User:AussieLegend/Vandals etc
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| AussieLegend/Vandals etc | |
|---|---|
| Location | New South Wales |
| Coordinates | 32°41′57″S 152°7′26″E / 32.69917°S 152.12389°E |
| Primary inflows | Karuah River, Myall River, Tilligerry Creek |
| Primary outflows | Tasman Sea |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Max. length | 24 km (15 mi) |
| Max. width | 6.5 km (4.0 mi) |
| Surface area | 122 km2 (47 sq mi) |
| Shore length1 | 119 km (73.9 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Frozen | never |
| Settlements | Anna Bay, Bobs Farm Bundabah, Carrington Corlette, Hawks Nest Karuah, Lemon Tree Passage Mallabula, Nelson Bay North Arm Cove, Oyster Cove Pindimar, Salamander Bay Soldiers Point, Shoal Bay Swan Bay, Tahlee Tanilba Bay, Taylors Beach Tea Gardens |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
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Port Stephens is a large natural harbour located about 160 kilometres (99 mi) north-east of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.[1] It lies wholly within the Port Stephens Local Government Area (LGA) although its northern shoreline forms the boundary between the Port Stephens and Great Lakes LGAs.[2] More than 26,000 people live close to its 122 km (76 mi) long shoreline.[3]
Geography
Port Stephens has a narrow entrance between two striking hills of volcanic origin. The harbour is mostly shallow and sandy but contains sufficient deep water to accommodate large vessels; the RMS Queen Mary moored there during World War II. After its recovery from the wreck site in 1974 the bow of the MV Sygna, a 53,000 tonne Norwegian bulk carrier that was shipwrecked on Stockton Beach earlier that year, was moored in Port Stephens, at Salamander Bay, for almost two years.[4]
With an area of approximately 119 square kilometres (45.9 sq mi) Port Stephens is larger than Sydney Harbour. It extends approximately 24 km (15 mi) inland from the Tasman Sea and at its widest point, between Tanilba Bay and Tahlee, it is 6.5 km (4 mi) across. The narrowest pont is between Soldiers Point and Pindimar where the distance is only 1.1 km (0.7 mi). Between Nelson Bay and Tea Gardens, in the most well known section of the port, it is 3.8 km (2.4 mi) wide.
The Karuah River drains into Port Stephens at its north-western corner. The Myall River (through the Myall Lakes) drains into the port on its northern shore, about 5.7 km (3.5 mi) from the mouth of the port. Twelve Mile Creek drains into the port's south-western corner.
The southern shore of the port is divided into two distinct areas known as the Tomaree and Tilligerry peninsulas. These are separated by Tilligerry Creek, a body of water covering approximately 7.7 km2 (3.0 sq mi), which drains the land in the low-lying areas of Salt Ash, Bobs Farm, Tanilba Bay and Mallabula.[5] While it is geographically closer to major centres such as Sydney and Newcastle the Tilligerry peninsula lacks the urban development that has occurred on the much larger (25 km2 (10 sq mi) vs 115 km2 (44 sq mi) respectively) Tomaree peninsula.
The western shore and the western part of the northern shore of the port are largely undeveloped with the flora ranging from scrubland in the west to the large tracts of bushland which are present along most of the northern shore. Closer to the mouth of the port, at and near Winda Woppa, sandy beaches are prevalent. These extend from Jimmies Beach, near the mouth of the port, to the mouth of the Myall River, a distance of approximately 5.2 km (3.2 mi).
History
The port was named by Captain Cook when he passed on 11 May 1770, honouring Sir Philip Stephens who was Secretary of the Admiralty. Stephens was a personal friend of Cook and had recommended him for command of the voyage.[6] It seems Cook's initial choice had actually been Point Keppel and Keppel Bay, but instead he used Kepple Bay later (see Keppel Bay).[7]
In 1791, coal was discovered in the area surrounding Port Stephens by escaped convicts, then known as 'bolters'.
Port Stephens has rather poor soil for the most part, and has limited agricultural potential. For this reason, no large towns developed there historically and it was never developed as a significant port. The major city and port of Newcastle developed at the mouth of the Hunter River, about 45 km (28 mi) south-west of Port Stephens.
Despite this, in 1920 there was a push for Port Stephens to be the capital city of a new state in a proposal originating from the country newspaper The Daily Observer. The proposal was the Observer's editor Victor Charles Thompson's idea in response to continuing rural Australian antipathy at the Sydney-centralised funding and governance that many rural newspapers claimed had neglected to aid rural Australian towns.[8]
During World War II, the remoteness and lack of any significant civilian population lead to the Royal Australian Navy establishing HMAS Assault, an amphibious landing training establishmen, at Nelson Bay. The Sick Bay from HMAS Assault still stands and is used by the the Port Stephens Community Arts Centre.[9][10]
A number of small towns developed around the port as fishing, holiday and retirement communities. Since the 1970s, with improved road access from Sydney, and the increasing popularity of coastal retirement lifestyles, there has been major expansion of these towns.
Demographics
Over 80% the population around Port Stephens resides in towns and suburbs that have developed on the southern shores of the port. These are, in order from west to east:
| Suburb Name | Population* |
|---|---|
| Shoal Bay | 1,750 |
| Nelson Bay | 4,113 |
| Corlette | 5,100 |
| Salamander Bay | 4,178 |
| Soldiers Point | 1,052 |
| Taylors Beach | 161 |
| Lemon Tree Passage | 2,404 |
| Mallabula | 1,097 |
| Tanilba Bay | 2,333 |
| Oyster Cove | (unknown) |
| Total population | 22,188 |
* Population figures from Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census
Recreation
The port is excellent for fishing and recreational boating.
References
- ^ "Port Stephens". Land and Property Management Authority - Spatial Information eXchange. New South Wales Land and Property Information. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ "Geographical Names Register Extract: Port Stephens". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
- ^ "2006 Census QuickStats by Location". 2006 Census QuickStats. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ "Major Oil Spills in Australia, Sygna, Newcastle, 26 May 1974". Australian Marine Safety Authority. Retrieved 3008-06-23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Tilligerry Creek". Land and Property Management Authority - Spatial Information eXchange. New South Wales Land and Property Information. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ Robert Kerr (2004-12-22). "A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 12". Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ^ Ray Parkin, H. M. Bark Endeavour, Miegunyah Press, 2nd edition 2003, ISBN 0-522-85093-6, page 213.
- ^ Rod Kirkpatrick (August 2000). "How newspaper editors helped the country become politically articulate" (PDF). Australian Journalism Review. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ "HMAS Assault, Port Stephens, New South Wales during WW2". Peter Dunn. 2008-01-05. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Home Page". Port Stephens Community Arts Centre. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- 1:100000 maps 9232 NEWCASTLE and 9332 PORT STEPHENS