PORT Stephens Council has unanimously endorsed the development of a Roads Futures Strategy to “strengthen long-term planning and deliver more resilient and sustainable local roads”. The Strategy will outline Council’s long-term vision to support population growth, improve safety and strengthen sustainability of local roads across Port Stephens. Port Stephens Council manages a road network of […]

TRIBUTES have flowed for John Lohan, 59, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) firefighter who lost his life protecting the townships of Bulahdelah and Nerong. In a statement to social media, the NPWS said Mr Lohan was a “treasured and long-serving staff member” who was based at the service’s Lake Munmorah depot for […]

CATTLE and dairy farmers have welcomed the government’s decision to legalise virtual stock fencing, which involves using GPS collars to control the animals through audio cues and electric shocks. The move is expected to reduce physical fencing costs, improve rotational grazing systems, and provide remote access to data on the welfare of herds. Minister for […]

PORT STEPHENS Council is implementing measures to support a better experience for locals and visitors at Birubi Point during the busy summer holiday period. General Manager Tim Crosdale said, “Our peak season management plan guides our approach, and this holiday period it will include extra linemarking, additional onsite signage, increased Council Ranger presence, VMS early […]

SURF Life Saving drones will be in the air earlier and for longer this summer as the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) steps up shark surveillance. The NSW Government has allocated an extra $2.5m for shark management following the recent deaths of a female tourist near Crowdy Bay and a local surfer on Sydney’s Northern […]

MORE than 1000 jobs at a troubled aluminium smelter are secure after the federal government confirmed it would keep the site running with taxpayer support. Rio Tinto, majority owner of the massive Tomago smelter, had for months been threatening to shut down the plant due to spiralling energy costs after 2028, when its electricity contract […]

THREE teens and a child have been charged after an alleged highway pursuit. About 6.50am on Tuesday 9 December 2025, officers attached to Port-Stephens Hunter Police District attempted to stop a vehicle on the Pacific Highway, Heatherbrae. When the vehicle allegedly failed to stop as directed, a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle allegedly continued towards […]

MARINE Rescue NSW volunteers across the state returned 823 people safely to shore during November, completing more than 370 search and rescue missions including 108 emergency responses. Acting Commissioner Todd Andrews said demand remains high for the volunteer service. “Following successive record months in September and October, our volunteers were in high demand throughout November, […]

PORT Stephens, the surrounding reefs and islands have the well-earned reputation as being a graveyard for shipping. It was thought that the establishing of a lighthouse on Point Stephens in 1862 would solve the problem. Unfortunately this was not to be the case, particularly for Captain Thomas Kehoe who continually ran aground. From the 1860s, […]

THE NSW Government is rewriting the framework that determines road management in NSW, announcing a new road recategorisation system this week. The move comes in an attempt to provide local councils with certainty over who will manage and maintain different roads, allowing for more targeted investment where it is most needed. Road recategorisation is the […]