Salt Ash is a rural suburb of the Port Stephens local government areas in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the main road between Newcastle and Nelson Bay but is largely undeveloped, partly because it is the location of the Salt Ash Air Weapons Range which is used by pilots from RAAF Base Williamtown for training purposes.

Port Stephens Council is a local government area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is just north of Newcastle and is adjacent to the Pacific Highway which runs through Raymond Terrace, the largest town and Council seat. The area is named after Port Stephens, which is the major geographical feature of the area. It extends generally from the Hunter River in the south, to near Clarence Town in the north, and from the Tasman Sea in the east, to just south of Paterson in the west. The mayor of Port Stephens Council is Ryan Palmer. Palmer was caught in a major scandal in 2022 following the purchase of an $86,000 Ford Ranger for mayoral and personal use. Port Stephens is about two and a half hours north of Sydney.