Nambucca Heads, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Nambucca Heads is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales
, Australia
in Nambucca Shire. It is a holiday and retirement centre located on a ridge north of the estuary of the Nambucca River
near the Pacific Highway
, which now bypasses it. Its 2006 population was 6,137, including 445 (7.3%) indigenous persons and 5,058 (82.4%) Australian-born persons in the Shire. The place name is derived from an aboriginal word meaning 'entrance to the waters'.
The town is located on the North Coast railway line
, and is served by the three daily XPT services.
surveyed the area in 1820.
The cutting of Australian red cedar
had started in the area by 1842. It is believed that the first house was built in 1867, when about 50 people had settled in the valley to cut cedar or raise corn
. The site of the town was surveyed in 1874 and the first hotel and school were both established in 1884. It was proclaimed a village in 1885.
The North Coast railway
was extended from Taree
to south Grafton
in 1915, but the station at Nambucca Heads was not opened until 1923.
Nambucca also has one of the oldest surf lifesaving clubs in Australia and also invented junior surf lifesaving known as Nippers.
2CS-FM (106.3), Star FM (105.5 & 105.1), 2MC-FM (106.7), Triple J (91.5 & 96.3), 2NVR FM (105.9)
The Nambucca Valley's community radio station, 2NVR 105.9FM, focuses on the Macksville, Bowraville, Nambucca Heads and surrounding communities.
Newspapers
Midcoast Observer, Hibiscus Happynings, Guardian News Coffs Coast advocate.
Television
ABC, ABC2, SBS, SBS NEWS, Channel Seven Coffs Harbour (Seven), Southern Cross Ten (Ten), NBN (NINE)
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 Nambucca Shire. It is a holiday and retirement centre located on a ridge north of the estuary of the Nambucca River
Nambucca River
The Nambucca River is a river, about in length, on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia.The region drained by the Nambucca River consists of the coastal plain to the Great Dividing Range. Taylors Arm and Nambucca Creek meet just before Macksville. The river estuary is located at...
near the Pacific Highway
Pacific 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...
, which now bypasses it. Its 2006 population was 6,137, including 445 (7.3%) indigenous persons and 5,058 (82.4%) Australian-born persons in the Shire. The place name is derived from an aboriginal word meaning 'entrance to the waters'.
The town is located on the North Coast railway line
North Coast railway line, New South Wales
The North Coast Line is the primary rail route in the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales, and forms a major part of the Sydney-Brisbane rail corridor....
, and is served by the three daily XPT services.
History
Europeans may have explored the area in 1818, and John OxleyJohn Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
surveyed the area in 1820.
The cutting of Australian red cedar
Toona
Toona is a genus of five species of trees in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, native from Afghanistan south to India, and east to North Korea, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia...
had started in the area by 1842. It is believed that the first house was built in 1867, when about 50 people had settled in the valley to cut cedar or raise corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
. The site of the town was surveyed in 1874 and the first hotel and school were both established in 1884. It was proclaimed a village in 1885.
The North Coast railway
North Coast railway line, New South Wales
The North Coast Line is the primary rail route in the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales, and forms a major part of the Sydney-Brisbane rail corridor....
was extended from Taree
Taree, New South Wales
Taree is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of around 20,000 people and is the centre of a significant agricultural district. It is 16 km from the sea coast,...
to south Grafton
Grafton, New South Wales
The city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...
in 1915, but the station at Nambucca Heads was not opened until 1923.
Nambucca also has one of the oldest surf lifesaving clubs in Australia and also invented junior surf lifesaving known as Nippers.
Local media
Radio Stations2CS-FM (106.3), Star FM (105.5 & 105.1), 2MC-FM (106.7), Triple J (91.5 & 96.3), 2NVR FM (105.9)
The Nambucca Valley's community radio station, 2NVR 105.9FM, focuses on the Macksville, Bowraville, Nambucca Heads and surrounding communities.
Newspapers
Midcoast Observer, Hibiscus Happynings, Guardian News Coffs Coast advocate.
Television
ABC, ABC2, SBS, SBS NEWS, Channel Seven Coffs Harbour (Seven), Southern Cross Ten (Ten), NBN (NINE)