Northern Rivers

Northern Rivers
New South Wales

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)
Federal Division(s)
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.[1][2] 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 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:

Population by Local Government Area
Richmond Tweed rank Local Government Area Population 30 June 2014[3] 10 year growth rate Population density (people/km2)
1 Tweed Shire Council 91,210 14.7 69.8
3 Lismore City Council 44,629 4.4 34.7
4 Ballina Shire Council 41,644 6.5 85.9
5 Byron Bay Shire Council 32,119 6.6 56.8
6 Richmond Valley Shire Council 22,983 8.6 7.5
7 Kyogle Shire Council 9,531 0.1 2.7
Richmond Tweed 242,116 8.9 23.6
2 Clarence Valley Council 51,003 4.9 4.9
Northern Rivers 293,119 8.2 14.2

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.[4] The North Coast Institute of TAFE has campuses at Lismore, Ballina, Casino, Grafton, Kingscliff, Maclean, Trenayr and Wollongbar.[5]

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

References

  1. ↑ Northern Rivers Tourism. "Who we are". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  2. ↑ "Northern Rivers ACE Colleges". Retrieved 11 July 201. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  3. ↑ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2013–14". Australian Bureau of Statistics.
  4. ↑ Southern Cross University (3 May 2011). "About SCU - Lismore". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  5. ↑ North Coast Institute of TAFE. "Campuses". Retrieved 11 July 2011.
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Coordinates: 29°09′S 153°07′E / 29.150°S 153.117°E / -29.150; 153.117

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