Wyong

Wyong, shire, eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is located between Sydney and Newcastle on the Wyong River. The town of Wyong is the commercial and administrative centre for Wyong shire.

The district was settled in 1823 for the purpose of exploiting its cedar trees. As the forests were removed, agricultural activities increased, citrus groves being planted after 1887. It derived its name from an Aboriginal word meaning “place of running water.” The town of Wyong was proclaimed in 1888. Settlement and development increased with the 1889 completion of the Sydney-Newcastle railway line, on which Wyong was a stop. The town became a municipality in 1957.

Wyong shire serves an area of mixed farming (dairying, fruit and vegetable growing, seed processing, and poultry raising) and lumbering. The locality yields significant catches of fish and prawns. Industries include sawmilling, fruit packing, and brick making. Still situated on the main northern rail line (from Sydney, about 45 miles [70 km] southwest) and on the Pacific Highway, Wyong is the chief community of the Tuggerah Lakes resort region. Pop. (2006) local government area, 139,801; (2011) local government area, 149,746.