Commodores Cup Div 1 winner Jambo. Photo: Promocean Media.
Commodores Cup Div 1 winner Jambo. Photo: Promocean Media. Div 2 winner Concealed Weapon. Photo: Promocean Media. Div 3 winner Lunacy. Photo: Promocean Media. Div 4 winner Windwood. Photo: Promocean Media. AFTER five days of competitive but fun racing on the spectacular waterway of Port Stephens and its offshore islands, the final results are in […]
Patricia, Rob and Barbara Hickey take a ride in the dinghy. Photo: supplied.
THE 1950s was a time of great excitement for nine-year-old Patricia Hickey. She, along with her brother Robert and sisters Barbara and three-year-old Susan, had moved into the Port Stephens lighthouse keeper’s residence with mother Millie and her father Bernie. Living around lighthouses was not a new experience for Patricia as the family had recently […]
The Tomaree Coastal Walk at Boat Harbour within the Tomaree National Park. Photo: D Parsons, DCCEEW.
The Tomaree Coastal Walk at Boat Harbour within the Tomaree National Park. Photo: D Parsons, DCCEEW. The Worimi Conservation Lands. Photo: E McGauley, DCCEEW. NATIONAL Parks in the Hunter-Central Coast region attracted 8.1 million visits in the 2024-25 financial year, up from five million in 2022. This accounts for 12.4 percent of all national park […]
The census aims to create a statewide snapshot of where dolphins are found and what habitat they use. Photo: Dolphin Research Australia.
PORT STEPHENS residents are invited to register as a volunteer and help protect dolphins by taking part in the first statewide Dolphin Census on Saturday 30 May. The one-day census is a collaboration between Dolphin Research Australia and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to create a statewide snapshot of where dolphins are found […]
WHILE trains between Sydney and Grafton resume next week, a date has yet to be set for the introduction of the long-awaited XPT replacement fleet. “A timeline for the new Regional Rail fleet’s entry into service on the North Coast line will be confirmed once the trains have progressed through testing and the relevant verifications […]
Archie Thompson, known to all as ‘Youngun’, returned to Port Stephens on the ‘Dawn’ after active service in New Guinea during the war years. Youngun was considered to be a master navigator. John Plooy is pictured in the background cooking the prawns.
THIS is part two of a multi-story series on the “Dawn”, a boat which holds a special place in the history of commercial fishing in Port Stephens. Visit portstephens.newsofthearea.com.au/printed-edition-16-april-2026 to read part one, or grab a copy of last week’s paper. WITHOUT Archie Thompson’s knowledge Ted Johansson quit, leaving the boat under the control of […]
Sailor Ruth Boydell has released a compelling memoir covering her adventures across the globe. Photo: Galen Boydell.
HUNTER-BASED sailor and death doula Ruth Boydell has released a memoir, “Rocking the Boat: A Life in Three Voyages”, outlining global ocean adventures in the days before GPS and chartplotters. Ruth’s story begins at the age of 17, when she joined a thirty-something Englishman who was single-handing a sailboat around the world. The adventures came […]
Philanthropy Australia pushes for donations to be equal. Photo: Julia M. Cameron.
HUNTER residents, like most in regional Australia, are known for helping others in need. But changes to charity funding rules have led to concerns that the system isn’t working as well as it could. The Federal Government has announced that “Giving Funds” will be required to distribute six percent of assets each year, up from […]
The XPT trains have been painted to reflect their history.
The XPT trains have been painted to reflect their history. The XPT trains have been painted to reflect their history. THE Sydney to Grafton XPT train service is set to return from 28 April, after a year of coach replacements during fleet upgrades. Sydney to Grafton train services – travelling through the Central Coast, Hunter […]
2025 Hunter Volunteer of the Year David Dorhauer with Pat Conroy MP and Dungog councillor Liam Ley.
IT’S time for people across the Hunter to nominate family, friends or work mates for the 2026 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards, to help celebrate the enormous positive impact of volunteers across the state. The awards are in their 20th year and are run by The Centre for Volunteering to recognise the outstanding work […]
