Forster, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place
type = town
name = Forster
state = nsw


imagesize =
caption =
pop = 18,372
pop_footnotes = (Forster-Tuncurry) Census 2006 AUS | id = UCL130800 | name = Forster-Tuncurry (Urban Centre/Locality)|quick = on|accessdate=2007-12-29]
poprank =
density =
density_footnotes =
est =
postcode = 2428
coordinates = coord|32|11|6|S|152|30|51|E|type:town_region:AU-NSW|display=inline,title
elevation = 6
elevation_footnotes=
area =
area_footnotes =
timezone = AEST
utc = +10
timezone-dst = AEDT
utc-dst = +11
propval = $330,000
dist1 = 308
dir1 = NNE
location1 = Sydney
dist2 = 166
dir2 = NNE
location2 = Newcastle
lga = Great Lakes Council
region = Mid North Coast
county =
stategov = Myall Lakes
fedgov = Paterson
near-n = Tuncurry
near-ne = Tasman Sea
near-e = Tasman Sea
near-se = Tasman Sea
near-s =
near-sw =
near-w =
near-nw = Tuncurry

Forster is a large coastal town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Great Lakes Council LGA, about convert|308|km|mi|0|lk=on|abbr=on north-north-east of Sydney. It is immediately adjacent to its twin, Tuncurry, 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.

Tourism

Because of its close proximity to Sydney, 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 considerable amounts of holidaymakers.

Forster-Tuncurry is predominantly a family holiday location with large lakes and white sandy beaches. Many visitors take up residence in the growing number of high-rise apartments, though many still prefer the family-oriented caravan park.

Beaches

The most popular beaches are Forster Main beach and One Mile beach, serviced by Forster and Cape Hawke Surf Lifesaving Clubs respectively.

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 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. [ Reed, A.W. (1969) "Place-Names of New South Wales: Their Origins and Meanings", Sydney: A.H & A.W. Reed] The first post office in Forster opened on 1 October 1872, with John Wyllie Breckenridge as postmaster at a salary of £10 a year. [ Post Office records, Sydney]

References