Multicultural Hunter
Understanding the history, communities, and changing diversity of the Hunter region
Multicultural communities have helped build the Hunter through work, family, business, faith, culture, volunteering, and community leadership. This page brings together local history, Census data, and simple evidence about the region’s multicultural communities
Multicultural history of the Hunter
From post-war migrant workers and families to newer refugee, migrant, student, and skilled communities, multicultural communities have shaped the Hunter’s economy, neighbourhoods, services, food, faith, sport, and civic life
Refugees and migrants have made Newcastle home across many waves — from post-World War II refugees, to Yugoslavian, Afghan, and Syrian communities. Read their stories on our Facebook.
Click on a photo to learn about their refugee journey to Australia →Who lives in the Hunter today?
The Hunter is home to long-established migrant communities, newer refugee and migrant communities, international students, skilled migrants, families, and older multicultural communities. This section uses Census data to show where communities live, what languages are spoken, and where services need to plan better
Indicative Hunter Joint Organisation council areas — click an area for its snapshot, or “Hunter Region” for the whole region
View exact figures on MCNSW Compass →{{ compassNote }}
{{ panelTitle }}
- {{ c }}
- {{ s.label }} — {{ s.pct }}%
Key figures
2021 ABS Census data across the 10 Hunter LGAs: Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Muswellbrook, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter Shire
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census of Population and Housing; Multicultural NSW Compass
Ancestry is a multi-response Census measure and respondents may report up to two ancestries
What the data tells us
Why this evidence matters
HMC uses local evidence to support community organisations, inform service planning, and advocate for fairer regional investment