Regional Info

Raymond Terrace is located on the Pacific Highway in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, it is roughly 26km by road north of Newcastle and approx 177 km north of Sydney.

Raymond Terrace is commonly refered to as the Twin Rivers Town due to its location at the confluence of the Hunter and Williams River’s, During recent years the township of Raymond Terrace has established itself as the business and administrative centre for the surrounding areas within the Port Stephens Local Government Area. The township of Raymond Terrace also acts as a service hub for surrounding rural areas.

Major features of the Raymond Terrace area include the CBD, Port Stephens Council Administration Building, Department of Defence (Administration Centre), Port Stephens Local Area Command Headquarters, Grahamstown Dam, Hunter Region Botanic Gardens, Muree Golf Course, King Park Sporting Complex, Boomerang Park and a number of schools.

The Local Economy

Port Stephens is a growth area with a population of over 64,000 people, and an anticipated growth of some 23,000 people over the next 15 years.

Boasting a vibrant economy that attracts new businesses, young families, retirees and everyone in between, Port Stephens is a true investment in your lifestyle, business and employment future. This rapidly growing area is just a two hour drive north of Sydney, has a strong community spirit and an amazing range of sporting, cultural and community organisations.

Newcastle Airport is approximately 30 minutes drive from the two main centres, Raymond Terrace and Nelson Bay, and connects Port Stephens to the rest of Australia with six airlines offering daily services to east coast destinations including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, and the Gold Coast.

The region also offers a highly efficient transport infrastructure providing fast links within the region and to the rest of NSW, Australia and the world. Major employment industries in the region include retail, tourism, government & defence, transport & logistics, manufacturing, and construction.

Key business drivers for the region include Newcastle Airport, Williamtown RAAF Base, Tomago Aluminium and supporting industries play a significant role in the local and regional economy. Residents enjoy all of the lifestyle attributes without the high cost of city living.

For more information about the Port Stephens economy, visit Council’s Economic Development website www.businessportstephens.com.au

Culture and History

 

Raymond Terrace and it’s surrounds was originally occupied by the Worimi Aborigines. There is much debate as to the source of the town’s name with two proposed theories. One suggests the name comes from a member of Lieutenant John Shortland’s party, who explored the area in 1797 and described the ‘terraced’ appearance of the trees. The other refers to a Lieutenant Raymond who travelled with Govenor Macquarie on his first trip up the Hunter River in 1812. Lieutenant-Colonel Paterson, then Lieutenant Governor of NSW, stepped ashore at the river junction in 1801 while on a survey expedition of the Hunter.

Governor Macquarie visited the site in 1812 and 1818 with a view to establishing a new settlement to the north, referring to the site as Raymond Terrace in his journal. Cedar-getters were the first Europeans to inhabit the area and they were soon followed by farmers.

The townsite was surveyed in 1822-23. In 1828, James King was granted 1920 acres 8 km north of present-day Raymond Terrace. Naming his Australian property Irrawang he cleared the land, cultivated wheat, began grazing cattle, bred horses and, from 1833-34, built a homestead. In 1831 he started an experimental vineyard from French, Portuguese and Spanish vines and began making pottery. Both enterprises were soon flourishing. He started more vineyards at Tomago and Seaham and built a winery in 1836. King obtained 100 acres by the Hunter River at Raymond Terrace to facilitate the shipment of his supplies. He became a principal founder of the Hunter River Vineyard Association in 1847.

Raymond Terrace was gazetted in 1837 and land sales began in 1838. A courthouse, police station, steam-driven flour mill and punt were soon established. It became an important shipping centre in the 1840s for wool carted by road from New England. In 1848 there were 263 recorded inhabitants.

Shipping continued into the 1920s but the town had long been in decline by then as traffic was diverted to New England when the Hunter River began silting up. The railway to Maitland also bypassed the town, the wheat was hit by wheat rust and the winegrowers moved on to better pastures elsewhere in the Hunter Valley.

The arrival of industry in the 1930s revived the local economy. The construction of an aluminium smelter at Tomago in the 1980s increased the local population. Tomago, 14 km to the south, was essentially a coal mining village until a rayon plant was built there in 1950. An RAAF base and civil airport was established at Williamtown in 1941.