The council was centred on Taree, located adjacent to the Manning River, the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.4% of the population, double the national average.

In excess of 62% of all residents in the GTCC had nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was higher than the national average of 50.2%.

[1] GTCC was last formed with nine councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office.

The Taree Municipal Council applied to the Department of Local Government to extend its boundaries to the coastal area between Old Bar and Seal Rocks.

[6] At an inquiry of the Boundaries Commission at Taree in 1976, the Dungog Shire proposed that the areas covered by the shires of Dungog, Gloucester, Great Lakes and Manning and the municipalities of Taree and Wingham be combined into two areas "to elevate local government to its proper role".