Boambee, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Boambee Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
Boambee Bay
Boambee Location in New South Wales
LGA(s)	City of Coffs Harbour
State electorate(s)	Electoral district of Coffs Harbour
Federal Division(s)	Division of Cowper
Suburbs around Boambee: Karangi, New South Wales Coffs Harbour Boambee Bonville, New South Wales Toormina, New South Wales

Boambee is a suburb located in the city of Coffs Harbour. It's found on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Boambee is west of Sawtell, right along the Pacific Highway.

The area is split into two main parts. There's the semi-rural Boambee (postcode 2450) and the more built-up Boambee East (postcode 2452). The Pacific Highway acts as a clear divider between these two sections. In 2011, Boambee had about 1,545 people living there. Boambee East was much larger, with around 5,446 residents. The Boambee State Forest is located to the north-west of Boambee's homes.

Discovering Boambee's Past

Boambee has an interesting history, especially when it comes to its early industries and how people traveled.

Early Industries and Sugar Mills

In the late 1800s, Boambee became known for growing sugar cane. In 1882, James Newport set up the very first sugar mill in the area. He was the first person to successfully grow sugar cane here. Just a year later, in 1883, another mill was opened by August Schneider. These mills helped process the sugar cane grown by local farmers.

Boambee's Railway History

For many years, the railway was an important way for people and goods to travel. Boambee had its own railway station, which first opened in August 1917. Before the station was built, the area used a special side track for trains. The Boambee railway station served the community for nearly 30 years before it closed down in 1946.

Schools in Boambee

Education has always been important in Boambee. The Boambee Half-Time School first opened its doors in February 1902. A "half-time" school meant that a teacher would split their time between two small schools. This school closed briefly in April 1906.

However, it wasn't closed for long! It reopened as Boambee Provisional School in May 1906. A provisional school was a temporary school set up for smaller communities. By July 1907, the school became a Public School. This change usually happened when a school had at least 20 students, showing that more families were moving to Boambee.

Boambee's Population

Understanding the population helps us learn about the people who call Boambee home. The 2016 Census collected information about the residents.

In 2016, there were 1,668 people living in Boambee. Most people, about 81.7%, were born in Australia. When it came to languages spoken at home, 88.5% of residents spoke only English. The census also looked at religious beliefs. The most common responses were No Religion (26.3%), Catholic (21.9%), and Anglican (20.8%).