The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of

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. The region, situated 416km north of

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 ...

, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at Hawks Nest to as far north as Woolgoolga, near

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...

. The region has many beaches and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

national parks and forests as well as rural farmland and logging. Major coastal towns include

, Forster and

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie, sometimes shortened to Port Mac and commonly locally nicknamed Port, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane, on the Tasman Sea coast at the mouth of the ...

. The Mid North Coast is a popular destination for camping or resorts and surfing, with coastal and hinterland tracks, with the unique heritage-listed mountain village of Bellbrook popular for day trips inland or 4wd campers and keen bass fishers. Heading northwards beyond

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 ...

, the Mid North Coast region's main towns include the towns of Bulahdelah, Forster, Tuncurry, Wingham, Taree,

, Kempsey, South West Rocks, Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Bellingen and

. Of these Taree, 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 Bellbrook, North Haven, South West Rocks, Urunga,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

, Crescent Head, Hawks Nest, Woolgoolga, Old Bar, Lake Cathie and Pacific Palms. The region has a

subtropical climate The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...

and is known for its waterways, beaches and hinterland of forests and farms. Major industries are farming, logging and tourism.

Demography and area

The following

local government areas 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 state, province, division, or territory. The ph ...

are contained within the region:

Public transport

Bus

Many bus services run throughout the region. Providers include Buslines, Busways, Eggins, Ryans and Sawtell Coaches.

Rail

There are several railway stations on the Mid North Coast serviced by three trains; the Grafton, the Casino and the Brisbane XPT trains. Each run north and south once a day. Heading north from Sydney Central, the first station on the mid north coast is

followed by Wingham and Taree. Further north are Kendall, Wauchope (for Port Macquarie), Kempsey, Eungai, Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Urunga, Sawtell and

. There is no station for Forster–Tuncurry.

Air

Port Macquarie Airport Port Macquarie Airport is an airport in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is westAeronautical Chart of the city centre and is owned and managed by the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council on b ...

and Coffs Harbour Airport are the two main regional airports that provides daily direct domestic flights to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

and

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...

Politics

The Mid North Coast includes six

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 ...

s: the City of Coffs Harbour, the

Bellingen Shire Bellingen Shire is a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The shire is located adjacent to the Pacific Highway, Waterfall Way and the North Coast railway line. The mayor of the Bellingen Shire ...

, the Kempsey Shire, the Mid-Coast Council, the Nambucca Shire and the

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Hastings River, the Pacific Highway (Australia), Pacific ...

. It also includes four state electorates (

, Myall Lakes, Oxley and

) and two federal electorates ( Cowper and Lyne). The region is conservative and is dominated by the

Coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

in state and federal politics, particularly the National Party. Of the two federal electorates, Cowper has only been held by

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 ...

once (for one term) and Lyne has never been held by Labor (although was held by an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

for five years). In state politics, the Coalition safely holds all Mid North Coast electorates (the Nationals hold Coffs Harbour, Myall Lakes and Oxley while the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

holds Port Macquarie). In the

Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey was a national survey by the Australian Government designed to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. The survey was held via the Australia Post, postal service between 12 Septe ...

, a 2017

plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...

eventually legalising same-sex marriage in Australia, both of the federal Mid North Coast electorates recorded majorities for the "yes" vote, while in the

1999 Australian republic referendum The Australian republic referendum held on 6 November 1999 was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic, under a bi-partisan appointment model where ...

and the

2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum The 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum was a Referendums in Australia, constitutional referendum held on 14October 2023 in which the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice was rejected. Voters were asked to approve an Co ...

, they both recorded majorities for the "no" vote.

References

External links

Destination NSW: North Coast
(Tourism NSW)
Local Government Directory
{{Regions of New South Wales , state=autocollapse Regions of New South Wales