Evans Head, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Evans HeadNew South Wales |
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Storm on the horizon, Evans Head, 2017
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 Evans Head
Location in New South Wales
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| Population | 2,907 (2021 census) |
| Established | 1877 |
| Postcode(s) | 2473 |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Richmond Valley Council |
| County | Richmond |
| State electorate(s) | Clarence |
| Federal Division(s) | Page |
Evans Head is a lovely coastal town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It's part of the Richmond Valley Council area. This town is a popular spot for holidays, known for its beautiful beaches and relaxed feel. It is about 700 kilometres north of Sydney.
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History of Evans Head
Evans Head is located on the traditional lands of the Bandjalang clan, who are part of the Bundjalung people. They have lived here for a very long time.
The town is named after Lieutenant Evans, a marine surveyor. He was the first person to map the coastline in this area.
Near the town is the Evans Head Air Weapons Range. The Royal Australian Air Force has used this area for training since 1949.
Heritage Sites in Evans Head
Evans Head has some important historical places. These are called heritage-listed sites. One of them is the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome, which is found on Memorial Airport Drive.
Native Title Recognition
In 2021, a special decision was made by the Federal Court of Australia at Evans Head. This decision recognized the native title rights of the traditional owners over 52 different areas of land, covering about 7.2 square kilometres. This means the traditional owners' connection to this land is officially recognized. The process to get this recognition started way back in 1996.
Population of Evans Head
In 2016, there were 2,843 people living in Evans Head.
- About 4.5% of the people were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
- Most people (85.0%) were born in Australia.
- Almost everyone (90.7%) spoke only English at home.
- The most common religions were No Religion (29.0%), Anglican (21.9%), and Catholic (20.9%).
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1966 | 1,098 | — |
| 1971 | 1,315 | +19.8% |
| 1976 | 1,591 | +21.0% |
| 1981 | 1,802 | +13.3% |
| 1986 | 1,903 | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 2,375 | +24.8% |
| 1996 | 2,613 | +10.0% |
| 2001 | 2,603 | −0.4% |
| 2006 | 2,630 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 2,722 | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 2,847 | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 2,894 | +1.7% |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data. | ||
Fun Things to Do in Evans Head
Evans Head is a popular holiday spot. It has one of the biggest holiday parks in New South Wales. The town is located between two beautiful national parks: Bundjalung National Park and Broadwater National Park.
The town has a wide, curved beach. It's great for fishing, surfing, and swimming.
The Evans Head Holiday Park, also known as 'Silver Sands Caravan Park', has almost 600 sites. It's close to all the shops and places to eat in town. Some parts of the park even allow pets!
Evans Head has two supermarkets, two butchers, and many clothing stores and cafes. These places are ready for all the tourists who visit. Even though the town has less than 3,000 people, it gets very busy during school holidays.
You might even see the remains of an old timber ship called the Pilot on the beach. It sank in 1874. The local aerodrome also has a museum with a retired F-111 aircraft and other real planes on display.
Getting Around Evans Head
The town's airport is called the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome. It used to be a RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) base and is now a heritage-listed site.
You can catch buses from Evans Head to other towns. Northern Rivers Buslines runs routes to Lismore. Ballina Buslines has a route to Ballina. There's also a daily coach service by NSW TrainLink that connects Grafton and Byron Bay, stopping in Evans Head.
Sports in Evans Head
Evans Head has a bowling club and a surf club. The town also has a rugby league team called the Evans Head Bombers. They started in 1999 and play in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League competition. Players come from nearby towns like Broadwater, Woodburn, and Coraki.
If you like golf, there's an 11-hole course with 18 tees at Woodburn-Evans Head.
Local Industries
Today, the main industry in Evans Head is tourism. Many people visit for holidays. Just inland from the town, farmers grow sugar cane. There is also a small industrial area near the airport.
In the past, Evans Head was mainly a fishing village. Catching snapper fish and prawns was a big part of the town's economy.
The Epic Journey of the Friendship R
From the 1950s, Evans Head became a very important place for prawn fishing in Australia. Many fishing trawlers were based here. It was a dangerous job, and some fishermen lost their lives at sea.
Around March 1963, a fishing trawler named the Friendship R began an amazing journey from Evans Head. It was the first fishing trawler to travel all the way around Australia! The boat was built in nearby Ballina for Rex Montford. He was an experienced sailor and fisherman. His crewmate was Ken Messenger, whose grandfather was the famous rugby league player Dally Messenger.
The Friendship R was first hired by the CSIRO (a science organization) to teach fishermen near Shark Bay in Western Australia how to trawl for prawns.
The trawler started its trip by heading south. It stopped at places like Coffs Harbour, Sydney, and Eden. Then it went west, crossing the huge Great Australian Bight. They used only a compass and maps to guide them! They even had to navigate through very tricky reefs to reach Fremantle.
After their work at Shark Bay, Montford and Messenger decided to return to Evans Head by going around the top of Australia.
They traveled with two other boats, the Toowoon Bay and the Rambler. They went north along the coast to Exmouth Gulf and then east to Darwin. During this part of the trip, their engine stopped in calm seas. Luckily, the captain of the Rambler noticed something was wrong. He turned back, found the Friendship R, and towed it safely into Darwin.
After repairs in Darwin, the Friendship R bravely crossed the Gulf of Carpentaria. They visited Elcho Island and Thursday Island, where locals gave them a warm welcome. Finally, they made it back to Evans Head, stopping at Cairns and Tin Can Bay along the way.
The voyage of the Friendship R was a huge achievement. It was the first time a fishing trawler had sailed all the way around Australia. This journey is seen as a very important part of Australia's maritime history. Ken Messenger later went on to other adventures. Rex Montford lived the rest of his life in Evans Head, respected by everyone in the town. He is buried in the local cemetery.
Images for kids
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Storm on the horizon, Evans Head, 2017
