Taree Hotels

Taree is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of around 20,000 people and is the centre of a significant agricultural district. It is 16 km from the sea coast, and 317 km north of Sydney. Taree can be reached by train via the North Coast Railway, and by the Pacific Highway. Taree is within the Local Government Area of the City of Greater Taree, the state electorate of Myall Lakes and the Federal electorate of Lyne. Taree was laid out as a private town in 1854 by Henry Flett, the son-in-law of William Wynter who had originally settled the area in 1831. The government of New South Wales had established Wingham at the head of navigation of the Manning River as its administrative centre which hindered Taree becoming the major centre of the region. This changed, however, when the North Coast railway line was connected to Taree but not Wingham in 1913. Although connected to the railway, sea transport continued to dominate along the North Coast until the 1930s and this acted as a break of Taree's growth. This changed when the Martin Bridge replaced the ferry across the Manning River in 1940. The oldest surviving building in Taree is the old St Paul's Presbyterian Church, built in 1869 in the Victorian Gothic Revival style, next door to the current building, in Albert Street. Nearby towns include historic Wingham, Tinonee, and the beachside town of Old Bar. A local tourist attraction is a building called "The World's Largest Oyster", also called "The Big Oyster". Big Things are a common form of tourist attraction in Australia. Like the Big Merino and Big Banana, the 'Oyster' is an artifact based on local produce; the Manning River produces some 3 and a half million oysters a year. The Big Oyster was an unsuccessful business venture, known to the locals as a 'Big Mistake', and is now home to a motor dealership.