Northern Rivers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Northern Rivers New South Wales
View south from Byron Bay, the most easterly point on mainland Australia
Northern Rivers Location in New South Wales
Population	313,422 (2022)
• Density	15.11735/km2 (39.1538/sq mi)
Area	20,732.6 km2 (8,004.9 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
LGA(s)	Ballina Shire Byron Shire Clarence Valley Council Kyogle Council City of Lismore Richmond Valley Council Tweed Shire
State electorate(s)	Tweed Ballina Lismore Clarence
Federal Division(s)	Richmond Page Cowper
Localities around Northern Rivers: Darling Downs (QLD) South East Queensland Coral Sea New England Northern Rivers Coral Sea New England Mid North Coast Tasman Sea

Northern Rivers is the most northeasterly region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between 590 and 820 kilometres (370 and 510 mi) north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence, Richmond, and Tweed rivers. It extends from Tweed Heads in the north (adjacent to the Queensland border) to the southern extent of the Clarence river catchment which lies between Grafton and Coffs Harbour, and includes the main towns of Tweed Heads, Byron Bay, Ballina, Kyogle, Lismore, Casino and Grafton. At its most northern point, the region is 102 kilometres (63 mi) south-southeast of the Queensland capital, Brisbane.

As with all regions of New South Wales, it has no official status, although state government department offices and local governments in the area work together for purposes such as tourism, education, water catchment management and waste management. This area has a mild, sub-tropical climate. Major industries are agriculture, fisheries, public services (particularly health) and tourism; the region is also popular for niche crops, hobby farmers, and retirees from life in the larger cities.

Geography

The Northern Rivers region is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the New England region to the west where the Great Dividing Range forms a mountainous boundary. To the north is the border between New South Wales and Queensland, where the Darling Downs are located to the north–west and South East Queensland directly to the north. The southern boundary is the Dorrigo ranges, which also mark the southern boundary for the Clarence River Basin.

The defining characteristic of the region are the fertile valleys of the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed rivers and their sources, hence the region's name; and the region's white sandy beaches.

Demography and area

The following local government areas are contained within the region:

The region is traversed by the Pacific Highway, Bruxner Highway, Clarence Way, Summerland Way and the North Coast Line which links Sydney to Brisbane, Queensland.

Major towns

Boats on the Richmond River at Ballina

Education

The region contains the Southern Cross University, which is headquartered at Lismore and has campuses in Tweed Heads and Coffs Harbour. The North Coast Institute of TAFE has campuses at Lismore, Ballina, Casino, Grafton, Kingscliff, Maclean, Trenayr, Wollongbar and Yamba.

Sport and recreation

There are several local sporting competitions, including:

• Association football – Football Far North Coast
• Baseball – Far North Coast Baseball Association
• Cricket – LJ Hooker League
• Rugby league – Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League
• Rugby union – Far North Coast Rugby Union

The region has also produced several famous sportspeople, including:

• Association football player Craig Foster
• Association football player Lisa Casagrande
• Association football player Terry Greedy
• Athlete Kerry Saxby-Junna
• Cricketers Adam Gilchrist, Lyn Larsen, Matthew Phelps, Sam Trimble, and Georgia Redmayne
• Rugby league player Ken Nagas
• Rugby union player Kane Douglas
• Rugby union player Justin Harrison
• Rugby 7s player Alex Gibbon
• Rugby union player Izack Rodda
• Rugby union player Rory Arnold
• Rugby union player Richie Arnold
• Hockey player Brent Livermore

Sporting venues

Some sporting venues on the Northern Rivers includes:

• Albert Park International Baseball Stadium, Lismore
• Oakes Oval, Lismore
• Crozier Field, Lismore
• Lismore City Rugby Ground, Lismore
• Lyle Park, Wollongbar
• Don Gulley Oval, Kyogle
• Stan Paine Oval, Evans Head
• Kingsford Smith Park, Ballina
• Geoff Watt Oval, Alstonville
• Red Devil Park, Byron Bay
• Williams Reserve, Lennox Head

Culture

The Northern Rivers has its own orchestras, the Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra based in Murwillumbah and the Lismore Symphony Orchestra. Murwillumbah, Lismore and Grafton all have regional art galleries; that at Murwillumbah (the Tweed Regional Gallery) includes the Margaret Olley Art Centre named after the prominent locally-born Australian artist Margaret Olley and includes examples of her work plus a recreation of areas of Olley's famous home studio, principally the Hat Factory and the Yellow Room.

History of settlement

The region has a history of Italian settlement. The locality of New Italy was settled in 1882 by Italian pioneers who attempted to cultivate the area's difficult interior, while additional phases of migration followed in the 1920s and again with the post-World War II influx of European migrants anxious to escape their war-ravaged country. They typically leased hilly land from local farmers on which they cultivated bananas, moving to other trades when the local banana industry declined when refrigeration and better transport links facilitated the supply of cheaper competition from Queensland.

Rail transport

The Northern Rivers was served for over a century by the Murwillumbah railway line, although, amidst some ongoing controversy, services were suspended in 2004.

Principal towns

Boats on the Richmond River at Ballina