Nelson Bay is a significant township of the Port Stephens

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 ...

in the

Hunter Region The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, spans the region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River (New Sout ...

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. It is located on a bay of the same name on the southern shore of Port Stephens about by road north-east of

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 ...

, its nearest rail link. At th
2021 census
Nelson Bay had a population of 6,141. It is a major tourism centre, particularly for dolphin and whale watching, surfing, diving, fishing and other recreational aquatic activities. The eastern boundaries of Nelson Bay lie within the Tomaree National Park while the southeastern section is almost entirely within the park. Nelson Head Light, an unusual

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

built in 1875, is positioned on the northeast corner.

Early settlers

Early settlers included the Dalton family, the patriarch being Captain John Dalton who sailed his ship SS ''Kingsley'' to

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 ...

with fresh marine produce from Port Stephens. He built a house "Westward Ho" in 1882 on the hill overlooking the modern town, on . He donated land from his holding for the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, and for a school.

Demographics

At the 2021 census, there were 28,418 people in Nelson Bay. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.7% of the population. * 78.3% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 5.7%, New Zealand 1.6%, Scotland 0.7%, South Africa 0.7% and Germany 0.6%. * 89.6% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian and Greek, both at 0.4%. * The most common responses for religion were No Religion 37.3%, Catholic 20.4% and Anglican 20.0%.

Transport

Port Stephens Coaches operate local services to

, Raymond Terrace and as well as an express service to

.Bus Timetables
Port Stephens Coaches

Climate

Nelson Bay has a maritime-influenced

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'') with warm humid summers, damp autumns, cool wet winters and relatively dry springs. The suburb is relatively sunny, receiving 117.8 clear days annually. Despite the high amount of rainfall throughout the year (due to its exposed location on a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

), the rain days are relatively few, barely reaching over 10 days per month.

Notes

References

External links

Port Stephens Visitors Centre

Nelson Bay Online & Internet Cafe

Local radio station Bay FM 99.3

The Weekender Guide to Nelson Bay
* {{Authority control Suburbs of Port Stephens Council Towns in the Hunter Region Bays of New South Wales Marinas in Australia Beaches of New South Wales