Chart of the city centre and is owned and managed by the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council on b ...

and

Coffs Harbour Airport Coffs Harbour Airport (formerly ICAO code of YSCH until November 2007) is the only airport serving the City of Coffs Harbour, in the New South Wales Mid North Coast region in Australia. The airport is located south of Coffs Harbour and is o ...

are the two main regional airports that provides daily direct domestic flights to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

and

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...

Politics

The Mid North Coast includes six

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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

s: the

City of Coffs Harbour The City of Coffs Harbour (also known as the Coffs Harbour City Council) is a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is , expanded in 2004 to take in parts of the former P ...

, the

Bellingen Shire Bellingen Shire is a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The shire is located adjacent to the Pacific Highway, Waterfall Way and the North Coast railway line. The mayor of the Bellingen Shire ...

, 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 ...

, the

Mid-Coast Council MidCoast Council is a local government area located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the Gloucester Shire, Great Lakes and City of Greater Taree Councils. The ...

, the

Nambucca Shire Nambucca Valley Council 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 adjacent to the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line. At the , Nambucca ...

and the

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Hastings River, the Pacific Highway (Australia), Pacific ...

. It also includes four state electorates (

Myall Lakes Myall Lakes, a series of fresh water lakes protected under the Ramsar Convention, are located within the Mid-Coast Council local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The Myall Lakes are adjacent to the ea ...

, Oxley and

) and two federal electorates ( Cowper and Lyne). The region is conservative and is dominated by the

Coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

in state and federal politics, particularly the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

. Of the two federal electorates, Cowper has only been held by

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 ...

once (for one term) and Lyne has never been held by Labor (although was held by an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

for five years). In state politics, the Coalition safely holds all Mid North Coast electorates (the Nationals hold Coffs Harbour, Myall Lakes and Oxley while the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

holds Port Macquarie). In the

Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey was a national survey by the Australian Government designed to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. The survey was held via the Australia Post, postal service between 12 Septe ...

, a 2017

plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...

eventually legalising

same-sex marriage in Australia Same-sex marriage has been legal in Australia since 9 December 2017. Legislation permitting same-sex marriage, the '' Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017'', became law on 8 December 2017 and came into effect the nex ...

, both of the federal Mid North Coast electorates recorded majorities for the "yes" vote, while in the

1999 Australian republic referendum The Australian republic referendum held on 6 November 1999 was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic, under a bi-partisan appointment model where ...

and the

2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum The 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum was a Referendums in Australia, constitutional referendum held on 14October 2023 in which the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice was rejected. Voters were asked to approve an Co ...

, they both recorded majorities for the "no" vote.

References

External links

Destination NSW: North Coast
(Tourism NSW)
Local Government Directory
{{Regions of New South Wales , state=autocollapse Regions of New South Wales

Demography and area

Public transport

Bus

Rail

Air

Politics

See also

References

External links