The delightful small town of Karuah is perfectly placed to allow locals and visitors to make the best of both NSW central coast worlds. Perched on the mouth of the Karuah River as it empties into the magnificent aquatic playground of
Port Stephens, the village is within minutes of the coastal resort and fishing towns of the Nelson Bay region.
Strike north-west and you are into a forest reserve and a fascinating collection of historic old towns such as Limeburners Creek, Booral and Stroud.
Booral is at the centre of a huge tract of land granted in 1824 to the first significant British company to invest in the colony, the Australian Agricultural Company (AAC) which built Booral House (1831) for its executives, a large sandstone wharf on the river and financed St Barnabas' Anglican Church (1850) which was moved to its present site in 1873.
The villages to the east on the northern shore of Port Stephens, Tahlee and Carrington, were also AAC towns. Tahlee House, an impressive sandstone homestead, which was built by convicts who also provided the farm labour, gives an inkling to the grand lifestyle enjoyed by AAC's first manager, Robert Dawson.
Find out more about the
Port Stephens area.
