Lake Cathie, New South Wales
town in New South Wales, Australia
Lake Cathie is a town in New South Wales, Australia about 15 minutes drive south of Port Macquarie. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 4,296.
The Birpai (also known as Birrbay) people have lived in this area for more than 40,000 years.
Commercial area
The town is a popular holiday destination on the Mid North Coast because of its tranquil location which hosts the lake, lagoon and beaches. It has a Woolworths supermarket, local Tavern, Lake Cathie Bowling Club, bakery, fish & chip shop, coffee shop, pharmacy, post office, a newsagent and a bargain shop. Its main feature is a tidal lake fed by the ocean daily. Several times throughout the year the lake is closed over by shifting sands and becomes dark in colour due to the tannins in the local flora. Tourism centres on the lake as it is a popular swimming and fishing spot all year round especially when the lake is open.
Population
According to the 2021 Australian census, there were 4,296 people in Lake Cathie.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.8% of the population.
The public source identifies “Lake Cathie, New South Wales” as town in New South Wales, Australia. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Lake, Cathie and South.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Lake Cathie, New South Wales”, the useful work is to connect “town in New South Wales, Australia” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 23, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q6475206. Authority coordinates are -31.548, 152.851. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2021.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Lake Cathie, New South Wales” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.