City profile
A quick snapshot of the MidCoast Local Government Area, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. MidCoast was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of Gloucester Shire, Great Lakes Council and the City of Greater Taree. Unlike many NSW councils, it isn't built around one dominant city — it's a large, multi-centre LGA spanning Taree (the largest town and an administrative seat), Forster–Tuncurry (the coastal twin towns on the Great Lakes), Gloucester (inland, near Barrington Tops) and Wingham, plus dozens of smaller towns and villages across a stretch of coast, lakes and hinterland roughly 190 km long.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Local Government Area (LGA)
- The official area a council governs.
- Estimated Resident Population (ERP)
- The official population count for an area.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- The national statistics agency behind population figures.
- Population (ERP)
- 98,582ABS Estimated Resident Population, as used in the 2023–24 OLG time-series data (a slightly newer profile.id estimate for 2023 put it at 97,909).
- Area
- 10,053.9 km²One of the largest LGAs in NSW by area.
- Population density
- ~10 people per km²
- Region
- Mid North Coast / Hunter (NSW Government regional grouping), ~300 km north of Sydney
- Council classification
- Regional Town/City (OLG Group 5)
- Formed
- 12 May 2016Merger of the former Gloucester Shire, Great Lakes and Greater Taree councils.
- Main centres
- Taree, Forster–Tuncurry, Gloucester, WinghamNo single dominant city — a selection of towns and localities is listed below.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Taree2430
- Old Bar2430
- Wingham2429
- Forster2428
- Tuncurry2428
- Gloucester2422
- Harrington2427
- Coopernook2426
- Nabiac2312
- Stroud2425
- Bulahdelah2423
- Hawks Nest2324
- Tea Gardens2324
On the map
The shaded area is the official Local Government Area boundary.
The town/locality list and postcodes are a selection of the many places in the MidCoast LGA; some postcodes are shared with neighbouring areas. The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary (OpenStreetMap administrative boundary for MidCoast Council).
Sources — check it yourself
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.