Raymond Terrace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Raymond TerraceNew South Wales |
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Raymond Terrace foreshore from the Fitzgerald Bridge
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 Raymond Terrace
Location in New South Wales
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| Population | 13,453 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 338.87/km2 (877.7/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1837 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2324 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 39.7 km2 (15.3 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 | Eldon | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) |
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| Federal Division(s) | Paterson | ||||||||||||||
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Raymond Terrace, often called "The Terrace" by locals, is a town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is about 26 km (16 mi) north of Newcastle by road, located on the Pacific Highway. The town was started in 1837. It sits where the Hunter and Williams rivers meet.
The town got its name from Lieutenant Raymond, who explored the Hunter River in 1797. He noticed the trees in the area looked like terraces. Later, in 1818, Governor Lachlan Macquarie camped here and called the spot "Raymond's Terrace."
In 2021, Raymond Terrace had a population of 13,453 people. It is the main office for the Port Stephens local government area. It also acts as a service center for the farms and smaller towns nearby.
Contents
About Raymond Terrace
Raymond Terrace is located east of the Hunter and Williams rivers. It has three main parts. The northern and southern areas are mostly rural, meaning they have farms and open land. These areas cover about 74% of the town's land but only 3% of the people live there. Most of the population lives in the town center.
The town's shopping area is close to the Hunter River, just south of where the two rivers join. You can cross to the northern side of the rivers using the Fitzgerald Bridge. This bridge goes over the Williams River right next to where it meets the Hunter River. When the Hunter River floods, it can be hard to get past the Fitzgerald Bridge to places like Nelsons Plains because the land is very low. Raymond Terrace is mostly protected by special walls called levee banks and other flood controls. However, some lower parts of the town can still flood, as happened in the 2007 New South Wales storms.
In 1998, a new part of the Pacific Highway opened. This new road helps traffic go around the town center instead of through it. Most of Raymond Terrace is now to the north-west of this bypass, between the Hunter and Williams rivers. But the suburb of Lakeside is east of the bypass, near the Grahamstown Dam.
Weather in Raymond Terrace
Raymond Terrace has a warm, wet climate. Summers are warm, and winters are mild. The town gets a good amount of rain, about 1,143.4 millimeters (45.04 inches) each year. It rains a fair bit even during the drier months.
| Climate data for Raymond Terrace, New South Wales, Australia (temperature 1938–1969, precipitation 1938–2006); 75 m AMSL | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.3 (82.9) |
27.8 (82.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
23.0 (73.4) |
19.8 (67.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
16.4 (61.5) |
18.0 (64.4) |
21.2 (70.2) |
23.7 (74.7) |
26.2 (79.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) |
22.1 (71.8) |
20.7 (69.3) |
17.0 (62.6) |
13.6 (56.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
10.0 (50.0) |
11.4 (52.5) |
14.0 (57.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
19.3 (66.7) |
21.3 (70.3) |
16.7 (62.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.3 (61.3) |
16.4 (61.5) |
14.8 (58.6) |
11.0 (51.8) |
7.4 (45.3) |
5.8 (42.4) |
3.6 (38.5) |
4.8 (40.6) |
6.7 (44.1) |
10.2 (50.4) |
12.4 (54.3) |
14.6 (58.3) |
10.3 (50.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 124.6 (4.91) |
120.1 (4.73) |
136.8 (5.39) |
100.0 (3.94) |
99.7 (3.93) |
118.7 (4.67) |
63.4 (2.50) |
68.1 (2.68) |
58.7 (2.31) |
79.7 (3.14) |
83.0 (3.27) |
90.6 (3.57) |
1,143.4 (45.04) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.0 | 8.2 | 9.1 | 7.4 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 7.3 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 88.6 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (temperature 1938–1969, precipitation 1938–2006) | |||||||||||||
People in Raymond Terrace
The 2021 census counted 13,453 people living in Raymond Terrace.
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1921 | 891 | — |
| 1933 | 918 | +3.0% |
| 1947 | — | |
| 1954 | 2,726 | — |
| 1961 | 3,962 | +45.3% |
| 1966 | 4,955 | +25.1% |
| 1971 | 6,086 | +22.8% |
| 1976 | 6,989 | +14.8% |
| 1981 | 7,548 | +8.0% |
| 1986 | 8,793 | +16.5% |
| 1991 | 11,159 | +26.9% |
| 1996 | 12,332 | +10.5% |
| 2001 | 12,482 | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 12,700 | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 13,217 | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 13,302 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 14,081 | +5.9% |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data. | ||
Town Services
Raymond Terrace has many important services for its residents.
Emergency Services
All major emergency services are in the town.
- The police station was rebuilt in William Street.
- The Fire & Rescue New South Wales fire station is on Leisure Way, near Grahamstown Dam.
- The New South Wales Ambulance station is on Adelaide Street, close to the town center.
- The New South Wales Rural Fire Service and State Emergency Service share a building north of town.
- The closest hospitals are in Newcastle (Calvary Mater and John Hunter) and Maitland (Maitland Hospital). They are all about 20-30 minutes away by car.
Schools in Raymond Terrace
The town has four primary schools:
- St Brigid's Catholic Primary
- Raymond Terrace Public School
- Irrawang Public School
- Grahamstown Public School
There are also two high schools:
- Irrawang High School
- Hunter River High School (which used to be called Raymond Terrace High School)
Shopping and Businesses
Raymond Terrace has two main shopping centers in the town center, both on or near William Street.
- The Raymond Terrace Marketplace (opened in 1998) is north-east of William Street. It has supermarkets and many specialty shops, plus a Big W department store.
- Terrace Central (formerly Centro Plaza) is south-west of William Street. It also has supermarkets and specialty shops.
- These two centers are a short walk from each other.
- There are also many shops along William Street and nearby Port Stephens Street and Sturgeon Street.
- An Aldi supermarket opened in 2008, bringing the total number of supermarkets in town to three, all close by.
- In 2011, the Raymond Terrace Marketplace was updated.
A group of prawn trawlers (fishing boats) based in Raymond Terrace catch prawns from the town all the way to Hexham.
Getting Around (Transport)
Raymond Terrace has bus services that help people get around.
- Hunter Valley Buses runs local services within the town and to Newcastle Interchange.
- Port Stephens Coaches offers services to Nelson Bay and Sydney.
- NSW TrainLink road coaches (buses that connect with trains) from Newcastle Interchange to Taree stop in Raymond Terrace.
- Busways services from Hawks Nest to Newcastle also stop here.
Fun and Recreation
Raymond Terrace has several sports teams.
- The Raymond Terrace Magpies are the local Rugby League team. They play in the Newcastle Rugby League Competition.
- In cricket, the town is represented by the Port Stephens Pythons and the Raymond Terrace District Cricket Club. Both teams play at the King Park Sporting Complex.
- Other popular sports include soccer, netball, athletics, golf, and lawn bowls.
The Raymond Terrace Jets lawn bowls team won the NSW Division One State Pennant in 2022. They beat Warilla 61–60 in the final. Famous players like Matthew Baus and Lee Schraner (a world singles champion) play for this club.
There are two clubs with licenses: Muree Golf Club and the Raymond Terrace Bowling Club. There are also several public bars. Most of the sports fields are near the town center, along the Williams and Hunter Rivers. Other fields are in Lakeside, near Grahamstown Dam.
There's a boat ramp next to the Fitzgerald Bridge over the Williams River. This area is popular for water skiing and fishing.
Raymond Terrace in the Movies
In June 2009, it was announced that a movie called Tomorrow, When The War Began would be made. This movie is based on a book by John Marsden. Raymond Terrace was chosen as a main filming location because it was seen as "a great country town."
Historic King Street, which used to be the main street of Raymond Terrace, was changed to look like "Main Street, Wirrawee" for the movie. This transformation started in September 2009. Some of the movie sets included the "Wirrawee Cinema" and the Lee family's Thai restaurant. Filming in King Street happened from October 21 to October 27, 2009. Filming in other parts of the town finished on November 6, 2009.
