Northern Rivers

Northern Rivers
View south from Byron Bay, the most easterly point on mainland Australia.
Population	277,284 (2011 census)
• Density	13.37430/km2 (34.63928/sq mi)
Area	20,732.6 km2 (8,004.9 sq mi)
State electorate(s)	Tweed Ballina Lismore Clarence
Federal Division(s)	Richmond Page Cowper
Localities around Northern Rivers: Darling Downs South East Queensland Tasman Sea New England Northern Rivers Tasman Sea New England Mid North Coast Tasman Sea

Northern Rivers is a region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between 590 kilometres (370 mi) and 820 kilometres (510 mi) north of the state capital, Sydney. At its most northern point, the region is 102 kilometres (63 mi) south south–east 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.

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 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:

LGA	Population (2011 Census)	Area
Ballina	39,274	485.4 km2 (187.4 sq mi)
Byron	29,209	566.6 km2 (218.8 sq mi)
Clarence Valley	49,665	10,441.2 km2 (4,031.4 sq mi)
Kyogle	9,228	3,589.1 km2 (1,385.8 sq mi)
Lismore	42,766	1,289.6 km2 (497.9 sq mi)
Richmond Valley	22,037	3,051.4 km2 (1,178.2 sq mi)
Tweed	85,105	1,309.3 km2 (505.5 sq mi)
Total	277,284	20,732.6 km2 (8,004.9 sq mi)

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

Ballina Byron Bay Casino Grafton Kyogle Lismore Tweed Heads

Alstonville Bangalow Bogangar Brunswick Heads Evans Head Iluka Lennox Head

Maclean Mullumbimby Murwillumbah Nimbin Nymboida Ocean Shores Pottsville Suffolk Park Yamba

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 and Wollongbar.

Culture

The Northern Rivers has its own orchestra based in Murwillumbah the Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra as well as the Lismore Symphony Orchestra.

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.

See also

• Mid North Coast (New South Wales)
• New England (New South Wales)
• South East Queensland

External links

• Northern Rivers Tourism
• Northern Rivers Geology Blog