Member for Port Stephens and Families and Communities MP Kate Washington.
FOR the first time in more than two decades, foster and kinship carers across NSW have received a 20 percent increase to their care allowance. The increase aims to ease cost-of-living pressures and strengthen support for vulnerable children in out-of-home care. The tax-free increase took effect from 1 January 2026 and applies to authorised carers […]
LEGAL Aid NSW is urging anyone impacted by the recent bushfires in the Central Coast, Mid North Coast, Upper Hunter and Central West NSW to seek free legal help early. The Legal Aid NSW Disaster Response Legal Service (DRLS) can advise people about issues relating to insurance claims, tenancy rights, accessing disaster grants and payments, […]
THE NSW Ageing and Disability Commission (ADC), in partnership with the University of NSW Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC), has released a report highlighting the pervasive and complex issue of neglect affecting older people and adults with disability across NSW. Funding was provided by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice. The ADC is responsible […]
UNIVERSITY of South Australia scientists say they have developed a powerful new way to uncover the genetic interactions that fuel cancer progression. The AI-driven method, published recently in the Royal Society Open Science journal, reveals that tumour progression is driven by cooperating groups of genes, rather than mutated genes acting alone. Lead researcher Dr Andres […]
MUSICNSW has released a new report detailing how to strengthen regional and remote music, setting a map for action for government, industry and communities across NSW. The report gathers insights from 80-plus representatives from across the NSW music sector. The contributors participated in a NSW Roundtable held at the 2025 Regional and Remote Music Summit […]
The Italia Star aground in the middle of the harbour.
IT WAS in the early evening of Sunday March 15 1959, that a cyclone had built a huge sea with crashing surf and whitewater breaking across the entrance to Port Stephens. The sea was rolling into the Port as far as Corlette. Conditions on the water were extremely hazardous. Sydney based, Italian owned trawlers had […]
POLICE are appealing for public assistance to locate a woman missing from Nelson Bay. Brittany Cleary, 32, was last seen on Teramby Road on Wednesday 31 December. When she was unable to be located or contacted, she was reported missing on 2 January. Officers attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District have commenced inquiries into her […]
East of the Outer Light.
WITHOUT doubt January is the craziest month of the year in Port Stephens. We are a tourist town and we survive on tourism so for all the local business houses this is the time to pay the rent. For we fishers problems do arise including access to boat ramps and cleaning tables. There is an […]
Dolphin friendships can last decades - they surf waves together, rest side-by-side and build deep, stable alliances that look remarkably like human relationships. Photos: Dr Simon Allen, Shark Bay Dolphin Research.
Dolphin friendships can last decades – they surf waves together, rest side-by-side and build deep, stable alliances that look remarkably like human relationships. Photos: Dr Simon Allen, Shark Bay Dolphin Research. Dolphin friendships can last decades – they surf waves together, rest side-by-side and build deep, stable alliances that look remarkably like human relationships. Photos: […]
Free camping is available at Chichester State Forest, near Dungog. Photo: NSW State Forests.
NSW State Forests are open for free, pet‑friendly camping from the coast to the high country. There are almost 500 State Forests and many offer camping facilities where dogs, under their owner’s control, are welcome. Campfires are also permitted, outside of fire bans. “State Forests are a fabulous resource for the community,” Manager Tourism and […]
