Nelson Bay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nelson Bay New South Wales
Looking north-east across d'Albora Marina
Nelson Bay Location in New South Wales
Population	11,820 (2016 census)
• Density	345.9/km2 (896/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	2315
Area	15.6 km2 (6.0 sq mi)
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
Parish	Tomaree
State electorate(s)	Port Stephens
Federal Division(s)	Paterson
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 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 lively town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It's part of the Port Stephens Council area. It sits on a beautiful bay, also called Nelson Bay, on the southern side of Port Stephens. It's about 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Newcastle, which is the closest city with a train station. In 2016, about 5,820 people lived in Nelson Bay.

Nelson Bay is a very popular place for tourists. People love to visit for exciting activities like watching dolphins and whales. You can also enjoy surfing, diving, fishing, and many other fun water sports here. The eastern parts of Nelson Bay are inside the beautiful Tomaree National Park. A special old lighthouse, called Nelson Head Light, was built in 1875. It stands proudly on the northeast corner of the bay.

Nelson Bay's First Families

Some of the first people to settle in Nelson Bay included the Dalton family. The head of the family was Captain John Dalton. He used to sail his ship, the SS Kingsley, to Sydney. He brought fresh seafood from Port Stephens to sell there.

In 1882, Captain Dalton built a house called "Westward Ho." It was on a hill overlooking what is now the modern town. He owned a large piece of land, about 40 acres (16 hectares). He was generous and gave some of his land to build a Methodist Church and a school for the community.

Getting Around Nelson Bay

You can travel to and from Nelson Bay using Port Stephens Coaches. These buses offer local trips to nearby towns like Newcastle, Raymond Terrace, and Soldiers Point. There's also a faster bus service that goes all the way to Sydney.

Nelson Bay's Weather

Nelson Bay has a type of weather called a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm and humid summers. Autumns are often damp, and winters are cool and wet. Springtime is usually quite dry.

The town gets a lot of sunshine, with many clear days each year. Even though it rains a good amount throughout the year, it doesn't rain every day. There are usually fewer than 10 rainy days per month.