Mid North Coast

Mid North Coast
New South Wales

Population 297,000 (2006)[1]
LGA(s)
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)
Localities around Mid North Coast:
Northern Tablelands Northern Rivers Tasman Sea
New England Mid North Coast Tasman Sea
Upper Hunter Hunter Tasman Sea

The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid to north coast of the state, beginning at Seal Rocks, 275 km (171 mi) north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolga, 562 km (349 mi) north of the city, a distance of roughly 400 km (250 mi).

From south to north, the region's main towns include the twin towns of Forster and Tuncurry, Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Walcha, Armidale, South West Rocks, Nambucca Heads, Bellingen and Coffs Harbour. Of these Taree, Armidale, 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, South West Rocks, Urunga and Pacific Palms.

The region has a subtropical climate and is known for its beaches. Major industries are farming, logging and tourism.

Demography and area

The following local government areas are contained within the region:

Population by Local Government Area
Mid North Coast rank Local Government Area Population 30 June 2014[2] 10 year growth rate Population density (people/km2)
1 Port Macquarie-Hastings Council 77,481 12.3 21.0
2 Coffs Harbour City Council 72,382 10.6 61.7
3 Greater Taree City Council 48,941 7.0 13.1
4 Great Lakes Council 36,499 10.1 10.8
5 Kempsey Shire Council 29,643 7.4 8.8
6 Nambucca Shire Council 19,655 8.4 13.2
7 Bellingen Shire Council 13,032 2.8 8.1
8 Gloucester Shire Council 5,064 4.4 1.7
Mid North Coast 302,697 9.4 14.2

Coffs Coast

The Coffs Coast extends from the village of Broom's Head in the north and as far south as the small seaside town of Scotts Head. It includes the Sandon, Bellinger, Coffs and Nambucca River catchments/drainage basins. The Coffs Coast services a regional catchment of over 200,000 people, with about 68,000 living in the City of Coffs Harbour, 13,000 in the Bellingen Shire, and 19,000 in the Nambucca Shire.

The area has younger population, with the average age being 33 years of age.

The area is becoming known for Internet Start ups - with companies like Google, Altassian and Design Crowd recently opening up small offices in the area.

Public transport

Bus

Three bus services run throughout the region; Sawtell Coaches, Busways, and Ryans Bus Service. Sawtell Coaches run various services throughout Coffs Harbour city and to the suburbs of Boambee and Sawtell. Busways run services throughout Coffs Harbour city down south as far as Scotts Head and west into Bellingen. Ryans Bus services run throughout Coffs Harbour City and run North to Woolgoolga on a regular basis.

Rail

There are several railway stations on the Coffs Coast serviced by 3 trains; the Grafton, the Casino and the Brisbane XPT trains. Each run north and south once a day. Stations include Coffs Harbour, Sawtell, Urunga, Nambucca Heads and Macksville.

Rail is the fastest and cheapest way to get to either Sydney, Newcastle, the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.