Murwillumbah, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Murwillumbah is a town of approximately 7,500 people in far north-eastern New South Wales
, Australia in the Tweed Shire. It lies on the Tweed River
, 848 km north-east of Sydney
, 13 km south of the Queensland
border and 132 km south of Brisbane
. At the 2006 census
, Murwillumbah had a population of 7,952 people. The town's name is often abbreviated to M'bah, Murbah., or Murbs.
Murwillumbah sits on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range
in the Tweed Volcano
valley. The area is quite hilly. Many of the buildings are art deco
in style and there are a number of cafes, clothes and antique shops in the town. Murwillumbah was also nominated one of the top ten sea/tree change towns in Australia. Murwillumbah is the eighth town mentioned in the original Australia version of the song "I've Been Everywhere
".
The area is also used for filming of the British reality series, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, and has been since 2002. Versions of the show for other countries are also produced in the area.
. The name Murwillumbah derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "camping place" – from Murrie, meaning "aboriginal people", Wolli, "a camp"; and Bab, "the place of". Nearby Mount Warning
and its attendant national park
are known as Wollumbin, meaning "Cloud Catcher", in the Bundjalung language.
Timber-getters were drawn to the region in the 1840s. The river port at Tumbulgum
was initially the main settlement. In 1902, a local government municipality was declared with Murwillumbah as its centre.
Most of the town's business district was destroyed by fire in 1907. Murwillumbah is the location for Australia’s largest-ever bank robbery which occurred in 1978 and has not been solved.
in August 2002. There is an inland road that passes along the Numinbah Valley
through the towns of Chillingham
, Numinbah and Natural Bridge which is scenic tourist drive. Another major road west of the town heads to Kyogle
via the town Uki
, and also passes near the town of Nimbin
.
Murwillumbah was the terminus of the Casino-Murwillumbah branch line, and had daily train services to Sydney
until the line was closed in 2004.
, is sugarcane
growing. There were numerous tramways in the area serving the sugar mill at Condong. There is also some dairy
farming in the area. There are a number of alternative lifestyle retreats nearby as well, notably one belonging to the Hare Krishna
religion.
Since 2002 an annual historic motor racing festival has been run through the streets of Murwillimbah, featuring a parade through town a one kilometre hillclimb course and numerous connected events, attracting thousands of spectators. Modeled on the Goodwood Festival of Speed
, Speed on Tweed
was a highlight of the local calendar attracting cars and competitors from all over Australia and from Europe and North America. In September 2009 the event will be held in conjunction with Rally Australia
which has scheduled one special stage
in Murwillumbah.
Primary Schools
Secondary Schools
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 in the Tweed Shire. It lies on the Tweed River
Tweed River (New South Wales)
The Tweed River is a short river in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Its drainage basin consists mostly of the erosion caldera of the Tweed Volcano, a huge extinct volcano of which Mount Warning is the volcanic plug...
, 848 km north-east of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, 13 km south of the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
border and 132 km south of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. 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,...
, Murwillumbah had a population of 7,952 people. The town's name is often abbreviated to M'bah, Murbah., or Murbs.
Murwillumbah sits on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range
McPherson Range
The McPherson Range is an extensive mountain range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, heading in an easterly direction from near Wallangarra to the Pacific Ocean coastline. It forms part of the Scenic Rim on the border between the states of New South Wales and Queensland. Further west of the...
in the Tweed Volcano
Tweed Volcano
Tweed Volcano was an early Miocene shield volcano in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. In the course of about three million years, Tweed Volcano was formed over the East Australia hotspot when this part of the continent passed over it around 23 million years ago...
valley. The area is quite hilly. Many of the buildings are art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
in style and there are a number of cafes, clothes and antique shops in the town. Murwillumbah was also nominated one of the top ten sea/tree change towns in Australia. Murwillumbah is the eighth town mentioned in the original Australia version of the song "I've Been Everywhere
I've Been Everywhere
The song "I've Been Everywhere" was written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962.The song listed Australian towns...
".
The area is also used for filming of the British reality series, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, and has been since 2002. Versions of the show for other countries are also produced in the area.
History
The first people to live in the area were Bundjalung peopleBundjalung people
The Bundjalung people are those Australian Aborigines who are the original custodians of northern coastal areas of New South Wales , 554 km northeast of Sydney: an area that includes the Bundjalung National Park and Mount Warning Bundjalung people...
. The name Murwillumbah derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "camping place" – from Murrie, meaning "aboriginal people", Wolli, "a camp"; and Bab, "the place of". Nearby Mount Warning
Mount Warning
Mount Warning is a mountain west-south-west of Murwillumbah, near the border with Queensland in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia...
and its attendant national park
Mount Warning National Park
Mount Warning National Park is a park in northern New South Wales, Australia, 642 km north of Sydney near the border with the state of Queensland. It surrounds Mount Warning, part of a remnant caldera of a much larger extinct volcano . The park is administered by the NSW National Parks and...
are known as Wollumbin, meaning "Cloud Catcher", in the Bundjalung language.
Timber-getters were drawn to the region in the 1840s. The river port at Tumbulgum
Tumbulgum
Tumbulgum is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Tweed Shire local government area, at the confluence of the Rous and Tweed Rivers, north east of the state capital, Sydney and south east of Brisbane...
was initially the main settlement. In 1902, a local government municipality was declared with Murwillumbah as its centre.
Most of the town's business district was destroyed by fire in 1907. Murwillumbah is the location for Australia’s largest-ever bank robbery which occurred in 1978 and has not been solved.
Floods
Murwillumbah is protected by a series of levees, however they do not protect all parts of the town in major floods. The worst flood to hit the town occurred in February 1954, with another major flood in 1956. In 1974, 200 people had to be evacuated from the town after floodwater from Tropical Cyclone Zoe inundated the area. In January 2008, Murwillumbah and surrounding areas were hit by severe flooding. May 2009 saw more evacuations in the town and surrounds after heavy rainfall.Transport
The town was bypassed by the Pacific HighwayPacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
in August 2002. There is an inland road that passes along the Numinbah Valley
Numinbah Valley
The Numinbah Valley is an area of the Gold Coast hinterland in South East Queensland, Australia. This Scenic Rim valley contains many rocky outcrops, waterfalls, rainforest walks, and good hinterland scenery....
through the towns of Chillingham
Chillingham, New South Wales
Chillingham is a small village approximately 14 km northwest of Murwillumbah in the Tweed Valley, New South Wales, Australia. The Rous River, a tributary of the Tweed River, flows through the town....
, Numinbah and Natural Bridge which is scenic tourist drive. Another major road west of the town heads to Kyogle
Kyogle, New South Wales
Kyogle is a town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia, in Kyogle Council. At the 2006 census, Kyogle had a population of 2,731 people. It was founded in the 1830s as a lumber camp, and is located north of Sydney, north of Casino on the Summerland Way close to the...
via the town Uki
Uki, New South Wales
Uki is a village situated near Mount Warning in the Tweed Valley of far northern New South Wales, Australia in the Tweed Shire. At the 2006 census, Uki had a population of 203 people...
, and also passes near the town of Nimbin
Nimbin, New South Wales
Nimbin is a village in the Northern Rivers area of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately 30 km north of Lismore, 33 km southeast of Kyogle, and 70 km west of Byron Bay....
.
Murwillumbah was the terminus of the Casino-Murwillumbah branch line, and had daily train services to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
until the line was closed in 2004.
Industry
The major industry of the area, apart from tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, is sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
growing. There were numerous tramways in the area serving the sugar mill at Condong. There is also some dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
farming in the area. There are a number of alternative lifestyle retreats nearby as well, notably one belonging to the Hare Krishna
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
religion.
Festivals
The annual Tweed Banana Festival, the second oldest festival in Australia is staged in the town. In 2005, the festival celebrated its 50th anniversary.Since 2002 an annual historic motor racing festival has been run through the streets of Murwillimbah, featuring a parade through town a one kilometre hillclimb course and numerous connected events, attracting thousands of spectators. Modeled on the Goodwood Festival of Speed
Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, commonly abbreviated as FoS and referred within the United Kingdom as simply the Festival of Speed, is an annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles that is held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England.Typically held in late June or...
, Speed on Tweed
Speed on Tweed
Speed on Tweed is an annual historic motor racing festival held in the Northern Rivers town of Murwillumbah in New South Wales, Australia. The event is modelled on Goodwood Festival of Speed and has consistently attracted the best historic racing cars in Australia and from overseas to visit the...
was a highlight of the local calendar attracting cars and competitors from all over Australia and from Europe and North America. In September 2009 the event will be held in conjunction with Rally Australia
Rally Australia
Rally Australia is an automobile rally event which was held in and around Perth, Western Australia from 1988 until 2006, when that state's tourism commission severed its collaboration with the event. The rally was part of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1988 and the World Rally Championship...
which has scheduled one special stage
Special stage (rallying)
Special stages are the competitive sections of a stage rally event where the goal is to cover a stretch of closed road in the shortest time. On a special stage cars are set off individually at set intervals to reduce the chances of being impeded by other competitors. Each special stage is a...
in Murwillumbah.
Education
Murwillumbah's schools cater to the various individual needs of students and their families.Primary Schools
- Mt St Patrick Primary School
- Murwillumbah East Primary School
- Sathya Sai Primary School
- South Murwillumbah's Infants School
- St Joseph's Primary School
- Murwillumbah Primary School
- Tweed Valley Adventist College
Secondary Schools
- Mount Saint Patrick College
- Murwillumbah High SchoolMurwillumbah High SchoolMurwillumbah High School, is a State run comprehensive secondary, co-educational, high school located at 86 Riverview Street in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia. The school was established as a comprehensive high school in 1929 being upgraded in status from an intermediate high school. It...
- Wollumbin High School
- Tweed Valley Adventist College
Sports Clubs
Some Murwillumbah sports clubs include:- The Gentlemen of Murwillumbah Rugby Union Club - "the bananas"
- Tweed Valley Kings Soccer Club
- Murwillumbah Mustangs Rugby League Club
- Murwillumbah Colts Junior Rugby League Club
- Murwillumbah Golf Club
- Murwillumbah Rowing Club
- Murwillumbah Cricket Club
- Condong Cane Toads Bowls Club
Notable people
Notable people from Murwillumbah include:- Doug AnthonyDoug AnthonyJohn Douglas Anthony, AC, CH , is a former Australian politician. He was leader of the National Party from 1971 to 1984, and Deputy Prime Minister from 1971 to 1972 and again from 1975 to 1983.-Early life:...
(born 1929), Australian politician - Larry CorowaLarry CorowaLarry Corowa is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1970s, 80s and 90s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative winger, he played club football for the Balmain Tigers and the Gold Coast Seagulls in the New South Wales Rugby...
(born 1957), Australian international rugby league player - Bob DowneMark TrevorrowMark Trevorrow , is an Australian comedian, television host and media personality.He has developed the flamboyant alter ego "Bob Downe" - a cheesy, safari-suit-wearing lounge singer with dazzling teeth, and host of the fictional regional daytime TV show Good Morning Murwillumbah...
(born 1966), stage persona of the comedian Mark Trevorrow - Nathan EglingtonNathan EglingtonNathan Eglington OAM is a field hockey midfielder and striker from Australia, who was a member of the team that won the golden medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens....
(born 1980), Australian field hockey midfielder and striker - Stephanie GilmoreStephanie GilmoreStephanie Louise Gilmore is an Australian professional surfer and four-time world champion on the Women's ASP World Tour . She was born in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia on 29 January 1988 and currently resides in Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia.Gilmore's life as a surfer began at...
(born 1988), Australian surfer with four world titles - John Hargreaves (born 1945), Australian actor
- Tallulah MortonTallulah MortonTallulah Detran-Morton is an Australian fashion model born in 1991 in North Sydney, New South Wales.She was discovered at age 11 whilst on holiday on the Gold Coast. She started modeling when she was 13 and was studying at Wollumbin High School in Murwillumbah, New South Wales...
(born 1991), Australian model - Barry SinghBarry SinghBarry Singh is the artistic director and conductor of the Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra. The story of his journey from a banana plantation in the Murwillumbah Hinterland to the Queensland Conservatorium and to the establishment of the premier orchestra for the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers...
(born 1965), Australian musician - Anthony LaffranchiAnthony LaffranchiAnthony Laffranchi is an Australian professional rugby league player for St Helens RLFC in the European Super League. He primarily plays in the second-row. He previously played for the Wests Tigers...
(born 1980) Australian National Rugby League player