Spencer is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is located on the north bank of the Hawkesbury River

Hawkesbury River

The Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...

 just upstream of that rivers confluence with Mangrove Creek

Mangrove Creek (New South Wales)

Mangrove Creek is a tributary of the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia.Mangrove Creek rises about to the south-west of Mount McQuiod. The headwaters of the creek are impounded by the Mangrove Creek Dam, which forms a major part of the water supply to the New South Wales Central Coast...

. Spencer is part of the City of Gosford local government area

Local Government Areas of New South Wales

The local government areas of New South Wales, Australia have been subject to periodic bouts of restructuring and rationalisation by the State Government, involving voluntary and involuntary amalgamation of areas...

.

Geography

Spencer is bounded by the Hawkesbury River to the south and west and Mangrove Creek to the east. Despite the relatively short distance from the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway

Sydney-Newcastle Freeway

The Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales. It is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....

as the crow flies, a boat across Mangrove Creek significantly reduces the distance to be travelled.

History

Spencer is a township presumed to be named for the Parish in which it is situated. Originally this area was known as Fernleigh. The true name origin of Spencer is unclear, but it is believed to be named after George John Spencer, second Earl Spencer (1758-1834), who was first Lord of the admiralty in 1794, and who held this position until 1810. He was a mentor of Lord Nelson, and oversaw many of the Royal Navy's victories over the French.

Economy

The economy is rural based with farming and fishing as its main source of income. Tourism is a growing concern that is based around the history of the area and the beautiful scenery.

External links

• link Gosford City Council - Search for Articles about Spencer