Forster, New South Wales

Town in New South Wales, Australia

32°10′50″S 152°30′42″E / 32.18056°S 152.51167°E / -32.18056; 152.51167Population14,187 (2021 census)^[1]Postcode(s)2428^[2]Elevation6 m (20 ft)Time zoneAEST (UTC+10) • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC+11)Location

308 km (191 mi) NNE of Sydney
166 km (103 mi) NNE of Newcastle
633 km (393 mi) S of Brisbane
37 km (23 mi) S of Taree
65 km (40 mi) NE of Bulahdelah

LGA(s)Mid-Coast CouncilRegion Mid North Coast County Gloucester State electorate(s)Myall Lakes Federal division(s)Lyne

Localities around Forster:
Tuncurry	Tuncurry	Tasman Sea
Wallis Island	Forster	Tasman Sea
Coomba Park	Pacific Palms	Tasman Sea

Forster is a coastal town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Coast Council LGA, about 308 km north-north-east of Sydney.^[3] It is immediately adjacent to its twin, Tuncurry, which is the smaller of the two towns. Forster is known for its stunning waters and Manning Valley beauty.

History

Forster is named after William Forster, who also was the 4th Premier of New South Wales and who later served as Agent-General in London.^[4] The first post office in Forster opened on 1 October 1872, with John Wyllie Breckenridge as postmaster at a salary of £10 a year.^[5]

The area was well known in the early days for its timber cutting and sawmills. Timber was collected from the lakes and rivers by the logpunts (droghers).

A bridge over the Coolongolook River that marks the entrance to Wallis Lake was built in 1959 linking Forster and Tuncurry and replacing the punt service that had operated since 1890.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census of Population, there were 14,187 people in Forster.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 6.3% of the population.
81.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England (with 3.2%) and New Zealand (with 1.2%).
90.1% of people spoke only English at home.
The most common responses for religion were No Religion (with 34.7%), Anglican (with 22.7%) and Catholic (with 20.2%).^[1]

Tourism

Because of its close proximity to Sydney, just under 4 hours drive, Forster–Tuncurry has established itself as a popular summer holiday destination; in the hotter months the population increases considerably. Due to this most of its shops and restaurants work on seasonal income, with some opening in the summer months exclusively.

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. Notable nearby attractions the Bicentennial Trail, Cape Hawke, and Booti Booti National Park.^[6]

The most popular beaches are Forster Main Beach, Burgess Beach, and One Mile Beach, serviced by Forster and Cape Hawke Surf Lifesaving Clubs respectively. One Mile Beach, Pebbly Beach and Tuncurry Beach are popular with local surfers. Forster's ocean pool and the Tuncurry rock pool are very popular destinations for those with families.

Climate

Forster experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa, Trewartha: Cfal/Cfbl); with warm summers and mild winters; and with a moderately high precipitation amount of 1,176.4 millimetres (47.99 in). The highest temperature recorded at Forster was 43.0 °C (109.4 °F) on 1 December 2004; the lowest recorded was 1.0 °C (33.8 °F) on 29 May 2019. On average, it has 124.5 clear days annually.

Climate data for Forster (1999–2020 normals, extremes 1896–2023)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	41.0 (105.8)	38.0 (100.4)	33.5 (92.3)	33.0 (91.4)	28.2 (82.8)	26.4 (79.5)	25.5 (77.9)	30.0 (86.0)	39.1 (102.4)	37.0 (98.6)	36.0 (96.8)	43.0 (109.4)	43.0 (109.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	26.6 (79.9)	26.5 (79.7)	25.6 (78.1)	23.9 (75.0)	21.3 (70.3)	18.9 (66.0)	18.4 (65.1)	19.5 (67.1)	21.6 (70.9)	22.8 (73.0)	23.9 (75.0)	25.5 (77.9)	22.9 (73.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	19.7 (67.5)	19.5 (67.1)	17.9 (64.2)	15.2 (59.4)	12.0 (53.6)	10.0 (50.0)	8.7 (47.7)	9.2 (48.6)	11.8 (53.2)	14.0 (57.2)	16.4 (61.5)	18.1 (64.6)	14.4 (57.9)
Record low °C (°F)	12.0 (53.6)	14.0 (57.2)	11.5 (52.7)	6.6 (43.9)	1.0 (33.8)	3.9 (39.0)	2.5 (36.5)	2.0 (35.6)	4.7 (40.5)	5.6 (42.1)	9.0 (48.2)	10.0 (50.0)	1.0 (33.8)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	104.7 (4.12)	121.1 (4.77)	146.6 (5.77)	101.8 (4.01)	110.2 (4.34)	118.6 (4.67)	74.6 (2.94)	58.1 (2.29)	58.0 (2.28)	77.1 (3.04)	115.4 (4.54)	86.4 (3.40)	1,176.4 (46.31)
Average precipitation days	11.0	11.1	13.0	12.2	12.1	12.2	10.2	8.6	9.0	10.3	12.3	11.6	133.6
Average relative humidity (%)	73	74	70	69	64	68	63	59	64	68	72	72	68
Source 1: Bureau of Meteorology, Forster-Tuncurry Marine Rescue (1991–2020)^[7]
Source 2: Bureau of Meteorology, Forster-Tuncurry Marine Rescue (all years)^[8]

Clubs

Forster has a range of sporting clubs in the area.

Forster Bodyboarding Club
Cape Hawke Surf Club
Pacific Palms Surf Life Saving Club
Black Head Surf Life Saving Club
Forster-Tuncurry Hawks Rugby League Club
Great Lakes United Football Club

Notable people

Bruce Cowan – Australian politician
Courtney Houssos – New South Wales politician
Jamal Idris – former rugby league player
Ben Jeffries – former rugby league player
Adam Pearce – football player
Scott Hill – rugby league player
Luke Ricketson – former rugby league player was born in Forster before moving to Sydney as a young child
Jack River – musician

References

^ ^a ^b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Forster". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
^ Forster Postcode Australia Post
^ "Forster". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
^ Reed, A.W. (1969) Place-Names of New South Wales: Their Origins and Meanings, Sydney: A.H & A.W. Reed
^ "Images". NSW State Records. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
^ "Forster". Destination NSW. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
^ "Forster (Forster-Tuncurry Marine Rescue) 1991–2020 averages". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
^ "Forster (Forster-Tuncurry Marine Rescue) all years". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 18 March 2023.