Coraki, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Coraki is a small town that sits on the confluence of the Richmond
and Wilson Rivers in northern New South Wales
, Australia
in Richmond Valley
Shire. At the 2006 census
, Coraki had a population of 1,180 people. The name Coraki is derived from Bundjalung Gurigay, meaning The meeting of the waters.
Coraki is positioned centrally to the hub of the Summerland Way Casino
(30 kilometres east), the regional city of Lismore
(25 kilometres south) and the popular tourist beachside location of Evans Head Evans Head
(25 kilometres west). Like many other towns in the area, it is a hub for the local agricultural industries such as cattle
, sugar cane and tea tree oil
.
Coraki is the home of the annual Coraki Art Prize (formerly the Coraki Tea Tree Art Prize), an art competition and exhibition open to all artists and including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and printmaking, held late October. Each year, a major fundraising event for the Art Prize, the Coraki Trivia Night is held July/August at the Coraki Golf Club and MC'd by Senator John Faulkner.
In 2010, the first Dylanfest celebrated the music, art and poetry of Bob Dylan in October at the Coraki Hotel.
Annually in November, the Tweed Water Skiing Club converges on the Richmond River to contest the 'Coraki Assault' race.
Coraki is a small village with many community facilities: Campbell Hospital, Coraki Fire Station, Coraki Public School, St Joseph's Public School, St Joseph's Church, Coraki Uniting Church, Coraki Anglican Church, Coraki Community Hall, the Rural Transaction Centre, Mid-Richmond Museum, Coraki Library, post office, Mid-Richmond Retirement Village, cemetery, hockey fields, tennis courts, skate park, boat ramp, and the Memorial Park with barbecue, playground and picnic facilities aligning the 'healing stones' riverside path. At the western boundary of Coraki township lies Box Ridge, an indigenous community.
In addition, Coraki has a small and strong contingent of local businesses: the historic Coraki Hotel and Club Hotel, Coraki Bowling Club, Coraki Golf Club, Coraki Butchery, Coraki Bakery, Coraki Pharmacy, Coraki Newsagency and Laundrette, 5 Star Supermarket, Secondhand & Old Wares (antique store), Coraki Hairdressing, Coraki Top Shop, Coraki Medical Centre, Catfish Cafe, Willy Warnes Canvas Creations and Coraki Rural and Hardware Supplies.
The village was founded by William Yabsley in 1849 when Lismore was only a small cattle station and Casino had only one store and a hotel. Yabsley and his family obtained the lease to Brook Station and established the first permanent settlement. He built his shipyard just above The Junction, as it was first called. Many ships and river boats were launched there and Yabsley opened a store for provisions for the cedar cutters who came to the district. Transport at the time was almost entirely by water and Coraki was the busiest port on the Richmond River.
Richmond River
The Richmond River is a river in the north-eastern corner of New South Wales, Australia. It runs for approximately 170 km from the foothills of the Border Ranges past the towns of Kyogle, Casino, Coraki, Woodburn, where it turns northward and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Ballina. It has a...
and Wilson Rivers in northern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in Richmond Valley
Richmond Valley
Richmond Valley Council is a Local Government Area in the northern part of New South Wales, Australia. It is named after the Richmond River, which flows through most of it. It is on the Bruxner Highway, Pacific Highway, and the North Coast railway line....
Shire. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Coraki had a population of 1,180 people. The name Coraki is derived from Bundjalung Gurigay, meaning The meeting of the waters.
Coraki is positioned centrally to the hub of the Summerland Way Casino
Casino, New South Wales
Casino is a town in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 9,400 people . It lies on the banks of the Richmond River and is situated at the junction of the Bruxner Highway and the Summerland Way....
(30 kilometres east), the regional city of Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
(25 kilometres south) and the popular tourist beachside location of Evans Head Evans Head
Evans Head, New South Wales
Evans Head is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia in Richmond Valley Shire. At the 2006 census, Evans Head had a population of 2,631 people. It is 726 kilometres north of Sydney, and 11 kilometres east off the Pacific Highway from Woodburn...
(25 kilometres west). Like many other towns in the area, it is a hub for the local agricultural industries such as cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, sugar cane and tea tree oil
Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil, or melaleuca oil, is a pale yellow colour to nearly clear essential oil with a fresh camphoraceous odor. It is taken from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia, which is native to the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia...
.
Coraki is the home of the annual Coraki Art Prize (formerly the Coraki Tea Tree Art Prize), an art competition and exhibition open to all artists and including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and printmaking, held late October. Each year, a major fundraising event for the Art Prize, the Coraki Trivia Night is held July/August at the Coraki Golf Club and MC'd by Senator John Faulkner.
In 2010, the first Dylanfest celebrated the music, art and poetry of Bob Dylan in October at the Coraki Hotel.
Annually in November, the Tweed Water Skiing Club converges on the Richmond River to contest the 'Coraki Assault' race.
Coraki is a small village with many community facilities: Campbell Hospital, Coraki Fire Station, Coraki Public School, St Joseph's Public School, St Joseph's Church, Coraki Uniting Church, Coraki Anglican Church, Coraki Community Hall, the Rural Transaction Centre, Mid-Richmond Museum, Coraki Library, post office, Mid-Richmond Retirement Village, cemetery, hockey fields, tennis courts, skate park, boat ramp, and the Memorial Park with barbecue, playground and picnic facilities aligning the 'healing stones' riverside path. At the western boundary of Coraki township lies Box Ridge, an indigenous community.
In addition, Coraki has a small and strong contingent of local businesses: the historic Coraki Hotel and Club Hotel, Coraki Bowling Club, Coraki Golf Club, Coraki Butchery, Coraki Bakery, Coraki Pharmacy, Coraki Newsagency and Laundrette, 5 Star Supermarket, Secondhand & Old Wares (antique store), Coraki Hairdressing, Coraki Top Shop, Coraki Medical Centre, Catfish Cafe, Willy Warnes Canvas Creations and Coraki Rural and Hardware Supplies.
The village was founded by William Yabsley in 1849 when Lismore was only a small cattle station and Casino had only one store and a hotel. Yabsley and his family obtained the lease to Brook Station and established the first permanent settlement. He built his shipyard just above The Junction, as it was first called. Many ships and river boats were launched there and Yabsley opened a store for provisions for the cedar cutters who came to the district. Transport at the time was almost entirely by water and Coraki was the busiest port on the Richmond River.