Hunter

The Hunter is the largest regional economy in Australia, known for its diversity across agriculture, energy, defence and manufacturing. It is also home to an emerging renewable energy industry.

The region boasts Australia’s oldest and most famous wine-growing area, the Hunter Valley, as well as significant natural attractions such as Barrington Tops National Park, part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, and stunning beaches.

While tourism, wine and food are important contributors to the economy, the Hunter’s considerable emerging opportunities cover advanced manufacturing, defence and aerospace, renewable energy and clean tech.

The Williamtown Special Activation Precinct, 20 minutes from Newcastle, will create a defence and aerospace hub providing significant investment opportunities by bringing together specialised large-scale international prime contractors, small and medium enterprises, and research and development institutions. 

Upgrades to the runway and terminal at Newcastle Airport will open up the Hunter region to global opportunities, including new markets for tourism and air freight. Australia’s newest defence and aerospace precinct, Astra Aerolab, adjoins the fast-growing airport and the RAAF Base Williamtown. This precinct will specialise in providing sustainment and manufacturing capabilities to the defence sector as a key part of the Williamtown Special Activation Precinct.

The Hunter Hydrogen Hub, meanwhile, will position the region as a global leader in producing and delivering green hydrogen for the industries of the future, and the  John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct will deliver an innovative and integrated hub with industry leading facilities.

More than $100 billion of potential investment in renewable generation and storage projects has been registered for the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone.

The Hunter has excellent connections to major markets via the Pacific Highway, the Sydney-Newcastle railway, Newcastle Airport and Australia’s third-largest port in Newcastle. 

The Hunter’s innovative ecosystem of more than 150 higher education, science and research facilities has encouraged a dynamic start-up sector to develop in the region. The University of Newcastle (UoN) and local tertiary and further education (TAFE) institutions offer international-quality education, with UoN (a global top 200 university) delivering a diverse talent pool and industrial research connections. 

World-class research centres in the Hunter region include the CSIRO Energy Centre, the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources.