A Town Like Kempsey

Established in 1836, Kempsey is a large rural town of 28,742 people, in the Kempsey Shire in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It’s located 15 kilometres inland from the coast of the Pacific Ocean where the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line cross the Macleay River. It is roughly 345 kilometres north of Sydney.

Kempsey has a growing local economy based on tourism, farming and service industries. As a local centre it has many shops and services including three major supermarkets, a department store and fast food chain stores. A large industrial estate is located in South Kempsey and is the site of the famous Akubra hat factory and former King Gee clothing company.

A supermarket development known as the Riverside Plaza was opened on December 6th 2008. It consists of a Coles supermarket, a large department store, 12 specialty shops and a large café.

Rural industries around Kempsey include dairy farming, wineries and nut production. The town is a service centre for the nearby coastal resorts of South West Rocks, Arakoon, Hat Head, and Crescent Head, which are popular places for retirement and holidaymakers alike.

Government buildings such as the council chambers, library and several offices - are located west of the North Coast Railway line in West Kempsey. This area is not subject to the flooding that the CBD occasionally sees and is seen as a second business district with a variety of businesses and banking facilities.

Prolific novelist Thomas Keneally (author of Schindler’s Ark) is a native of Kempsey.

Kempsey has a variety of schools both large and small, government and independent. There are five high schools; Kempsey High School (government) located in West Kempsey, Melville High School (government) in South Kempsey servicing those south of the river and the beachside communities, St Paul's College (Catholic), Kempsey Adventist School and a Vocational College.

Helpful links:
http://www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au/