Duns Creek

Duns Creek (also known as Dunns Creek) is a rural residential suburb in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, located near the historic village of Paterson in the north-western corner of the Port Stephens Council local government area.

Duns Creek (also known as Dunns Creek) is a rural residential suburb in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, located near the historic village of Paterson in the north-western corner of the Port Stephens Council local government area.

Duns Creek's history is closely intertwined with the nearby village of Paterson, which was first surveyed in 1801. In December 1821 a grant of land 2.75 km (1.71 mi) to the south-west of the town was made to Captain Willian Dunn, after whom Duns Creek is named. Captain Dunn started a successful dairy farm which he called Duninald. It remained in family hands until 2005 when it was sold. The homestead on the farm is listed as a heritage item of both state and national significance.The suburb has seen subdivision of larger rural blocks since the 1980s and increasingly attracted a growing "treechange" population since the late 1990s. Most smaller rural holdings operate as hobby farms used for horse riding, olive and wine growing as well as other outdoor pursuits.

On 30 June 2000 a development proposal for a A$45 million tourist resort at Mahogany Ridge in Duns Creek was lodged with Port Stephens Council. The proposal would have, at various times, increased the population of the area by up to 1,500 people, approximately five times the permanent population, and was strongly opposed by the local community and Port Stephens Council. After continued opposition for almost seven years the matter resulted in court action by both Port Stephens Council and the Commonwealth Government in the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales and the proposal was finally defeated on 19 April 2007. The development has been replaced by a much smaller scale, upmarket rural residential subdivision.