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A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF
THE CENTRAL COAST REGION
Location
and description
The
Central Coast region of New South Wales lies midway between Sydney and Newcastle
and is strategically located on the F3 Sydney-Newcastle Freeway and Main
Northern Railway. It comprises the Local Government Areas of Gosford City and
Wyong Shire and covers a total area of 1,854 square kilometres, stretching from
the Hawkesbury River in the south to Lake Macquarie in the north and from the
Pacific Ocean in the east to the Judge Dowling Range in the
west.
The
region is well endowed with scenic attractions and has been a popular
destination for day-trippers and holidaymakers (mainly from Sydney) since the
late 1880s. It features 81 kilometres of Pacific Ocean coastline, with many
excellent beaches, and substantial waterways, including the Tuggerah Lakes
system (80 square kilometres) and Brisbane Water (27 square kilometres). The
region also features 674 square kilometres of National Parks and State Forests,
and a substantial proportion of the remainder is zoned rural lands. Urban
settlement is largely confined to the coastal fringe, around the waterways, and
the Narara Valley.
Fig.
1. Location Map
click to enlarge
Climate
The
climate of the Central Coast is classified as temperate. Summers are
warm and winters are mild. On the coast, at Norah
Head Lighthouse, mean daily minimum temperatures range from 9.3 degrees
in July to 19.5 degrees in February, while mean
daily maximum temperatures range from 17.2 degrees in July to 25.2
degrees in February. Located further away from the moderating influence
of the Pacific Ocean, Gosford (measured at Narara Research Station)
experiences greater variations in temperatures. Mean daily minimum
temperatures range from 4.4 degrees in July to 17.1 degrees in February,
while mean daily maximum temperatures range from 17.3 degrees in July to
27.2 degrees in January. See Fig. 2. below for more details.
Fig. 2.
Temperature graphs
click to enlarge
The
mean annual rainfall for Norah Head Lighthouse is 1246.0 mm, with the driest month being August (70.9 mm) and
wettest being February (138.2 mm).
Mean
annual rainfall for Gosford (Narara) is 1320.8 mm, with the driest month being September (70.9 mm)
and wettest being March (149.8 mm). See Fig. 3. below for more details.
Fig.
3. Rainfall graphs
click to enlarge
Population
At
the 2001 Census of Population and Housing, the estimated resident population of
the Central Coast region was 296,258, with 160,760 residing in the Gosford City
Local Government Area and 135,498 in the Wyong Shire Local Government Area.
Most
of the region’s population growth has occurred in the period since the Second
World War, and particularly since the electrification of the railway from Sydney
to Gosford in 1960 and the opening of the first stage of the freeway in 1965.
The vast majority of this growth has been due to in-migration (mainly from
Sydney) rather than from natural increase (i.e. births minus deaths).
Apart
from improved accessibility and reduced travel times to Sydney, the major
factors driving population growth have been the availability of relatively
affordable housing, rapidly rising house prices and rents in Sydney, and the
region’s abundance of scenic attractions, opportunities for leisure and
recreation, and the promise of a better lifestyle.
Economy
Essentially,
the Central Coast’s economy is driven by (1) its continuing rapid rate of
population growth and (2) the need to service this growing resident population,
as well as the large number of tourists who visit the region each year.
Hence, the largest employment sectors in the local economy are construction,
property and business services, retailing and health and community services.
However,
the creation of new jobs has never been able to keep pace with the rate of
population growth. As a result, around one-third of the region’s resident
employed population commutes to Sydney each day for work. Furthermore, the
region has experienced significantly higher than average rates of unemployment,
particularly for youth.
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