Duns Creek, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Duns Creek New South Wales
Duns Creek Location in New South Wales
Population	491 (2011 census)
• Density	18.1/km2 (47/sq mi)
Established	1833
Postcode(s)	2321
Area	27.1 km2 (10.5 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Location	182 km (113 mi) N of Sydney 52 km (32 mi) NNW of Newcastle 30 km (19 mi) NW of Raymond Terrace 19 km (12 mi) NNE of Maitland
LGA(s)	Port Stephens Council
Region	Hunter
County	Durham
Parish	Butterwick
State electorate(s)	Port Stephens
Federal Division(s)	Paterson
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 29.6 °C 85 °F 6.1 °C 43 °F 925.2 mm 36.4 in
Suburbs around Duns Creek: Martins Creek, Paterson Martins Creek, Glen Oak Glen Oak Tocal Duns Creek Glen Oak Tocal Woodville, Butterwick Seaham, Butterwick

Duns Creek (sometimes called Dunns Creek) is a quiet, countryside suburb in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It's close to the old village of Paterson. This area is part of the Port Stephens Council local government region.

What is Duns Creek Like?

Duns Creek is next to the Paterson River on its western side. The land near the river is mostly flat, about 3 meters (10 feet) above sea level. As you move east, you'll find small hills.

Towards the north, the land becomes much hillier. The hills here can be from 80 to 220 meters (260 to 720 feet) high. Some spots reach up to 280 meters (920 feet) above sea level.

Most properties in Duns Creek are large, from 2 to 20 hectares (5 to 50 acres). Some bigger properties, up to 202 hectares (500 acres), are right along the Paterson River. From the highest points, you can see amazing views of the Paterson and Hunter valleys. You can even see the Tasman Sea, which is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) away. The area gets plenty of rain, so the countryside stays green all year.

Duns Creek has about 546 people living there. The average age is 41. About 3.8% of the people are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Most residents (92.5%) were born in Australia. Others came from England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Greece. Many people (28.2%) say they have no religion. Other common religions are Catholic (25.6%) and Anglican (23.4%). A small number of people speak Greek or Spanish.

A Look at Duns Creek's Past

The history of Duns Creek is linked to the nearby village of Paterson. Paterson was first mapped out in 1801. In 1821, Captain William Dun was given land southwest of Paterson. Duns Creek is named after him.

Captain Dun started a successful dairy farm called Duninald. His family owned the farm until 2005. The main house on the farm is very old and important. It is listed as a heritage site for both the state and the country.

Since the 1980s, larger farms in Duns Creek have been divided into smaller blocks. More people have moved here since the late 1990s, looking for a "treechange" lifestyle. Many of the smaller properties are now hobby farms. People use them for horse riding, growing olives and grapes, and other outdoor activities.

Big Resort Plan That Didn't Happen

In 2000, there was a plan to build a huge tourist resort at Mahogany Ridge in Duns Creek. It would have cost A$45 million. This resort could have brought up to 1,500 extra people to the area. That's about five times the number of people who live there permanently!

Local people and the Port Stephens Council were strongly against this plan. After almost seven years of arguments, the case went to court. Both the Port Stephens Council and the Australian Government fought against it. Finally, in 2007, the plan was stopped. Instead, a much smaller, high-quality rural housing area was built.

These pictures were taken in October 2012. On the left is a sign for land for sale. On the right is a view from a high point, about 297 meters (974 feet) above sea level.

Getting Around Duns Creek

Hunter Valley Buses runs one bus route through Duns Creek:

• 185: This bus goes from Maitland to Gresford. It passes through Bolwarra, Largs, and Paterson.

Local Connections and Services

Duns Creek is well-connected to bigger towns in the Hunter area. Maitland is less than a 15-minute drive away. You can reach Newcastle in about 50 minutes by driving through Raymond Terrace.

Other fun places are also easy to get to:

• Nelson Bay and Port Stephens are about a 55-minute drive.
• The Hunter Valley Wine Country, near Pokolbin, is also about 55 minutes away.

Duns Creek is very close to the Tocal Agricultural College (5 minutes drive). This college hosts a yearly event in May called the small farm fields days.

You can catch a train at Paterson railway station. This station is on the North Coast railway line. Trains go directly to Maitland, Newcastle, and Sydney.

Newcastle Airport is about 40 minutes away by car. It has flights to major cities like Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Canberra.

Paterson village is less than 5 minutes away by car. It has everything a normal country town needs, like hotels, cafes, and a golf course. The Woodville store, a bit further away, is a general store and post office. Both Paterson and Woodville have old primary schools and community halls. The beautiful 'All Saints' Church in Woodville is often used for weddings.

In 2006, Duns Creek got ADSL internet. Now, residents can use the NBN. Mail is delivered daily, and you can pick up parcels from the Woodville Store. Port Stephens Council also provides weekly garbage and recycling services for Duns Creek.