Hunter Region

Hunter Region New South Wales
View across the Hunter Valley
The mouth of the Hunter River at Newcastle
Hunter Region The Hunter Region
Coordinates	32°33′36″S 151°10′15″E / 32.56000°S 151.17083°E / -32.56000; 151.17083
Population	682,465 (2021)[1][note 1]
• Density	30.07222/km2 (77.88670/sq mi)
Area	22,694.2 km2 (8,762.3 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Location	162 km (101 mi) N of Sydney
LGA(s)	Greater Newcastle LGAs City of Cessnock City of Lake Macquarie City of Maitland City of Newcastle Port Stephens Council Other Hunter LGAs Dungog Shire Muswellbrook Shire Singleton Council Upper Hunter Shire
State electorate(s)	Cessnock Charlestown Lake Macquarie Maitland Newcastle Port Stephens Swansea Upper Hunter Wallsend
Federal division(s)	Hunter Lyne Newcastle Paterson Shortland
Localities around Hunter Region: North West Slopes New England Mid North Coast Central West Hunter Region Tasman Sea Greater Sydney Central Coast Tasman Sea

The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, is a region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately 162 km (101 mi) to 310 km (193 mi) north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and south.^[2] Situated at the northern end of the Sydney Basin bioregion, the Hunter Valley is one of the largest river valleys on the NSW coast, and is most commonly known for its wineries and coal industry.

Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within 25 km (16 mi) of the coast, with 55% of the entire population living in the cities of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. There are numerous other towns and villages scattered across the region in the eleven local government areas (LGAs) that make up the region. At the 2021 census the combined population of the region was 682,465, and is expected to reach over 1,000,000 people by 2031.^[3] Under Australia's wine appellation system, the Hunter Valley wine zone Australian Geographical Indication (GI) covers the entire catchment of the Hunter River and its tributaries. Within that, the Hunter region is almost as large, and includes most of the wine-producing areas, excluding the metropolitan area of Newcastle and nearby coastal areas, some national parks, and any land that was in the Mudgee Shire (at the western heights of the catchment).

The Hunter wine region is one of Australia's best known wine regions, playing a pivotal role in the history of Australian wine as one of the first wine regions planted in the early 19th century. The success of the Hunter Valley wine industry has been dominated by its proximity to Sydney with its settlement and plantings in the 19th century fuelled by the trade network that linked the Hunter Valley to Sydney. The steady demand of consumers from Sydney continues to drive much of the Hunter Valley wine industry, including a factor in the economy by the tourism industry.^[4] While the Hunter Valley has been supplanted by the massive Riverina wine region as the largest producer of New South Wales wine, it still accounts for around 3% of Australia's total wine production and is one of the country's most recognisable regions.^[5]

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