Stroud

Hunter, Manning & Central Coast

Nestled in the green Karuah Valley, Stroud is classified by the National Trust due to its convict-era buidlings.

B Grouping

MMM5

Location

Stroud is 215 km (2 hr 40 min drive) north of Sydney and 75 km (70 min drive) north of Newcastle.

Home to some of the oldest buildings in NSW, the original town of Stroud was built in the early 1800s by a convict workforce.

How to get there

The closest airport is Newcastle Airport, which is a 53 km drive from Stroud. The airport is serviced by Jetstar, Virgin Australia, QantasLink, FlyPelican and Regional Express. Destinations include Canberra, Ballina/Byron Bay, Dubbo, Taree, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, and Auckland (NZ). There are daily services to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Stroud is serviced by North West TrainLink coaches and trains from Newcastle and Sydney.

Population

Stroud is home to more than 700 people, the median age of residents is 46 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 8% of the population.

Stroud is in the Hunter, New England, & Central Coast Primary Health Network, this fact sheet provides a health profile for the area.

Healthcare facilities

Dungog Community Hospital is 25 min drive from Stroud. It is a rural community hospital providing emergency, medical, postsurgical and post-natal care inpatient services as well as slow stream rehabilitation and enablement.

Gloucester Soldiers Memorial Hospital, 35 min drive from Stroud, is an 80-bed facility which consists of a 20-bed acute ward, 15-bed aged care transitional ward, 25-bed nursing home and a 20-bed hostel. The hospital has a 24-hour emergency department, medical, surgical, palliative care, limited obstetrics, limited paediatrics, x-ray and physiotherapy services.

There is an Ambulance Service of NSW station in Stroud.

Accredited GP practices

Stroud MediCo

Industry

The major industry sectors employing residents of Stroud are: aged care residential services, supermarket and grocery stores, child care services, local government administration and primary education.

Education

Stroud has two public primary schools and one secondary high school: Stroud Public School and Stroud Road Public School. The nearest high school is Dungog High School, which is a 30 min drive from Stroud.

Childcare

For young families Stroud offers family day care. There are additional options for long day care and preschool in the nearby town of Dungog.

Shopping

Shopping in Stroud includes the Stroud Friendly Grocer, butcher, newsagency, pharmacy and cafes. More extensive shopping opportunities are available in the various shopping precincts throughout the city of Newcastle, an hours drive from Stroud. Well-known major national retail stores including Coles, Woolworths, Kmart and Bunnings have multiple stores in Newcastle.

Places of worship

In Stroud there are places of worship for a range of Christian denominations including Anglican Church, Baptist Church, Catholic Church, Uniting Church and Presbyterian. The nearest mosque is in Newcastle, just over 1 hr drive from Stroud.

Points of interest

Stroud's heritage is on display in the many preserved historic building that are easily accessible on the local heritage walk. Popular events held in Stroud are the Stroud Show in April, the quirky International Brick and Rolling Pin Throwing Competition in July and the Stroud Rodeo and Campdraft held in September. The monthly Stroud Heritage Growers and Artisans Market is held every fourth Sunday.

Sporting activities

Stroud has sporting clubs and a wide range of sporting facilities. The climate allows outdoor sports year-round including netball, tennis, pony club, football, cricket, swimming, golf, touch football, skateboarding and hockey.

Community groups and activities

In Stroud, community groups and volunteer organisations include Stroud Historical Society, Crowd Choir Inc, Stroud Writers Group and Stroud Book Club. A listing of groups and their contact details are available at Stroud Community Web.

Social media groups

There are social media pages and groups dedicated to life and sport in Stroud. Good places to start are the Facebook pages Stroud Community Web, Dungog Chronicle, Gloucester Advocate, and MidCoast Council.