Forster is a large coastal town in the Mid North Coast

Mid North Coast, New South Wales

The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid to north coast of NSW, beginning at Seal Rocks, 275 km north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolga, 562 km north of Sydney, a distance of roughly...

 region of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, in the Great Lakes Council LGA, about 308 km (191 mi) north-north-east of Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

. It is immediately adjacent to its twin, Tuncurry

Tuncurry, New South Wales

Tuncurry is a coastal town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Great Lakes Council LGA, about north north east of Sydney. It is immediately adjacent to its twin town of Forster, which is the larger of the two towns....

, which is the smaller of the two towns. The usual local pronunciation of the name is 'Foster'.

At the 2006 census, The Forster-Tuncurry area had a population of 18,372 with nearly half that amount being over 55 years of age.

Tourism

Because of its close proximity to Sydney, just over 4 hours drive, Forster-Tuncurry has established itself as a popular summer holiday destination; in the hotter months the population increases considerably.

The school holidays in the colder months also bring a considerable number of holidaymakers. Forster-Tuncurry is predominantly a family holiday location with large lakes and white sandy beaches.

Beaches

The most popular beaches are Forster Main beach and One Mile beach, serviced by Forster and Cape Hawke Surf Lifesaving Clubs respectively. Pebbly Beach is popular with local surfers.

The tiny Forster SLSC achieved national recognition in 1996 when their under-18 beach sprint relay team won gold at the Australian Championships. The team consisted of Steven Yoannidis (CAPT),Toby Pratt, Benjamin Gambrill, Mark Shrewsbury and Aaron Thompson.

History

Forster is named after William Forster, who was briefly Premier of New South Wales and who later served as Agent-General in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.
The first post office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

in Forster opened on 1 October 1872, with John Wyllie Breckenridge as postmaster at a salary of £10 a year.