Hawks Nest, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Hawks Nest is a suburb of the Great Lakes Council Local Government Area in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales
, Australia
, located north of Port Stephens
between the Tasman Sea
and the Myall River
. It was named after a large hawk's nest in a tree on the Myall River that was used as a navigational aid.
, 12 km (7.5 mi)) from the Pacific Highway
. It is bordered by the Tasman Sea to the east, the Myall River to the west and Port Stephens to the south. It includes Yacaba, the northern headland of Port Stephens, which rises to 210 metres (689 ft) above mean sea level
. However, the rest of the suburb is generally low, flat, sandy and covered in coastal scrubland, with some bushland
, resulting in the northern part of the suburb being accessible only by four-wheel drive
vehicles until the 1980s.
Hawks Nest is located directly across the river from Tea Gardens
and was connected by the Singing Bridge in 1974. Before this the river crossing was made by a small car ferry. Most (approximately 95%) of the suburb is still uninhabited with the population concentrated around the Hawks Nest township, on the Myall River and Winda Woppa on Port Stephens.
, Hawks Nest had a population of 1,027 living in the southern part of the suburb. While nearby Tea Gardens is primarily a residential and commercial area, Hawks Nest tends to be dominated by holiday rentals and caravan parks which causes the population to vary considerably with the influx of tourists.
on the east (Bennetts Beach or Ocean Beach, as it is commonly referred to) are popular resorts. The Myall Lakes
are a short drive north. Hawks Nest has many shops and cafes catering to the tourist trade and, with its sandy beaches and bush walks, proximity to Sydney, and much greater seclusion than suburbs on the southern shores of Port Stephens, it is a popular weekend getaway for Sydney
siders. Hawks Nest was well known as the location of holiday retreats belonging to then Prime Minister
John Howard
until, in 1998, he decided to abandon his family's regular holiday spot of twenty years due to alleged media harassment. John Howard has returned to Hawks Nest after leaving politics.
The local golf course was designed by Matt Lauder, a professional golfer and nephew of Scottish comedian, Sir Harry Lauder.
Holiday activities in the area include swimming, snorkelling and diving, golfing, bush walking, dolphin and whale spotting, four-wheel driving, Caravanning and Fishing.
Animals such as koala
s, dingo
es and dolphin
s can be observed in the area.
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...
, located north of Port Stephens
Port Stephens
Port Stephens is a large natural harbour located about north-east of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It lies wholly within the Port Stephens Local Government Area although its northern shoreline forms the boundary between the Port Stephens and Great Lakes LGAs...
between the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
and the Myall River
Myall River
The Myall River is a river on the mid-North Coast of the Australian state of New South Wales that empties into Port Stephens, near its mouth with the Tasman Sea.As well as flowing into the Myall Lakes, a number of important settlements exist on the river:...
. It was named after a large hawk's nest in a tree on the Myall River that was used as a navigational aid.
Geography
Hawks Nest is a long (16.5 kilometres (10.3 mi)), thin (typically 1.7 km (1.1 mi)), coastal suburb running northeast to southwest. The suburb is about 220 km (137 mi) north of SydneySydney
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...
, 12 km (7.5 mi)) from the Pacific Highway
Pacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
. It is bordered by the Tasman Sea to the east, the Myall River to the west and Port Stephens to the south. It includes Yacaba, the northern headland of Port Stephens, which rises to 210 metres (689 ft) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. However, the rest of the suburb is generally low, flat, sandy and covered in coastal scrubland, with some bushland
Bushland
Bushland is any area in Australia that is predominantly indigenous flora and fauna.Bushland is the term commonly used by conservation protection groups and other environmental groups as a blanket term for natural vegetation, which may cover any kind of habitat from open shrubby country with few...
, resulting in the northern part of the suburb being accessible only by four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
vehicles until the 1980s.
Hawks Nest is located directly across the river from Tea Gardens
Tea Gardens, New South Wales
Tea Gardens is a locality in the Great Lakes Council Local Government Area, located near the southern extremity of the Mid North Coast and the northern extremity of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia....
and was connected by the Singing Bridge in 1974. Before this the river crossing was made by a small car ferry. Most (approximately 95%) of the suburb is still uninhabited with the population concentrated around the Hawks Nest township, on the Myall River and Winda Woppa on Port Stephens.
Demographics
At the 2006 censusCensus in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Hawks Nest had a population of 1,027 living in the southern part of the suburb. While nearby Tea Gardens is primarily a residential and commercial area, Hawks Nest tends to be dominated by holiday rentals and caravan parks which causes the population to vary considerably with the influx of tourists.
Tourism
Jimmys Beach and the Tasman SeaTasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
on the east (Bennetts Beach or Ocean Beach, as it is commonly referred to) are popular resorts. The Myall Lakes
Myall Lakes
The Myall Lakes are a series of fresh water lakes on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia in Great Lakes Council. The lakes are adjacent to the coast about north of Sydney....
are a short drive north. Hawks Nest has many shops and cafes catering to the tourist trade and, with its sandy beaches and bush walks, proximity to Sydney, and much greater seclusion than suburbs on the southern shores of Port Stephens, it is a popular weekend getaway for 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...
siders. Hawks Nest was well known as the location of holiday retreats belonging to then Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
until, in 1998, he decided to abandon his family's regular holiday spot of twenty years due to alleged media harassment. John Howard has returned to Hawks Nest after leaving politics.
The local golf course was designed by Matt Lauder, a professional golfer and nephew of Scottish comedian, Sir Harry Lauder.
Holiday activities in the area include swimming, snorkelling and diving, golfing, bush walking, dolphin and whale spotting, four-wheel driving, Caravanning and Fishing.
Animals such as koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s, dingo
Dingo
The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
es and dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
s can be observed in the area.