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City of Lake Macquarie

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This article is about the local government area. For the lake, see Lake Macquarie (New South Wales).

The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area in the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The city is situated adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is widely considered as a part of the Greater Newcastle area.[11] The city is approximately 150 km (93 mi) north of Sydney. One of its major tourist attractions is its lake, also named Lake Macquarie.

City of Lake Macquarie
New South Wales
Lake Macquarie, after which the LGA is named
Location in Greater Newcastle
Map
Coordinates33°02′S 151°38′E / 33.033°S 151.633°E / -33.033; 151.633
Population213,845 (2021 census)[1] (23rd)
 • Density315/km2 (820/sq mi)
Established
  • 1906 (shire)
  • 1977 (municipality)
  • 1984 (city)
Area648 km2 (250.2 sq mi)[2]
Time zoneAEST (UTC 10)
 • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC 11)
MayorAdam Shultz (Labor)
Council seatSpeers Point
RegionHunter[3]
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
WebsiteCity of Lake Macquarie
LGAs around City of Lake Macquarie:
Maitland Newcastle Newcastle
Cessnock City of Lake Macquarie Tasman Sea
Central Coast, Cessnock Central Coast Tasman Sea

The mayor of the City of Lake Macquarie Council is Councillor Adam Shultz, a member of the Labor Party.[12]

The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Tobruk was granted the Right of Freedom of Entry to the City of Lake Macquarie on 9 August 1991.[13]

History

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The Shire of Lake Macquarie was proclaimed on 6 March 1906. It became a Municipality on 1 March 1977, and a city on 7 September 1984.[14][15]

Suburbs, towns and villages

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Lake Macquarie is home to several prominent coastal suburbs such as Catherine Hill Bay, Caves Beach, Blacksmiths and Redhead. Retail and commercial centres include Belmont, Cardiff, Charlestown Glendale, Swansea, Toronto and Morisset.

The towns and villages in the City of Lake Macquarie are split into three wards – East, North and West.[16] These include:

The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies various towns and suburbs in the LGA as being part of the Greater Newcastle Statistical District. The City of Lake Macquarie has its own independent local government (Lake Macquarie City Council). The largest commercial centre in the area is Charlestown.

Demographics

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Lake Macquarie suburbs (2021)
Charlestown 13,601
Cameron Park 9,977
Warners Bay 8,237
Belmont 7,289
Cooranbong 7,077
Eleebana 6,460
Edgeworth 6,401

The area is a set of contiguous towns that surround a coastal saltwater lake. These towns merge with the suburbs of Newcastle to the north. Some suburbs, such as Adamstown Heights are partly in the City of Newcastle and partly within the City of Lake Macquarie. There are 92 identified settlements ranging from small rural style communities through to larger and higher density areas such as Toronto, Warners Bay, Belmont, Charlestown and Morisset.

At the 2011 census, there were 189,006 people in the Lake Macquarie local government area, of these 48.8% were male and 51.2% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.0% of the population, which was higher than the national and state averages. The median age of people in the City of Lake Macquarie was 41 years, which was significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.6% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 18.4% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 51.0% were married and 12.2% were either divorced or separated.[23]

Population growth in the City of Lake Macquarie between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 3.36%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census, population growth was 3.20%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in Lake Macquarie local government area was approximately half the national average.[24] The median weekly income for residents within the City of Lake Macquarie was marginally below the national average.[23][25]

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Lake Macquarie local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 81% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 58% of all residents in the City of Lake Macquarie nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was slightly higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Lake Macquarie local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (5.4%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (93.0%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).[23]

 
Lake Macquarie at Croudace Bay
Selected historical census data for Lake Macquarie local government area
Census year 2001[24] 2006[25] 2011[23] 2016[26] 2021[1]
Population Estimated residents on Census night 177,185 183,138 189,006 197,371 213,845
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales   4th   4th   13th
% of New South Wales population 2.73%   2.64%   2.65%
% of Australian population 0.94%   0.92%   0.88%   0.84%   0.84%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses 		Australian 33.7%   32.0%   42.7%
English 32.2%   31.9%   43.9%
Scottish 8.2%   8.6%   11.8%
Irish 7.7%   8.3%   10.9%
German 3.0%   3.1%
Language,
top responses
(other than English) 		Italian 0.3%   0.3%   0.3%   0.2%
Macedonian 0.3%   0.3%   0.3%   0.3%   0.2%
Mandarin 0.3%   0.3%
Italian 0.3%   0.2%
German 0.3%   0.3%   0.3%   0.2%   0.2%
Cantonese n/c   0.2%   0.2%
Spanish n/c n/c   0.2%   0.2%   0.2%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses 		No Religion 12.5%   15.5%   19.7%   28.9%   42.0%
Anglican 29.1%   27.6%   26.2%   21.3%   15.7%
Catholic 23.0%   22.9%   22.8%   20.8%   18.0%
Uniting Church 10.0%   8.8%   5.8%   5.9%   4.1%
Presbyterian and Reformed 4.4%   4.0%   3.6%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income Median weekly personal income A$394 A$520 A$609 A$759
% of Australian median income 84.5% 90.1%   92%   94.3%
Family income Median weekly family income A$922 A$1,396 A$1,610 A$2,050
% of Australian median income 89.8% 94.3%   92.8%   96.7%
Household income Median weekly household income A$1,102 A$1,177 A$1,313 A$1,623
% of Australian median income 94.1% 90.5%   91.3%   93.0%

Economics

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Lake Macquarie has a significant coal mining industry and smaller agriculture and manufacturing industries. Eraring power station, a 1980s-era coal-fired power station, supplies 25% of New South Wales' power.[27] Lake Macquarie has a number of Constructed Wetlands with the council placing an emphasis on the environment.

Council

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See also: List of mayors of Lake Macquarie
 
Speers Point, which is shown in relation to Newcastle, is the seat of government for the city of Lake Macquarie.

Current composition and election method

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Lake Macquarie City Council is composed of thirteen councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is directly elected while the twelve other Councillors are elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing four Councillors. The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024, and the makeup of the council, including the mayor, is as follows:

Party Councillors
  Labor 6
  Liberal 3
  Lake Mac Independents 3
  Independent 1
Total 13

The current Council, elected in 2024, in order of election by ward, is:

Ward Councillor Party Notes
Mayor   Adam Shultz Labor
East Ward   Christine Buckley Labor
  Matt Shultz Liberal
Stacey Radcliffe Labor
  Michael Hannah Lake Mac Independents
North Ward   Colin Grigg Lake Mac Independents
  Jack Antcliff Liberal
  Brian Adamthwaite Labor
  Keara Conroy Labor
West Ward   Kate Warner Lake Mac Independents
  Madeline Bishop Labor
  Jason Pauling Liberal
  Anthony Swinsburg Independent

Election results

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2024

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This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 New South Wales local elections in Hunter § Lake Macquarie results.[edit]
2024 New South Wales local elections: Lake Macquarie
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Labor 46,239 35.2 −4.0 5   1
  Liberal 30,363 23.1 −2.6 3  
  Lake Mac Independents 28,530 21.7 2.3 3  
  Greens 13,257 10.1 0.3 0  
  Community First Independents 2,942 2.2 0  
  Our Local Community 2,819 2.1 0  
  Independents 7,221 5.5 1.9 1   1
 Formal votes 131,371 92.8
 Informal votes 10,133 7.2
 Total 141,504 12
 Registered voters / turnout

2021

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This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2021 New South Wales local elections in Hunter § Lake Macquarie.[edit]
2021 New South Wales local elections: Lake Macquarie[28]
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Labor 50,340 39.2 6   1
  Liberal 33,078 25.7 3  
  Lake Mac Independents 24,922 19.4 3  
  Greens 12,571 9.8 0  
  Independent 4,661 3.6 0  
  Shooters, Fishers, Farmers 29,80 2.3 0  
 Formal votes 128,552

Shopping

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Major shopping centres include:

Arts and culture

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Lake Macquarie has a number of cultural and artistic locations:[29]

  • Dobell House – last residence of William Dobell, Wangi Wangi
  • Finite Gallery, Caves Beach Fine Arts and Crafts
  • Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, Booragul
  • South Sea Islands Museum and Sunnyside Historic Home, Cooranbong
  • The Friends of Rathmines Incorporated, Rathmines Park

Sister cities

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The City of Lake Macquarie has sister city relations with the following cities:[30]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e Shared with City of Newcastle

References

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  1. ^ a b "2021 Lake Macquarie, Census All persons QuickStats". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "2011 Community Profiles: Lake Macquarie (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 10 September 2012.  
  3. ^ "Suburb Search – Local Council Boundaries – Hunter (HT) – Lake Macquarie City Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  4. ^ "Lake Macquarie Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Swansea Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Charlestown Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Cessnock Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  8. ^ "Wallsend Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Shortland". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  10. ^ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017–18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
  11. ^ "Greater Newcastle metropolitan planning – Department of Planning and Environment". planning.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  12. ^ "Lake Macquarie City Council Results (2016)". Lake Macquarie City Council. 19 September 2016. Archived from the original on 26 March 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  13. ^ Piper, Greg (April 2010). "Legend of ANZAC". p. 6. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  14. ^ "Council History: Lake Macquarie City Council". City of Lake Macquarie. 2 March 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  15. ^ "Hunter History Highlights". Hunter Valley Research Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  16. ^ "Updated Ward Boundaries". Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  17. ^ Shared with North Ward
  18. ^ Shared with Central Coast Council
  19. ^ Shared with Central Coast Council
  20. ^ Shared with North Ward
  21. ^ Shared with East Ward
  22. ^ Shared with East Ward
  23. ^ a b c d Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Lake Macquarie (C) (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 September 2012.  
  24. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Lake Macquarie (C)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 December 2012.  
  25. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Lake Macquarie (C)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  26. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Lake Macquarie (C)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 6 November 2018.  
  27. ^ "Eraring Power Station". Hunter New England Area Health Service. 2005. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  28. ^ "City of Lake Macquarie". ABC News.
  29. ^ "Arts and Culture – Lake Macquarie NSW Accommodation & Holiday Rentals – tourist visitor information & guide, accommodation bookings, attractions, activities, NSW maps & much more". Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  30. ^ "Sister Cities". Lake Macquarie City Council. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  31. ^ "Round Rock, Texas Political Structure". Round Rock City Council. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for City of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales.
 
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