Hinterland Place Plan

The Hinterland of Port Stephens is a district of small villages and rural communities, defined by its three rivers, and the rich agricultural lands. It is located west of Raymond Terrace and extends upriver as far as Glen Oak in the east and Duns Creek in the west.

The Hinterland continues to grow with almost 6,000 people calling the Hinterland home. There’s so much opportunity to improve connectivity (including walking and cycle paths), new experiences and bespoke local business. Growing the visitor economy is one way to achieve this and was a priority discussion during community engagement activities back in 2020.

Council is working on connecting the community’s aspirations for the Hinterland with the sites and people who can deliver them. Opportunities for the community to lead these ideas have been explored and will be prioritised, so ideas and concepts can be directly aligned with the Hinterland’s competitive advantages.

This Place Plan will consolidate the Hinterland’s strengths, ambitions, and identify short, medium and long-term actions that Council and the communities can work on to create opportunities. This Place Plan also sets out a pathway to nurture everything that’s already great about the Hinterland!

Liveability score

In August 2020, we teamed up with Place Score to complete our first-ever place census. Over 3,700 people across the LGA, including people who live, play and visit The Hinterland, told us what they value and how they rate the district. The survey results helped us identify the priorities for the Hinterland community and plan accordingly.

Download the Liveability index for Hinterland to learn more about what the residents said they value most in this area.

Place Plan phases

Council endorsed the plan on Tuesday 14 November 2023.

This page will be updated as milestones are achieved. Watch this space to see the progress of the Hinterland Place Plan.

Downloads

Town teams event

In May 2023, Port Stephens Council joined forces with the Town Teams Movement, a non-profit company that enables local communities and governments to connect, organise and act to regenerate the fabric of their neighbourhoods and to create better places.

Port Stephens Council was the first Council in NSW to actively promote the Town Teams approach, and we're proud to be working with the local community to create vibrant places that support social wellbeing and enhance liveability.

A series of Town Team launch events will be held in the Hinterland on 5 and 6 March 2024, where community members can learn more and discuss their ideas for community projects.

Casual meetings will later be held in the community to progress some of these ideas. Should you wish to learn more on how to get involved please contact Dean Cracknell from Town Teams on 0468 38 1745 or email dean@townteammovement.com

Completed Projects and Events:

See some of the completed projects and events that have improved the vibrancy of the town.

Community grants

Our funding program gives eligible individuals, artists, community organisations, not-for-profits, businesses, students and others the opportunity to apply for funds to deliver initiatives that make a real difference to local communities and our region. These funding programs play a pivotal role in building capacity by supporting initiatives that enhance the social, cultural, environmental and economic life of our communities.

The Hinterland Place Plan provides lots of inspiration for projects that would qualify under the grants program. Visit our Grants page for more information.

Contact us

Contact our Vibrant Places team on 4988 0255 or via email on Vibrantplaces@portstephens.nsw.gov.au to arrange a time to talk about your place planning idea or project.