City of Lake Macquarie

This article is about the local government area. For the lake, see Lake Macquarie (New South Wales).
City of Lake Macquarie
New South Wales

Lake Macquarie, after which the LGA is named.
Coordinates 33°02′S 151°38′E / 33.033°S 151.633°E / -33.033; 151.633Coordinates: 33°02′S 151°38′E / 33.033°S 151.633°E / -33.033; 151.633
Population 189,006 (2011 census)[1] (12th)
 • Density 291.7/km2 (755/sq mi)
Established
  • 1906 (shire)
  • 1977 (municipality)
  • 1984 (city)
Area 648 km2 (250.2 sq mi)[2]
Time zone AEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST) AEDT (UTC+11)
Mayor Jodie Harrison[3]
Council seat Speers Point
Region Hunter[4]
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)
Website City of Lake Macquarie
LGAs around City of Lake Macquarie:
Maitland Newcastle Newcastle
Cessnock City of Lake Macquarie Tasman Sea
Cessnock Wyong Tasman Sea

The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated adjacent to the city of Newcastle and was proclaimed as a city from 7 September 1984. The city is approximately 150 km (93 mi) north of Sydney. One of its major tourist attractions is its lake, also named Lake Macquarie.

The Mayor of the City of Lake Macquarie Council is Cr. Jodie Harrison, a member of the Labor Party.[3]

The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Tobruk (L 50) was granted Right of Freedom of Entry to the City of Lake Macquarie in 1991.[12]

History

The Shire of Lake Macquarie was proclaimed on 6 March 1906. It became a Municipality on 1 March 1977, and a city on 7 September 1984.[13][14][15]

Main towns and villages

Lake Macquarie is home to several prominent coastal suburbs such as Catherine Hill Bay, Caves Beach, Blacksmiths Beach and Redhead. Retail centres include Belmont, Cardiff, Charlestown, Glendale, Swansea, Toronto, and Morisset with its large area and rapidly increasing developments.

Significant population centres include:

The various towns and suburbs are classified as being part of the Newcastle Statistical District, so their populations are included when Newcastle is commonly listed as Australia's sixth largest city. However, the City of Lake Macquarie has its own independent local government (Lake Macquarie City Council). The largest commercial centre in the region is Charlestown.

Demographics

The area is a set of contiguous towns that surround a coastal saltwater lake. These towns merge with the suburbs of Newcastle to the north. Some suburbs, such as Adamstown Heights are partly in the City of Newcastle and partly within the City of Lake Macquarie. There are 92 identified settlements ranging from small rural style communities through to larger and higher density areas such as Toronto, Warners Bay, Belmont, Charlestown and Morisset.

At the 2011 census, there were 189,006 people in the Lake Macquarie local government area, of these 48.8% were male and 51.2% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.0% of the population, which was higher than the national and state averages. The median age of people in the City of Lake Macquarie was 41 years, which was significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.6% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 18.4% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 51.0% were married and 12.2% were either divorced or separated.[1]

Population growth in the City of Lake Macquarie between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 3.36%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census, population growth was 3.20%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in Lake Macquarie local government area was approximately half the national average.[16] The median weekly income for residents within the City of Lake Macquarie was marginally below the national average.[1][17]

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Lake Macquarie local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 81% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 58% of all residents in the City of Lake Macquarie nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was slightly higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Lake Macquarie local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (5.4%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (93.0%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).[1]

Selected historical census data for Lake Macquarie local government area
Census year 2001[16]2006[17]2011[1]
Population Estimated residents on Census night 177,185 183,138 189,006
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales Steady 4th Steady 4th
% of New South Wales population 2.73%
% of Australian population 0.94% Decrease 0.92% Decrease 0.88%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses 		Australian 33.7%
English 32.2%
Scottish 8.2%
Irish 7.7%
German 3.0%
Language,
top responses
(other than English) 		Italian0.3% Steady 0.3% Steady 0.3%
Macedonian0.3% Steady 0.3% Steady 0.3%
German0.3% Steady 0.3% Steady 0.3%
Cantonesen/c Increase 0.2% Steady 0.2%
Spanishn/c n/c Increase 0.2%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses 		Anglican29.1% Decrease 27.6% Decrease 26.2%
Catholic23.0% Decrease 22.9% Decrease 22.8%
No Religion12.5% Increase 15.5% Increase 19.7%
Uniting Church10.0% Decrease 8.8% Decrease 5.8%
Presbyterian and Reformed4.4% Decrease 4.0% Decrease 3.6%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income Median weekly personal income A$394 A$520
% of Australian median income 84.5% 90.1%
Family income Median weekly family income A$922 A$1,396
% of Australian median income 89.8% 94.3%
Household income Median weekly household income A$1,102 A$1,177
% of Australian median income 94.1% 90.5%

Economics

Lake Macquarie has a significant coal mining industry and smaller agriculture and manufacturing industries. Eraring power station, a 1980s-era coal-fired power station, supplies 25% of New South Wales' power.[18] Lake Macquarie has a number of Constructed Wetlands with the council placing an emphasis on the environment.

Council

Speers Point, which is shown in relation to Newcastle, is the seat of government for the city of Lake Macquarie.

Current composition and election method

Lake Macquarie City Council is composed of thirteen Councillors, including the Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is directly elected while the twelve other Councillors are elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing four Councillors. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council, including the Mayor, is as follows:[3][19][20][21]

PartyCouncillors
  Australian Labor Party 6
  Liberal Party of Australia 3
  Independent Lake Alliance 4
Total 13

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, is:

WardCouncillorPartyNotes
Mayor[3]   Jodie Harrison Labor
East Ward[19]   Kay Fraser Labor
  Jason Pauling Liberal
  Laurie Coghlan Independent Lake Alliance
  Chad Griffith Labor
North Ward[20]   Brian Adamthwaite Labor Elected on Jodie Harrison's ticket
  Robert Denton Liberal
  Barry Johnston Independent Lake Alliance
  Barney Langford Labor Elected on Jodie Harrison's ticket
West Ward[21]   Wendy Harrison Independent Lake Alliance
  Daniel Wallace Labor
  Ken Paxinos Liberal
  Rosmairi Okeno Independent Lake Alliance Elected on Wendy Harrison's ticket

Shopping

Major shopping centres include:

Arts and culture

Lake Macquarie has a number of cultural and artistic locations:[22]

Sister cities

The City of Lake Macquarie has sister city relations with the following cities:[23]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Lake Macquarie (C) (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "2011 Community Profiles: Lake Macquarie (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Mayor Tally Sheet" (PDF). Lake Macquarie City Council Election 2012. Australian Election Company. September 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "Suburb Search – Local Council Boundaries – Hunter (HT) – Lake Macquarie City Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Lake Macquarie Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Swansea Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "Charlestown Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Cessnock Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "Wallsend Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "Shortland". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  11. ↑ "Charlton". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  12. ↑ Piper, Greg (April 2010). "Legend of ANZAC" (PDF). p. 6. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  13. ↑ "Council History: Lake Macquarie City Council". City of Lake Macquarie. 2 March 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  14. ↑ "Hunter History Highlights". Hunter Valley Research Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  15. ↑ "Contact information – Company: Lake Macquarie City Council". careerone.com.au. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  16. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Lake Macquarie (C)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  17. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Lake Macquarie (C)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  18. ↑ "Eraring Power Station". Hunter New England Area Health Service. 2005. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  19. 1 2 "Final Result in Order of Standing: East Ward" (PDF). Lake Macquarie City Council Election 2012. Australian Election Company. 19 September 2012. p. 25. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  20. 1 2 "Final Result in Order of Standing: North Ward" (PDF). Lake Macquarie City Council Election 2012. Australian Election Company. 19 September 2012. p. 23. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  21. 1 2 "Final Result in Order of Standing: West Ward" (PDF). Lake Macquarie City Council Election 2012. Australian Election Company. 20 September 2012. p. 24. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  22. ↑ "Arts and Culture - Lake Macquarie NSW Accommodation & Holiday Rentals - tourist visitor information & guide, accommodation bookings, attractions, activities, NSW maps & much more". Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  23. ↑ "Sister Cities". Lake Macquarie City Council. Retrieved 18 December 2012.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for City of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to City of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales.
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