City of Gosford

City of Gosford New South Wales
Location of the former City of Gosford in New South Wales
Coordinates	33°26′S 151°13′E / 33.433°S 151.217°E / -33.433; 151.217Coordinates: 33°26′S 151°13′E / 33.433°S 151.217°E / -33.433; 151.217
Population	162,440 (2011 census)[1] (24th)
• Density	172.81/km2 (447.6/sq mi)
Abolished	12 May 2016 (2016-05-12)
Area	940 km2 (362.9 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Mayor	Lawrie McKinna (Independent)
Council seat	Gosford
Region	Central Coast
State electorate(s)	Gosford Terrigal The Entrance
Federal Division(s)	Robertson Dobell
Website	City of Gosford
LGAs around City of Gosford: Cessnock Wyong Tasman Sea Hawkesbury City of Gosford Tasman Sea Hornsby Pittwater Tasman Sea

The City of Gosford was a local government area located on the Central Coast region, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. On 12 May 2016 the Minister for Local Government abolished the City of Gosford and Wyong Shire. The Central Coast Council was established on the same day, covering the combined areas.^[2]

Until its dissolution in 2016, The City of Gosford covered an area of 940 square kilometres (360 sq mi). Its administrative seat was located in Gosford, approximately 83 kilometres (52 mi) north of Sydney and approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) south of Newcastle. The City was bounded to the east by the Tasman Sea, to the south by Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury River, to the west by the Great North Road where it encircled the Dharug National Park taking in the catchment area of the Mangrove Creek Dam, before heading south–east towards the coast, north of Forresters Beach.

As at the 2011 Census, the Gosford local government area had an estimated population of 162,440, making the area the twelfth most populous local government area in New South Wales, and the twenty–fourth most populous local government area in Australia. Census data shows that the area has a high proportion of elderly residents than the national median; reflecting the colloquial term for the area as God's Waiting Room.^[3]

The last Mayor of the City of Gosford was Cr. Lawrie McKinna, an independent politician.^[4]

Suburbs and localities

The local government area included a moderately densely populated coastal strip that extended northward from the Hawkesbury River, and an extensive sparsely-populated region to the west that was largely native bush. The towns and villages located within the City of Gosford were:

Demographics

At the 2011 Census, there were 162,440 people in Gosford local government area, of these 48.2% were male and 51.8% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.2% of the population. The median age of people in the City of Gosford was 42 years; significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.7% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 19.2% of the population, compared to 14.0% being the national median of people aged over 65 years. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 48.6% were married and 13.8% were either divorced or separated.^[1]

Population growth in the City of Gosford between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census was 2.67%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census, population growth was 2.71%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the Gosford local government area was nearly one third below the national average.^[5] The median weekly income for residents within the City of Gosford was approximately 10% lower than the national average.^[1][6]

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Gosford local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 78% of all residents. In excess of 60% of all residents in the City of Gosford nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was significantly higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Gosford local government area had a lower than average proportion (7.5%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a higher proportion (89.9%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).^[1]

Selected historical census data for the City of Gosford local government area
Census year			1991	1996	2001[5]	2006[6]	2011[1]
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	128,781	144,840	154,045	158,157	162,440
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales				9th	12th
		% of New South Wales population	2.25%	2.40%	2.42%		2.35%
		% of Australian population	0.76%	0.81%	0.82%	0.80%	0.76%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		English					31.5%
		Australian					30.4%
		Irish					9.2%
		Scottish					7.5%
		German					2.3%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Spanish			0.2%	0.3%	0.4%
		Italian			0.4%	0.3%	0.4%
		German			0.3%	0.3%	0.4%
		Cantonese			0.2%	0.2%	0.3%
		Mandarin			n/c	n/c	0.3%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican			31.2%	28.5%	26.7%
		Catholic			26.3%	25.6%	25.6%
		No Religion			12.3%	15.4%	19.8%
		Uniting Church			6.0%	5.2%	4.4%
		Presbyterian and Reformed			4.1%	3.5%	3.2%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income				A$438	A$534
		% of Australian median income				94.0%	92.5%
Family income		Median weekly family income				A$944	A$1,395
		% of Australian median income				91.9%	94.2%
Household income		Median weekly household income				A$1,147	A$1,089
		% of Australian median income				98.0%	88.2%

Council

Current composition and election method

Gosford City Council was composed of ten Councillors elected proportionally as one entire ward. All Councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The most recent popular election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council was as follows:^[7] The Mayor and Deputy Mayor were elected annually by the Councillors at a special meeting of the Council in September.

The final Council, elected in 2012 and abolished in 2016, in order of election, were:^[7]

Rumbalara

The council initially founded the Rumbalara Youth Refuge, which was later incorporated into Coast Shelter.

References

External links

• Article confirming the dissolution of the council
• Gosford City Council official website
• Gosford City Council Access to Information (GIPA/FOI) Site
• Central Coast Tourism
• Central Coast Economic Development Organisation website
• NSW Department of Local Government: Suburbs and Towns in Gosford Council (includes map)
• Flickr group Woy Woy to Wyoming, pictures of the Gosford City Council area