34-583: Main Arm is a locality located in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales . It is located in the Byron Shire local government area and is approximately 32 kilometres (20 mi) from the regional centre of Byron Bay and the closest town is Mullumbimby which is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) away. It is nearby to and closely associated with Upper Main Arm . The traditional owners of this place are
68-468: A large prawn trawling and fishing industry. The Clarence River system is an extensive east coast drainage with many tributaries of differing size. The 195km Clarence Canoe and Kayak Trail is the longest mapped whitewater trail in Australia. Its basin is, together with the very similarly-sized Hawkesbury , Australia's largest Pacific watershed south of Bundaberg . The extremely intense rainfalls that typify
102-620: 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. The Northern Rivers region is bounded by the Coral Sea and the Tasman Sea to the east and the New England region to the west, where the Great Dividing Range forms
136-670: 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
170-672: A recreation of areas of Olley's famous home studio, principally the Hat Factory and the Yellow Room. 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
204-574: Is a river situated in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia. It rises on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range , in the Border Ranges west of Bonalbo , near Rivertree at the junction of Koreelah Creek and Maryland River , on the watershed that marks the border between New South Wales and Queensland. It flows generally south, south east and north east, and is joined by twenty-four tributaries including Tooloom Creek and
238-718: Is effectively a southern extension of the Gold Coast , and Byron Bay, which has developed a reputation as both a centre for relaxation and "alternative" health practices such as yoga , and at certain times of the year, a convenient out-of-town recreation area for partygoers from the major urban centres of south-east Queensland. The village of Nimbin , in the Lismore area, also attracts tourists interested in its reputation for environmental and alternative living initiatives such as permaculture , sustainability, and self-sufficiency, as well as its often-cited counterculture which includes lobbying for
272-566: Is situated on the river due to its importance in transporting sugar cane from farms in the surrounding area in previous times. Harwood is just after the Harwood Bridge on part of Australia 's National Highway from Sydney , Port Macquarie , Coffs Harbour to Brisbane . The freshwater reaches of the Clarence River support important populations of native freshwater fish including Eastern freshwater cod , an endangered fish species unique to
306-636: 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
340-522: The Bundjalung (Arakwal) people . The name Main Arm is taken from its location nearby to where Blindmouth Creek flows into the Brunswick River and, in 1899, was almost named Durrumbul which is now the name of the local community hall and local public school. The area was settled by Europeans from the 1890s but the first signs of permanent settlement were in 1905, with the construction of a sawmill, this
374-486: The Great Depression . Main Arm became the centre of a 'banana boom' in the area from the late 1930s until it declined in the 1950s; as a part of this boom a Banana Syndicate was formed. During this boom they experienced significant issues with Banana bunchy top virus . In the 2016 census , the population of Main Arm was 586, which at the 2021 census had increased to 640. Northern Rivers Northern Rivers
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#1732887034146408-749: The Mann , Nymboida , Cataract , Orara , Coldstream , Timbarra , and Esk rivers. It descends 256 metres (840 ft) over the course of its 394-kilometre (245 mi) length and empties into the Coral Sea in the South Pacific Ocean, between Iluka and Yamba . On its journey it passes through the towns of Tabulam and Copmanhurst , the city of Grafton , and the towns of Ulmarra , and Maclean . The river features many large river islands, including Woodford , Chatsworth, Ashby, Warregah and Harwood islands; and Susan Island Nature Reserve . The river supports
442-557: 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 . There are several local sporting competitions, including: The region has also produced several famous sportspeople, including: Some sporting venues on
476-645: The 2014 Bentley blockade, which protested against exploratory drilling for gas at that location, and flow-on community reaction which eventually led to the New South Wales State Government buying back a coal seam gas exploration licence covering more than 500,000 hectares across the region in October 2015. Prior to European settlement in the nineteenth century, the region was home to the Aboriginal Bundjalung people (or Bandjalang) (including
510-573: The Clarence River system, and Australian bass . The Indigenous Bundjalung people call the river Boorimbah , while the coastal Yaygir people call it the Ngunitiji . The Aboriginal people from the Tenterfield district used the word neyand , meaning "top" as the name for the headwaters of the river. The river remained unknown to British authorities until the mid 1830s when escaped convict Richard Craig , who had been living with Aboriginal people in
544-632: The North Coast mean, however, that major floods can temporarily raise the flow of the Clarence to 24 feet, as happened in 1890. The climate of most of the basin is subtropical ( Köppen Cfa ), though the highest areas with cooler weather are of the temperate Cfb type. Annual rainfall ranges from 1,600 millimetres (63 in) on the coast at Yamba down to 1,080 millimetres (43 in) in the shielded valley at Grafton (BOM Grafton Olympic Pool). At higher altitudes, rainfall may reach 2,000 millimetres (79 in) on exposed slopes but data are very poor. Most of
578-836: The Northern Rivers includes: 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
612-758: The Widjabul of the Lismore region, the Arakwal of the Byron Bay area, and the Kalibal and Minjungbal of the Tweed and Queensland border) and the Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl peoples to the south, which collectively still form a component of the local population, and have been successful in some native title land claims on behalf of local Bandjalang and Yaegl communities. The region contains
646-668: The area, reported its existence. It was initially called the Big River , but this caused confusion as the Gwydir River in northern New South Wales was also colloquially known by this name. In November 1839 the Governor of New South Wales , George Gipps , officially changed the name to the Clarence River in honour of the previous King of the British Empire , William IV, 1st Duke of Clarence and St Andrews . The local government area of
680-466: The chief industries are cattle rearing and the growing of sugar cane in lower-lying areas. Of particular interest is the small island town of Harwood, where a Sperry New Holland factory and a quaint Bush Pub overlook the Clarence delta. Harwood is also the location of the local sugar mill, the Harwood Sugar Mill built in 1873 and is the oldest Australian mill still operational. The sugar mill
714-523: The coast typically ranges from around 220 millimetres (8.7 in) in February and March to around 70 millimetres (2.8 in) in September; it can average as low as 40 millimetres (1.6 in) between May and September inland, where exposed areas sometimes suffer bushfires after droughts , as occurred in 1915 and 2000. During Cyclone Oswald , the Clarence was subject to minor flooding, brought about due to
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#1732887034146748-506: The coast, in order to be able to transport the valuable timber products (in particular the Australian red cedar, Toona ciliata ) to markets interstate and overseas. Dairy production in the region was extensive up until the 1970s and many towns in the area retain their dairy processing plants ("butter factories") from that era, now largely re-purposed for other uses; dairy cattle were then largely replaced with beef cattle for economic reasons, although some dairy production remains. The north of
782-470: The decriminalisation of recreational and medicinal cannabis , as evidenced by its annual MardiGrass celebration. Following some decades of population decline with the reduction of certain primary industry (in particular dairying), the area is now seeing a population increase, in part because of the availability of ex-dairy land for newer niche crops and hobby farms along with an influx of "sea change" and "tree change" families, as well as retirees attracted by
816-605: The high areas actually receive no more rain than Grafton though variability from year to year is less. Temperatures are generally very warm, with maxima in lower area ranging from 27 °C (81 °F) in January to 19 °C (66 °F) in July. In the highlands, however, temperatures are much cooler and in July range from lows of around 2 °C (36 °F) to maxima around 13 °C (55 °F) - though in January days remain very warm at around 25 °C (77 °F). Rainfall per month on
850-430: The local banana industry declined when refrigeration and better transport links facilitated the supply of cheaper competition from Queensland. The Northern Rivers was served for over a century by the Murwillumbah railway line , although, amidst some ongoing controversy, services were suspended in 2004. Clarence River (New South Wales) The Clarence River ( Bundjalung : Boorimbah , Yaygir : Ngunitiji )
884-545: 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
918-577: The region is an important sugarcane growing area with smaller contributions from coffee, bananas and assorted tropical fruit and vegetables. The hills with their red volcanic soils inland from Byron Bay provide Australia's main region for the cultivation of macadamia trees which are used for their production of both raw nuts and macadamia oil. Ballina is a fishing port and was a centre for Australia's east coast offshore prawn industry, although boat numbers have declined in recent years, while additional vessels operate out of Iluka and Yamba . Byron Bay
952-606: The region's name; and the region's white sandy beaches. 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 railway line which links Sydney to Brisbane. The northernmost part of the region contains Mount Warning and the surrounding remnants of the long-extinct Tweed Volcano , portions of which extend into southern Queensland . Immediately to
986-605: The region's subtropical climate and unique combination of lifestyle attributes. From the 1970s onwards, the northern portion of the region has also been the scene of successful environmental protests aimed at preventing the destruction of the area's significant natural assets, including the 1979 Terania Creek anti-logging protest in the Nightcap National Park which led to the then Wran State Government gazetting remaining rainforest in New South Wales as National Parks,
1020-497: The river from the late 1800s to 2011. Tourism is also a significant industry in the Clarence Valley generating around A$ 457million per annum and employing around 2500 people. Most of the Clarence basin is heavily forested, with important areas of remnant subtropical and temperate rainforest occurring all along the course. Only in alluvial areas where soils are less leached is there major agricultural development: in these areas
1054-555: The south was formerly the " Big Scrub ", an extensive area of subtropical rainforest that was largely cleared for timber-getting and subsequently dairy farming in the nineteenth century. The major towns of the area developed at the navigable heads of the local river systems (Murwillumbah on the Tweed, Lismore on the Wilsons – a tributary of the Richmond – and Grafton on the Clarence) rather than on
Main Arm, New South Wales - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-507: The storm's residual effects and associated monsoon trough that passed over parts of Queensland and New South Wales. At Grafton, the river peaked at a new record height of 8.1 metres (27 ft). Two years earlier, the river peaked 7.6 metres (25 ft), forcing the evacuation of 3000 people from their homes. On both occasions, the city's levee was credited with preventing more severe flooding. The local historical society has published an account of newspaper reports documenting flooding of
1122-438: Was at one time a centre for commercial whaling as well as mineral extraction via sand mining. Further south, the rural portions of the Clarence river catchment are predominantly used for forestry, agriculture and grazing. The region as a whole includes a significant component of New South Wales' state forests and national parks, and tourism is important in the north of the region in particular, especially in Tweed Heads , which
1156-503: Was followed by the construction of a gothic-style Presbyterian Church in March 1909. There was significant growth in the area post World War I when blocks were granted to returning soldiers as part of a soldier settlement scheme; it was during this time that Settlement Road was built on he southern section of Main Arm after grievances were raised about lack of access. Despite this growth the area struggled to remain agriculturally viable during
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