Speers Point is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Greater Newcastle Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...

, and the location of the council seat of the

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

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 ...

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. 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, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

on the northern shore of Lake Macquarie, in Cockle and Warners Bays, between the suburbs of

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

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

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. 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 extra ...

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 Australians, Indigenous to the coastal area of what is now known as the Hunter Region of New South Wale ...

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 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 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 ...

, 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 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 ...

of land into Lake Macquarie 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 Lake Macquarie council in 1910. In 1912, a steam

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

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 letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

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 oceanic yacht racing 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 ...

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 scale and was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, killing 13 pe ...

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, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...

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 Lake Macquarie 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 a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

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

Climate

Speers Point features a

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 ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa'') with very warm, rainy summers and mild, drier winters with cool nights. Extremes have ranged from on 18 January 2013 to on 16 July 2018. Climatic data is available for the nearby Cooranbong.

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 t ...

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'' 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 product is appealed to a small group of consumers. The market niche defines the product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the ...

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 Boolaroo.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 Warners Bay there is one

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

(Warners Bay Private Hospital). Speers Point has one public school, Speers Point Public School, located on Bell Street. It has enrolment 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 A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

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

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

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

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, 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 Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

in the suburb. At the 2001 census, the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...

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/ Warners Bay and Newcastle's central business district, provided by Newcastle Buses & Ferries. 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.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, a safe seat for the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

. 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. 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 House ...

, Speers Point is within the electorate of Lake Macquarie. 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, 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