Nelson Bay, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nelson BayNew South Wales |
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Looking south from Tomaree Headland
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 Nelson Bay
Location in New South Wales
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| Population | 6,141 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 393.65/km2 (1,019.5/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2315 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 15.6 km2 (6.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10) | ||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | AEDT (UTC+11) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Port Stephens Council | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Hunter | ||||||||||||||
| County | Gloucester | ||||||||||||||
| Parish | Tomaree | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Port Stephens | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Paterson | ||||||||||||||
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Nelson Bay is a fun town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It's part of the Port Stephens area. The town sits right on a bay called Nelson Bay, which is on the southern side of Port Stephens.
It's about 60 km (37 miles) northeast of Newcastle, the closest big city with a train station. In 2021, about 6,141 people lived there. Nelson Bay is a popular spot for tourists! People love to visit for dolphin and whale watching, surfing, diving, fishing, and other cool water activities. Part of the Tomaree National Park is right next to Nelson Bay. You can also find the Nelson Head Light, an old lighthouse built in 1875, on the northeast corner.
Contents
Nelson Bay's Early History
Who Were the First Settlers?
Some of the first people to settle in Nelson Bay were the Dalton family. The dad, Captain John Dalton, used to sail his ship, the SS Kingsley, to Sydney. He brought fresh seafood from Port Stephens.
In 1882, he built a house called "Westward Ho" on a hill overlooking where the town is now. He owned a lot of land and even gave some of it away. He donated land for the Methodist Church and for a school.
People and Population in Nelson Bay
How Many People Live Here?
At the 2021 census, there were 6,141 people living in Nelson Bay. This number helps us understand the community.
- About 3.7% of the people were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
- Most people, 78.3%, were born in Australia.
- Other countries where people were born include England (5.7%), New Zealand (1.6%), and Scotland (0.7%).
- Almost everyone, 89.6%, spoke only English at home. A few people also spoke Italian or Greek.
- When asked about religion, 37.3% said they had no religion. Others were Catholic (20.4%) or Anglican (20.0%).
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1961 | 1,787 | — |
| 1966 | 2,727 | +52.6% |
| 1971 | 4,185 | +53.5% |
| 1976 | 5,376 | +28.5% |
| 1981 | 7,931 | +47.5% |
| 1986 | 9,376 | +18.2% |
| 1991 | 6,766 | −27.8% |
| 1996 | 7,001 | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 7,968 | +13.8% |
| 2006 | 8,152 | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 11,060 | +35.7% |
| 2016 | 13,966 | +26.3% |
| 2021 | 14,593 | +4.5% |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data. | ||
Getting Around Nelson Bay
Public Transport Options
Port Stephens Coaches runs local bus services in Nelson Bay. You can catch a bus to nearby places like Newcastle, Raymond Terrace, and Soldiers Point. There's even an express bus service that goes all the way to Sydney.
Nelson Bay's Weather
What's the Climate Like?
Nelson Bay has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm, humid summers and cool, wet winters. Spring is usually quite dry, and autumn can be damp.
Even though it rains a lot throughout the year, Nelson Bay gets plenty of sunshine. It has about 117.8 clear days every year. The rain usually comes in short bursts, so there are not too many rainy days each month.
| Climate data for Nelson Head (1881–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 38.5 (101.3) |
41.5 (106.7) |
36.0 (96.8) |
30.5 (86.9) |
26.7 (80.1) |
24.0 (75.2) |
24.7 (76.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
34.2 (93.6) |
34.5 (94.1) |
40.6 (105.1) |
39.3 (102.7) |
41.5 (106.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.3 (81.1) |
27.0 (80.6) |
25.9 (78.6) |
23.5 (74.3) |
20.8 (69.4) |
18.3 (64.9) |
17.5 (63.5) |
18.9 (66.0) |
21.4 (70.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
24.7 (76.5) |
26.1 (79.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.9 (66.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
17.8 (64.0) |
15.2 (59.4) |
12.4 (54.3) |
10.2 (50.4) |
9.0 (48.2) |
9.8 (49.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.7 (63.9) |
14.4 (57.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) |
14.5 (58.1) |
11.5 (52.7) |
9.0 (48.2) |
6.1 (43.0) |
4.4 (39.9) |
2.2 (36.0) |
1.1 (34.0) |
5.0 (41.0) |
6.1 (43.0) |
6.7 (44.1) |
9.0 (48.2) |
1.1 (34.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 100.5 (3.96) |
111.3 (4.38) |
117.5 (4.63) |
129.3 (5.09) |
150.7 (5.93) |
155.9 (6.14) |
138.5 (5.45) |
102.4 (4.03) |
89.2 (3.51) |
77.9 (3.07) |
80.2 (3.16) |
93.2 (3.67) |
1,343.2 (52.88) |
| Average precipitation days | 10.5 | 10.3 | 11.3 | 11.9 | 12.7 | 12.3 | 11.7 | 10.6 | 10.0 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 10.4 | 132.1 |
See also
In Spanish: Nelson Bay (Nueva Gales del Sur) para niños
