Mullumbimby. The new entrance veranda on the Soldiers Memorial Hall which was built in 1929.
Mullumbimby. Population 3,000.
The town is sited on the Brunswick River which was named after the wife of George IV – Queen Caroline of Brunswick. It is a short river at just 34 kms long. It rises in the mountains to the west and enter the sea at Brunswick Heads. As with elsewhere in northern NSW the timber cutters and red cedar cutters were the first whites in the region. With land clearing a few farmers moved to the region to grow sugar cane or fruit. The town of Mullumbimby was not gazetted until 1888. The school opened in 1886 and the first Post Office in 1889 and the railway reached here in 1894. Today the district is known for its production of bananas, avocadoes, macadamias, dairying, tropical fruits etc. The main tourist attraction of the area is the Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens with its garden of crystals and a giant Budda statue. It is ideal for learning mediation, Buddhism and about alternative lifestyles. We do not have time to visit it. The most interesting aspect of Mullumbimby’s history is the soldier settlement movement after World War One. The government thought that small blocks of land suitable for growing bananas would make good soldier settlement blocks. But the land was covered in giant trees. The soldier settlers had to first fell the trees. This was incredibly difficult and time consuming. The scheme was totally unsuccessful and the last settler walked off his block in 1925. Presumably they received some income from the timber that was cut but probably none ever grew bananas. The heritage listed buildings of Mullumbimby include the old courthouse built in 1908 in the Edwardian style with Walter Liberty Vernon as the architect; the timber and iron Post Office 1907 which was moved to a new location in 1984 when it became the town museum.
Mullumbimby. The new entrance veranda on the Soldiers Memorial Hall which was built in 1929.
Mullumbimby. Population 3,000.
The town is sited on the Brunswick River which was named after the wife of George IV – Queen Caroline of Brunswick. It is a short river at just 34 kms long. It rises in the mountains to the west and enter the sea at Brunswick Heads. As with elsewhere in northern NSW the timber cutters and red cedar cutters were the first whites in the region. With land clearing a few farmers moved to the region to grow sugar cane or fruit. The town of Mullumbimby was not gazetted until 1888. The school opened in 1886 and the first Post Office in 1889 and the railway reached here in 1894. Today the district is known for its production of bananas, avocadoes, macadamias, dairying, tropical fruits etc. The main tourist attraction of the area is the Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens with its garden of crystals and a giant Budda statue. It is ideal for learning mediation, Buddhism and about alternative lifestyles. We do not have time to visit it. The most interesting aspect of Mullumbimby’s history is the soldier settlement movement after World War One. The government thought that small blocks of land suitable for growing bananas would make good soldier settlement blocks. But the land was covered in giant trees. The soldier settlers had to first fell the trees. This was incredibly difficult and time consuming. The scheme was totally unsuccessful and the last settler walked off his block in 1925. Presumably they received some income from the timber that was cut but probably none ever grew bananas. The heritage listed buildings of Mullumbimby include the old courthouse built in 1908 in the Edwardian style with Walter Liberty Vernon as the architect; the timber and iron Post Office 1907 which was moved to a new location in 1984 when it became the town museum.