Steven Garrad, 21, of Graham Street, Kendall appeared in Port Macquarie Local Court on September 10.

Appearing before magistrate Georgina Darcy, Garrad did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

Garrad is charged with, six counts of sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10 years, on January 1, 2017, April 3, 2018 and January 1, 2019.

He was also charged with possession of child abuse material from an incident on April 30, 2020.

Four of the offences allegedly occurred at Old Bar and two at Kendall.

The children were aged between one and seven years.

A second man, Timothy Luke Doyle, 26, also of Graham Street, Kendall was also refused bail during his appearance in the same court.

Doyle was charged with, two counts of sexual intercourse with child under the age of 10 years, two counts of produce child abuse material and two counts of possess/control child abuse material using carriage service.

Those charges relate to alleged incidents at Wingham, Old Bar and Kendall on February 27, 2018, January 26, 2018 and June 4, 2020.

The children were aged between four and six.

Prosecutor Karen Griffin told the court Garrad and Doyle were likely to face a further 250 charges.

Court documents indicate Doyle allegedly video recorded a child performing a sex act on two occasions - one of these was allegedly at a Mid-North Coast childcare centre.

Garrad and Doyle will next appear in Port Macquarie Local Court on October 22, 2020.

Garrad and Doyle were charged following an Australian Federal Police-led investigation into a domestic online network of alleged child sex offenders.

The offenders are accused of abusing and exploiting Australian children and recording the horrific crimes to share with others.

Nine men in three states have been charged and at least 14 children have been saved from further harm, as a result of the national police investigation into individuals allegedly producing and sharing child abuse material.

All were charged as part of Operation Arkstone, which was launched in early 2020 after a tip-off from the United States' National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children to the AFP's Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).

NSW Police media have confirmed the arrests are in no way related to the investigation into the disappearance of William Tyrrell.

Police allege that analysis of evidence seized during each arrest helped identify other suspected offenders.

AFP assistant commissioner for ACCCE and northern command Lesa Gale said police believe they have uncovered one of the biggest domestic child exploitation networks in recent times.

She said police will allege in court that some of the accused men had sexually abused children known to them and recorded videos and photographs of the abuse to share with others online.

"The efforts of all officers involved in the investigation has resulted in at least 14 children removed from harmful situations, and saved from abuse in the future," Assistant commissioner Gale said.

"We are continuing to try to identify other children who we suspect were preyed on by individuals in the alleged network.

"It is heartbreaking to think of any child being sexually abused, but it strengthens our resolve to hunt down perpetrators and bring them to justice.

"Sexual abuse has a devastating impact on children and their families, and that abuse continues each and every time an image or video showing that crime is shared."

Assistant commissioner Gale said the ACCCE, which is headquartered in Brisbane, uses a range of investigative techniques to help police across Australia track down anyone who preys on children - in person or online.

"Use of encrypted applications or systems will not enable you to stay anonymous - we have the capabilities and the will to track you down and arrest you."

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Thank you for valuing local journalism with your subscription. While you're with us, you can also receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.