Stroud is a delightful town nestled in the green Karuah Valley one hour north of Newcastle.
Quick facts
Stroud has a population of 1,022 and is comprised of approximately 50.9% females and 49.1% males. It has an indigenous population of 34 (3.3%) and the median age is 44.
Stroud is located in the Hunter, New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network (HNECCPHN).
This fact sheet provides an overview of the community profile for the Great Lakes Local Government Area.
Stroud is a small country town and it is part of the Great Lakes Council area. Stroud is located 213km north of Sydney, 74km north of Newcastle and 27km east of Dungog and seems to be from another era. The absence of tourist facilities combined with the plethora of historic buildings gives Stroud an unaffected charm.
Stroud is a small, old-style, genuinely historic and very picturesque country town full of attractive old buildings nestled peacefully in pleasant and green Karuah Valley.
Newcastle is the closest airport and is a 45 minute drive from Stroud. Regional Express Airlines (REX) offers daily return flights to Sydney. Virgin Australia and Jetstar offering return flights to Brisbane and Melbourne. Air Pelican offering flights to Ballina and Canberra.
The nearest North West Trainlink railway station is at Dungog, which is a 25 minute drive from Stroud
The major sources of employment in Stroud are:
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing
- Health care and social assistance
- Construction
- Retail trade
- Public administration and safety
- Transport, postal and warehousing
Stroud does not currently have its own Hospital or Community Health Services, however, Dungog Hospital is just 25 minutes away and provides a 15-bed 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, which is 35 min drive is an 80-bed campus containing a mixture of acute, residential aged care and community outreach services. Acute care consists of 20 beds on Roma Ward. The ward provides a range of services including 24-hour emergency, medical, surgical, palliative care, birthing, limited paediatrics. X-ray and physiotherapy. Day only general surgery and ophthalmic (eye) surgery is also provided.
Residential Aged Care is currently provided over three sections on the campus. Narraweema has 15 high care residential aged care beds, with a further 25 high care residential aged care beds at Hillcrest. Twenty low care aged care hostel beds are provided on Kimbarra.
Stroud is supported by NSW ambulance service.
There is one general practice facility in Stroud.
No accommodation available
Stroud has two public primary schools and one secondary high school
Stroud Public School
Stroud Road Public School
The nearest secondary high school is at Dungog High School, which is a 25 min drive from Stroud.
For further information regarding education in the Hunter and Central Coast area click here.
Stroud offers young families a wide variety of options suitable for children from 6 weeks to school aged, for family day care, occasional care, long day care and preschool.
For more information on child care facilities please click here
Stroud has a general store and a few boutique retail stores.
Much more extensive shopping opportunities are available in the major regional city of Newcastle which is an hour drive from Stroud. Newcastle has Marketown shopping precinct which features most well-known major national retail stores, such as Big W, Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, Officeworks as well as 79 speciality stores.
Beaumont Street, Hamilton is a veritable magnet for those wishing to experience multi-cultural cuisine accompanied by a diverse range of commercial services, businesses and finely restored award-winning hotels and The Darby Street Precinct is the Place to Be, The Place to Eat, The Place to Shop, The Place For Art. Diverse, friendly, relaxed, off beat, cosmopolitan and bohemian. People come to Darby Street to “feel” to “experience” to “enjoy”.
There is the Hunt & Gather monthly event taking place every 3rd Saturday of the Month between 9am – 2pm to showcase the work of designers, artists, musicians, collectors and food lovers from Newcastle and beyond.
There are a number of places of worship located in Stroud including, but not limited to, Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Uniting and Presbyterian.
The nearest Mosque is just over an hour away in Newcastle.
Held each year on the first Saturday in July, at Aberdeen in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, the Aberdeen Highland Games have become the town’s most spectacular event, drawing hundreds of people to the township every year to enjoy the festivities.
The Stroud Heritage Growers and Artisans Market is held on the fourth Sunday of the month by a group of enthusiastic local growers selling fresh produce, plants, gorgeous artisan crafts, and delicious value-added foods.
Visit Mill Creek vineyard and Many of Stroud’s old buildings have been preserved and the whole town is under National Trust classification. The oldest are convict-built and guided tours of the area can be arranged for groups and coach parties.
The Stroud International Brick and Pin Throwing Contest is usually held on a Saturday in July.
