Rappville, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids RappvilleNew South Wales |
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 Rappville
Location in New South Wales
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| Population | 169 (2016 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2469 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 51 m (167 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Richmond Valley Council | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Northern Rivers | ||||||||||||||
| County | Richmond | ||||||||||||||
| Parish | Nandabah | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Clarence | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Page | ||||||||||||||
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Rappville is a small village in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Richmond Valley Council area. The village is about 32 kilometers (20 miles) from the larger town of Casino.
The original owners of the land around Rappville are the Galibal people. They are part of the larger Bundjalung Nation.
In 2016, a count of the population showed that 169 people lived in Rappville.
Contents
Exploring Rappville's Past
The area where Rappville is located was first settled by Europeans in the 1840s. They used the land for raising cattle and for cutting down trees. At first, they cut down cedar trees, then other types of wood. Later, from the 1860s, dairy farming became very important for nearly 100 years.
How the Railway Changed Rappville
At first, goods like wood and dairy products were moved by road or by boats on rivers. But in 1903, a new railway line reached Casino. Two years later, in 1905, it was extended south to Grafton.
A man named John Murray built a sawmill next to this new railway. This area was first called Murray's Siding. The railway helped him move timber easily to Casino and then to Lismore.
Growing into a Village
Because of the busy timber industry, a small town started to grow around the railway siding. By 1910, it had several important places:
- A butcher shop
- A blacksmith shop
- A small store
- A school, which opened in 1908
- A church, which opened in 1910
- A bakery
In March 1911, the settlement was officially named "Rappville." It was named after Henry Rapp, an early settler and businessman. He first bought land in the area in 1888.
In the same year, Henry Rapp opened his new Commercial Hotel. This hotel is still known today as the Rappville Pub. The railway line was later extended to Sydney in 1923 and to Brisbane in 1930. This connected the whole north coast of New South Wales by rail.
Other businesses in the village included another butcher, an ice factory, a second store, and a bank. The bank also worked as a post office.
Rappville Today
Rappville was quite busy until the 1930s. Since then, it has become quieter. This is partly because more people started using roads instead of trains for travel and goods. Also, the timber industry slowly became smaller.
The railway line from Sydney to Brisbane still goes through Rappville. However, the old train station is now closed. The most famous building in the village is still the Commercial Hotel, or Rappville Pub.
Rappville also has a post office, a community hall, and an Anglican church called St. John's. The primary school is still open too. In 2008, a TV show from the UK called "Heartbeat" filmed some parts of their show at the Rappville Hotel.
Tea Tree Oil Production
An interesting local product is tea tree oil. Farmers in the area used to make this oil from native tea tree bushes. This was a side job for them. In the 1970s, large farms started growing tea trees just for oil.
The local tea tree plant, Melaleuca alternifolia, grows well in the wet, flat land around Rappville. Today, growing tea trees for oil is very successful. In 2013, a company near Rappville was called the "world's largest commercial plantation" for tea tree oil. They had 1,500 hectares of tea trees. By 2019, their property covered about 4,300 hectares. They grow over 30 million tea trees each year in a way that helps the environment.
The Rappville area is part of the traditional lands of the Aboriginal Bundjalung Nation. People here spoke the Birrihn language.
2019 Bushfire Disaster
In October 2019, a big bushfire caused a lot of damage to Rappville. The fire started in Busbys Flat and quickly spread through the village. At least 15 houses were destroyed. Luckily, no lives were lost.
The village's pub and primary school were saved from the fire. However, the community hall was destroyed. The fire also damaged the Sydney-Brisbane railway line. Power and phone lines were also affected. Nearby roads had to be closed.
