Nelson Bay, New South Wales

Nelson Bay New South Wales
Looking north-east across d'Albora Marina
Nelson Bay
Coordinates	32°42′54″S 152°9′4″E / 32.71500°S 152.15111°ECoordinates: 32°42′54″S 152°9′4″E / 32.71500°S 152.15111°E
Population	5,396 (2011 census)[1]
• Density	345.9/km^2 (896/sq mi) [Note 1]
Postcode(s)	2315
Area	15.6 km^2 (6.0 sq mi)[Note 2]
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Location	207 km (129 mi) NNE of Sydney 60 km (37 mi) NE of Newcastle 45 km (28 mi) ENE of Raymond Terrace
LGA(s)	Port Stephens Council
Region	Hunter
County	Gloucester[2]
Parish	Tomaree[2]
State electorate(s)	Port Stephens
Federal Division(s)	Paterson
Mean max temp[3] Mean min temp[3] Annual rainfall[3] 27.3 °C ^81 °F 8.4 °C ^47 °F 1,348.9 mm ^53.1 in
Suburbs around Nelson Bay: Port Stephens Port Stephens Port Stephens Corlette, Salamander Bay Nelson Bay Shoal Bay, Fingal Bay Anna Bay, One Mile One Mile, Fingal Bay Fingal Bay

Nelson Bay is a suburb of the Port Stephens local government area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.^[4][5] It is located on a bay of the same name on the southern shore of Port Stephens about 60 kilometres (37 mi) by road north-east of Newcastle, its nearest rail link.^[6] At the 2011 census, Nelson Bay had a population of 5,396.^[1] 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 built in 1875, is positioned on the northeast corner.^[7]

Early settlers

Early settlers included the Dalton family, the patriarch being Captain John Dalton who sailed his ship SS Kingsley to Sydney with fresh marine produce from Port Stephens. He built a house "Westward Ho" in 1882 on the hill overlooking the modern town, on 16 ha (40 acres). He donated land from his holding for the Methodist Church, and for a school.^[8]

Notes

1. The density figure provided is that for the whole of Nelson Bay. However, the population listed in the ABS data reside in only about 3.9 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi) (approximately 25%) of the suburb, the remainder being uninhabited for various reasons including that a large portion of the suburb is part of Tomaree National Park. The density in the inhabited area is approximately 1,383.6/km² (3,584/sq mi).
2. Area calculations are based on 1:100000 map 9232 NEWCASTLE.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Nelson Bay (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
2. "Nelson Bay (suburb)". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
3. "Nelson Bay (Nelson Head)". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
4. "Suburb Search - Local Council Boundaries - Hunter (HT)". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
5. "Nelson Bay (bay)". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
6. "Nelson Bay". Land and Property Management Authority - Spatial Information eXchange. New South Wales Land and Property Information. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
7. "Nelson Head Inner Lighthouse Nelson Bay Tourist Information". nelsonbaygetaway.com.au. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
8. "Dalton Family Papers". University of Newcastle. Retrieved 2 August 2014.

External links

• Port Stephens Visitors Centre
• Nelson Bay at Australian Explorer
• Nelson Bay Online & Internet Cafe
• Local radio station Bay FM 99.3
• Media related to Nelson Bay, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons