City of Lake Macquarie

City of Lake Macquarie
The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area in the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The city is situated adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is widely considered as a part of the Greater Newcastle area. The city is approximately 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 Councillor Kay Fraser, a member of the Labor Party.
The Royal Australian Navy ship was granted the Right of Freedom of Entry to the City of Lake Macquarie on 9 August 1991.
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.
Suburbs, towns and villages
Lake Macquarie is home to several prominent coastal suburbs such as Catherine Hill Bay, Caves Beach, Blacksmiths and Redhead. Retail and commercial centres include Belmont, Cardiff, Charlestown Glendale, Swansea, Toronto and Morisset.
The towns and villages in the City of Lake Macquarie are split into three wards – East, North and West. These include:
East Ward
Belmont
Belmont North
Belmont South
Bennetts Green
Blacksmiths
Cams Wharf
Catherine Hill Bay
Caves Beach
Croudace Bay
Eleebana
Floraville
Gateshead
Jewells
Little Pelican
Marks Point
Mount Hutton
Murrays Beach
Nords Wharf
Pelican
Pinny Beach
Redhead
Speers Point
Swansea
Swansea Heads
Tingira Heights
Valentine
Windale
North Ward
Adamstown
Adamstown Heights
Barnsley
Cameron Park
Cardiff
Cardiff Heights
Cardiff South
Charlestown
Dudley
Edgeworth
Elermore Vale
Garden Suburb
Glendale
Highfields
Hillsborough
Holmesville
Kahibah
Kotara
Kotara South
New Lambton
New Lambton Heights
Rankin Park
Seahampton
Warners Bay
Wallsend
West Wallsend
Whitebridge
West Ward
Arcadia Vale
Argenton
Awaba
Balcolyn
Balmoral
Blackalls Park
Bolton Point
Bonnells Bay
Boolaroo
Booragul
Brightwaters
Buttaba
Carey Bay
Coal Point
Cooranbong
Dora Creek
Eraring
Fassifern
Fennell Bay
Fishing Point
Freemans Waterhole
Kilaben Bay
Killingworth
Lakelands
Macquarie Hills
Mandalong
Marmong Point
Martinsville
Mirrabooka
Morisset
Morisset Park
Myuna Bay
Rathmines
Ryhope
Silverwater
Speers Point
Sunshine
Teralba
Toronto
Wakefield
Wangi Wangi
Windermere Park
Woodrising
Wyee
Wyee Point
Yarrawonga Park
The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies various towns and suburbs in the LGA as being part of the Greater Newcastle Statistical District. The City of Lake Macquarie has its own independent local government (Lake Macquarie City Council). The largest commercial centre in the area 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 , 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.
Population growth in the City of Lake Macquarie between the and the 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. The median weekly income for residents within the City of Lake Macquarie was marginally below the national average.
At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Lake Macquarie local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic 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%).
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. Lake Macquarie has a number of Constructed Wetlands with the council placing an emphasis on the environment.
Council
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 04 December 2021, and the makeup of the council, including the mayor, is as follows:
The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election by ward, is:
Shopping
Major shopping centres include:
Charlestown Square
Stockland Glendale
Lake Macquarie Square
Arts and culture
Lake Macquarie has a number of cultural and artistic locations:
Dobell House – last residence of William Dobell, Wangi Wangi
Finite Gallery, Caves Beach Fine Arts and Crafts
Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, Booragul
South Sea Islands Museum and Sunnyside Historic Home, Cooranbong
The Friends of Rathmines Incorporated, Rathmines Park
Sister cities
The City of Lake Macquarie has sister city relations with the following cities:
Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan
Tanagura, Fukushima, Japan
Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Round Rock, Texas, United States of America
Notes
References
External links
Lake Macquarie City Council
Lake Macquarie Business Directory
Lake Macquarie City
Clickable map of New South Wales LGAs (NSW Dept. of Local Government)
Rathmines Community Website and Forum
Coastal cities in Australia