Features

The Great Lakes Council area is located on the eastern seaboard between Port Stephens in the south, Hallidays Point in the north and the foothills of the Great Dividing Range to the west. Part of the Hunter Region, the Council area is 3,373 square kilometres in area, comprising both coastal and forested rural hinterland. It is 85 kilometres at its widest point, 62 kilometres north to south, and has a total coastline of 145 kilometres. Forster is the largest town in the Council area and is 320 kilometres north of Sydney and 168 kilometres north of Newcastle.

One third of the total Council area is made up of national parks (62,874 hectares) and state forests (57,000 hectares). The combination of 5 national parks, 10 state forests, mountain ranges, rolling hills and valleys, a triple lake system, numerous rivers and 27 beaches has turned the Great Lakes into a major recreational area.

Great Lakes is a large rural area (3,373-sq. klm) with dispersed population centres.

Last Updated  09 November 2006