The Hunter region covers 37,000 square kilometres on the east coast of NSW—extending from Taree in the north to Gosford and the coastal waterways of the Central Coast in the south, and from Newcastle in the east to the Merriwa Plateau and Great Dividing Range in the west.
The region is unique in the diversity of its vegetation and landscapes, which include the alpine rainforests of the World Heritage Barrington Tops, the dissected sandstone of the Great Dividing Range, the open grasslands and woodlands of the Upper Hunter, and the rich alluvial floodplains, estuarine wetlands, the coastal environment and mangrove forests of the Lower Hunter.
The Hunter is home to 76 threatened animal species, including the endangered loggerhead turtle, swift parrot, stuttering barred frog and regent honeyeater; 31 threatened plant species; and 12 endangered ecological communities (EEC), many of which occur in riparian areas.
Approximately a million people live in the region, which supports a range of landuses including mining, power generation, agriculture, tourism, horticulture, forestry and farming.