Raymond Terrace, by the facts
Where two rivers meet
Established in 1837, the town sits at the confluence of the Hunter and Williams rivers, about 26 km by road north of Newcastle and around 6 m above sea level.
Levees, mostly
Raymond Terrace is mostly protected by levee banks and other flood works, but some lower parts of town still flooded in the 2007 NSW storms.
Cold July nights
Older Bureau of Meteorology figures for the town (1938 to 1969) give a July mean minimum of 3.6 degrees and a January mean maximum of 28.3. They're old, but they're a fair reminder that winter here is real.
A post-war town
The population grew from 2,726 in 1954 to 6,086 in 1971 and 11,159 in 1991, so a lot of the housing dates from those decades.
Houses and townhouses
In 2021, 83.2% of occupied homes were separate houses and 15.7% semis, terraces or townhouses. 39.5% were rented, 31.9% owned with a mortgage and 26.1% owned outright.
If you rent
A split system or ducted unit is a fixture, so it's the owner's decision. Put the request to your agent in writing and keep it simple: which room, heating as well as cooling, and when. Winter is a good reason to ask. The ACT Government says a reverse cycle system turns each unit of electricity into 3 to 6 units of heat, where a plug-in electric heater gives one.
If you own a rental here, a reverse cycle split in the main living area covers both seasons from one unit.
In a townhouse or semi
With a shared wall, think about the neighbours before choosing where the outdoor unit goes. NSW's Noise Control Regulation 2026 sets restricted hours for air conditioners on residential property when the noise can be heard in a room of another home. An installer who works in townhouses will look for a spot away from bedroom windows, yours and theirs. Our noise and neighbours guide has more.
In the low parts of town
If your street took water in 2007, ask for the outdoor unit on a raised stand or a wall bracket rather than on the ground, and ask how high the isolator will sit. If floodwater has ever reached a unit, have it checked by a licensed technician before it's switched back on.
What we'd do
What we'd do in Raymond Terrace
We'd treat heating as the main job, not an extra, and choose a reverse cycle system with a good heating rating for the living area first. If we were renting, we'd ask the owner before winter, in writing. If the house sits low, we'd want the outdoor unit off the ground.
