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About the shire

In addition to the information presented below clicking on the menu items in the navigation bar on the left hand side of the page will present a range of other information. The Gloucester Shire Council Local Government Area covers 2,918 sq km. Its terrain is rugged with Gloucester and its Villages surrounded by hills, forests and streams.

The Council is located in the north-eastern section of the Hunter Region of New South Wales (Manning Sub-region) and borders on five other local government areas: Great Lakes, Dungog, Scone, Walcha and the Greater Taree City Council.

The town of Gloucester is the major commercial and urban centre of the area and is 310km north of Sydney, 125km north of Newcastle and 78km west of Taree. It lies within a fertile valley flanked on the western side by the Bucketts Range and on the east by the Mograni Range.

A number of important river systems dissect the region from west to east, rising in the Barrington Tops world heritage listed wilderness area and flowing out to sea through the Manning River. The three principal rivers are:

• The Barrington River
• The Gloucester River
• The Avon River.

The Gloucester Council, although generally included with the Hunter Region for administrative functions, is also included as part of the Mid North Coast Region for many Federal Government services such as Centrelink, Valuer General (VG) (State) and the majority of Federal funding Programmes administered via the Area Consultative Committee (ACC) network.

The Gloucester township has the main retail shopping centre and commercial industries of the district. Council Headquarters are located in the town, as is the Hospital. The main schools are also situated within the township.

Within the area, there are five small Villages:

• Barrington
• Bundook
• Copeland
• Craven
• Stratford

Barrington to the north-west and Stratford to the south are growing in population and housing. The towns of Wards River and Stroud, although part of the Great Lakes Council, are often related to the Gloucester area for shopping, schools and medical facilities due to their close geographical proximity to Gloucester.

Climate

• Gloucester is 100m above sea level
• Average rainfall is 985mm per annum
• Average maximum temperature - 24.5 degrees Celsius
• Average minimum temperature - 10.5 degrees Celsius
• Highest temperatures occur generally in December, January, February, when average maximum is around 30 degrees Celsius
• Lowest average minimum around 2 degrees Celsius occurs at the end of June

A Snapshot of Gloucester

The Profile.ID is an anaylsis of the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Data Comparison with previous years statistics and other localities and regions is a feature of the system.

Go to Profile.ID.

Information on Tourism and the Gloucester Visitors Information Centre.

Vision - "To identify the opportunities which will maximise the benefits available through sustainable tourism growth whilst retaining the character of the Gloucester District".

Gloucester Tourist Information Centre deals with an average of 45 enquiries per day. Information sought covers bushwalking, canoeing, scenic drives, attractions and other activities. A major area of enquiry is regarding local accommodation which ranges from motels, hotels, bed and breakfast, farmstay, country retreat through to luxury resort style accommodation. A free accommodation booking service is available through the Centre.

Local arts, crafts, paintings, souvenirs and maps are available from the Centre which is open 7 days a week.

The full time Tourist Officer is assisted by some 20 volunteers.

The Centre can be contacted by telephoning 02 6558 1408.

The website for the Centre can be accessed by clicking here & please click information@gloucester.nsw.gov.au to mail the Visitors information centre.

© 2006 Gloucester Shire Council
Last Modified: Friday, 16-Nov-2007 10:48:02 EST
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