Great Lakes Council
| Great Lakes Council New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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Location in New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°13′S 152°32′E / 32.217°S 152.533°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 34,430 (2011 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 10.1985/km2 (26.414/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 7 March 1906 | ||||||||||||||
| Abolished | 12 May 2016 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 3,376 km2 (1,303.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10) | ||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | AEDT (UTC+11) | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Jan McWilliams | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Forster | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Hunter, Mid North Coast | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Paterson | ||||||||||||||
| Website | Great Lakes Council | ||||||||||||||
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Great Lakes Council (trading as Great Lakes Shire) was a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated adjacent to the shores of Port Stephens, Myall Lakes and Wallis Lake and the Pacific Highway and the Lakes Way. On 12 May 2016 the council was dissolved and the area included in the Mid-Coast Council, along with the City of Greater Taree and Gloucester Shire. From 7 March 1906 to 25 September 1971 it was known as Stroud Shire.
The Great Lakes area is home to the globally significant, Ramsar Convention listed Myall Lakes wetlands. These wetlands are an important foundation for the economies of the former suburbs of the Great Lakes Council local government area, particularly the recreational fisheries and tourism sectors.