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| The timber cutter in Knox
Park |
Murwillumbah (including Chillingham, Tumbulgum and
Uki)
Important rural centre on the Tweed River just south of
the Queensland border.
Murwillumbah is the last major town (apart from the urban
sprawl of Tweed Heads) before the Queensland border. It is a
substantial centre which is focussed almost entirely on
providing services for the surrounding farmlands. The area
is particularly rich and consequently is a mixture of cattle
and sugar cane.
Murwillumbah is a rather pleasant town of around 9000
people which spreads along the banks of the Tweed River by
the foothills of the McPherson Ranges. It is located in a
scenic area 848 km north-east of Sydney, 13 km south of the
Queensland border and 132 km south of Brisbane. In recent
times the Pacific Highway, which joins Sydney and Brisbane,
has bypassed the town and consequently it has become rather
more sedate.
Murwillumbah is surrounded by sugarcane which is the
major industry of the Tweed Valley. In fact, if the visitor
travels through the region at the right time of the year, he
or she will see virtual walls of sugarcane on either side of
the road. Dairying and bananas also contribute to the local
economy.
Prior to European settlement the area was occupied by the
Bundjalung Aborigines. The first white person in the area
was John Oxley who named the Tweed River in 1823. Five years
later Captain Henry Rous followed the river from its mouth
to the head of navigation. Unaware that Oxley had preceded
him, he named it the Clarence - a name later transferred to
a river further south.
By the early 1840s timbercutters were already at work on
the forests of the hinterland but the rainforests of the
area were not so rich a source as the Richmond and Tweed
Valleys and so settlement did not proceed so quickly.
Vessels did not appear on the river until 1868.
Sugarcane was first grown in the valley in 1869 as free
selectors began to take up land. However, two years later, a
visitor noted that the river was covered on both sides by
dense scrub with but a few dispersed dwellings. One of the
selectors - Joshua Bray (the future police magistrate) - is
said to have adopted the name 'Murwillumbah' from the local
Aborigines. It is thought to describe either a good place
for camping beside the river or a good place to catch
possums.
The townsite was surveyed in 1872. The post office was
transferred from Kynnumboon (just to the north) in 1877, the
school was transferred from Tumbulgum in 1878, a courthouse
was built and the first bank was established in 1880. The
first sugar mill in the area also opened in 1880. A ferry
service replaced the punt in 1888. However, settlement
remained limited until the railway arrived in 1894 from
Lismore via
Mullumbimby. This event made Murwillumbah the terminus
of the North Coast Line (which it remains) and the
commercial centre of a district which benefited greatly from
the increased market access.
At this point in time, Murwillumbah really began to
develop. A lift-span bridge was built over the river in 1901
and the settlement was declared a municipality in 1902. A
hospital was built in 1904 and the Murwillumbah branch of
the Norco butter factory opened in 1906, signalling the
emergence of dairying in the area. Banana plantations also
began to appear in the early 20th century. A major
conflagration savaged the town in 1907, although the
rebuilding process led to a number of civic improvements.
Since the 1960s Murwillumbah has become something of a
tourist resort.
Political writer, screenwriter, essayist and playwright
Bob Ellis was born at Murwillumbah in 1942.
The Banana Festival is held each year in late August and
early September and the Agricultural Show in November.
Markets are held on the second Sunday of each month at the
Sunnyside Shopping Centre.
Things to see:
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The World Heritage Rainforest Centre
The World Heritage Rainforest Centre is located in Budd
Park, on the eastern bank of the Tweed River, at the corner
of the Pacific Highway and Alma St (the main road through
Murwillumbah), tel: (02) 6672 1340. The name of the centre
reflects the fact that the tourist information centre shares
office space with the National Parks and Wildlife Service
which is a pleasing and convenient association for the
visitor. Enquiries can be made here concerning houseboat
hire, guided tours, accommodation, cruises and the area's
gemstone fossicking. Maps and souvenirs are available and
there is a theatrette. Rainforest Week is an annual event
held in the early spring.
Bridge
From the nearby bridge over the Tweed River, there are fine
views of Mt Warning in the distance. The entire valley sits
within the eroded basin of an extinct and enormous volcano.
Mt Warning was its central vent and magma chamber.
Art Gallery
Once across the bridge, take the first right into Commercial
Rd then the first right into Wharf St then the left into
Tumbulgum Rd which follows the riverbank. The Tweed River
Regional Art Gallery. at the corner of Tumbulgum Rd and
Ferry Rd, is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to
5.00 p.m., tel: (02) 6672 6242.
Main St
Return along Tumbulgum Rd, turn right, back into Wharf St,
then stick to the left as Wharf St leads into Murwillumbah
St or, as it is also known, Main St. To the right are Walter
Vernon's Federation-style courthouse (1909), the police
station (c.1905) and their outbuildings. Further along, on
the other side of the Queensland Rd intersection, are the
Catholic Church, the associated school and the timber
presbytery.
Lookout
Return along Main St and turn left into Queensland Rd. The
first road on the right is Bent St. It leads up to Lion's
Lookout by the town reservoir. There are barbecue facilities
and views over the town, river and surrounding canefields.
Museum
At the corner of Queensland Rd and Bent St is the local
history museum, located in the former council chambers
(1910). It is open Wednesday and Friday from 11.00 a.m. to
4.00 p.m., tel: (02) 6672 1865.
Lisnagar and Palmdale Stud
Head out of town along Queensland Road. After 2 km you will
cross the bridge over the Rous River and come to a
T-junction. A left will take you to Chillingham. Look to the
right and you will see a very attractive two-storey timber
homestead known as 'Lisnagar' (1906).
Turn into the Chillingham Road which follows the Rous
River into the Numinbah Valley. 12 km from Murwillumbah is a
signposted turnoff on the right into Upper Crystal Creek Rd
where you will find Palmdale Stud (aka Crystal Creek
Miniatures), a curious venture which features a series of
real miniature animals (bulls, cows, mares etc). There is
also a coffee shop, nursery and gift shop. It is open daily,
tel: (02) 6679 1532 or (02) 6679 1632.
Chillingham
Another 4 km along Queensland Road is the small but charming
village of Chillingham. The general store offers a range of
specialist products from the local area and serves an
excellent cup of tea. St Andrew's Church is rather
attractive.
Natural Bridge and Springbrook National Park
From Chillingham follow the Nerang Road through the Numinbah
Valley. 4 km north of the Queensland border tick gate is a
narrow, winding side road signposted for the 'Natural Arch'.
This geological phenomenon was essentially formed by lava
from Mount Warning which has solidified into a cavern.
However, erosion from the creek above has caused a huge hole
to form in the roof of the cavern so that the water falls
through the hole into a water pool below.
The access road leads to a carpark in a delightful shady
rainforest grove full of birdlife (eastern yellow robins,
whipbirds, catbirds, wompoo pigeons and brush turkeys) and
the burbling of the stream as it passes through the valley
below. There is a clearly signposted circuit walk which
leads through the rainforest to a lookout overlooking the
falls and the hole in the cavern roof. It crosses the creek,
passes another elevated viewing area, then moves down to
creek level, where it is possible to enter the cavern where
forest light shafts down through the opening, illuminating
the base of the falls. The path then crosses the creek again
and climbs back up to the parking lot. An information board
at the start of the walk provides information about the park
and its wildlife.
The most distinctive timber in the area are the hoop
pines which abound. There are vines in the trees and
staghorns as well as huge trees rotting on the forest floor.
At night-time bandicoots, sugar gliders and brush-tail
possums become active and the evening is a good time to
spotlight possums, frogs and spiders.
The principal nocturnal activity concerns the glow-worms
which can be seen in their thousands, adorning the cavern
roof. These insects are the larvae of a fungus fly and they
glow to attract insects to their webs. Access is via a
viewing platform. However, the glow-worms are frail and
while visitors can use a torch to get to the viewing
platform, they must not shine the torch on them. Candles and
other flames, flash photographs, smoking and insect
repellant are also forbidden and excessive noise should be
avoided.
There are toilets, picnic facilities and electric,
coin-operated barbecues in the picnic areas (but no bins so
take your rubbish with you). However, it can be very crowded
with visitors so it is advisable to bring a portable table
and gas barbecue. Mini bus tours operate from the Gold Coast
and Murwillumbah. Be warned that the Bridge receives a great
deal of rain in the hot, humid summer.
Brush turkeys and goannas are often seen around the
picnic areas, pademelons feed at the edge of the rianforest
and eastern yellow robins and whipbirds can be seen in the
lower levels of the forest, while catbirds, koels and wompoo
fruit doves can be heard amid the canopy. Lorikeets are
common in spring and summer while, as night approaches,
noturnal animals such as bandicoots, brushtail possums and
sugar gliders emerge.
The 'Bridge' is located in Springbrook National Park, in
an area once occupied by indigenous tribes but settled, from
the 1870s, by Europeans who first entered the area to
collect timber. Indeed a large portion of a giant red cedar
taken from a spot near the Natural Bridge in 1893 was
displayed at the Paris World Fair. The remnant rainforest in
the Park, which grew from the rich volcanic soils, gives
some idea of the environment which once characterised the
entire Numinbah Valley before colonisation. The Natural
Bridge was first declared a Scenic and Recreation Reserve in
1922, by which time much of the valley had been cleared and
dairy farms were being established.
No camping is permitted in the Park. More details can be
obtained by ringing (07) 5533 5147 or (07) 5576 4045.
To get to the bridge, head west of Nerang for 4 km,
ignoring the Mt Tamborine turnoff and heading instead
towards Beechmont. After a further 4 km the the Murwillimbah
turnoff. 4 km before you come to the tick gate at the state
border, there is a narrow, winding side road signposted for
the 'Natural Arch'. En route is the beautiful scenery of the
Numinbah Valley. The access road is narrow and winding.
Sugar Mill
The Condong Sugar Mill (established in 1880) is located on
the left-hand side of the Pacific Highway, 4 km north-east
of Murwillumbah. From July to November visitors can view the
sugarcane being processed. Inspections are for small groups
and by prior arrangement (fully-covered shoes are
essential), tel: (02) 6670 1700.
Tree Tops Environment Centre
Opposite the sugar mill is the signposted turnoff, on the
right, into Clothiers Creek Road. A few kilometres along
this road is the Tree Tops Environment Centre where you can
watch hand-crafted furniture in the making. There is also an
art gallery and restaurant. It is open from 10.00 a.m. to
4.00 p.m. daily, tel: (02) 6672 3068.
Madura Tea Estates
Madura Tea Estates (Australia's first commercial tea estate)
is about another 5 km along Clothiers Creek Road.
Inspections are possible but only by prior arrangement, tel:
(02) 6677 7215.
Cudgen Nature Reserve
At the end of Clothiers Creek Rd (15 km from the highway),
just before it reaches a T-intersection with the Tweed Coast
Road at Bagangar, you will pass, on your left, Cudgen Lake
(ideal for canoeing) and foreshores and, to the right, Round
Mountain: both are now part of Cudgen Nature Reserve (671
ha). Cudgen Mountain provides excellent views across the
lake, the ocean and the hinterland.
An Aboriginal stone quarry has been found on the edge of
the lake and the area remains of significance to local
Kooris. There are excellent views of Mt Warning from its
eastern shore on a clear day.
The Cudgen Nature Reserve contains a variety of
vegetation types which are home to a number of threatened
plant and animal species. The reserve also supports a large
koala population and picnic facilities are provided.
Tumbulgum
North-east of Murwillumbah, the Pacific Highway follows the
Tweed River. Each side of both the road and the river is
given over to sugarcane. 11 km from Murwillumbah is a left
turn into the tiny township of Tumbulgum where novelist
Faith Bandler was born after her father was brought here as
kanaka labour by slave traders in 1883.
Tumbulgum was originally known to Europeans as the Tweed
Junction for it is here that the Tweed and Rous Rivers meet
('Tumbulgum' means 'place where the waters meet'). An inn
was built here in 1870 and, in 1872, a school and post
office opened. The village was quite prosperous in the
1890s. A survivor from the 'boom' days is the Tumbulgum
Hotel which marks the site of an old ferry crossing. Several
other buildings in Riverside Drive are of interest.
Stott's Island Nature Reserve
13 km from Murwillumbah, to the left, is Stott's Island
which provides an example of the lush lowland rainforest
that covered the entire Tweed Valley prior to European
settlement. There is a boat ramp. Opposite the reserve is
Hogan's Park picnic area.
Tropical Fruit World
Just beyond Stott's Island, the highway straightens out.
There is a signposted right turn to Tropical Fruit World at
Duranbah - an agri-tourist destination based around a
tropical fruit plantation. A visit begins with a tractor
train-ride (with guided commentary) through the plantation
which grows over 500 varieties of fruit including such
exotics as acerola, babaco, sour sop along with the more
common bananas, pineapples, guava and paw paw. It ends at
Treasure Island where there are childrens' play facilities
and a miniature train ride. Next is a boat cruise to the
fauna park where the animals can be hand-fed. There is also
a giant koi pond and the Gardens of the World. The latter is
a series of gardens where the botany is based around
specific geographical-historical themes. The Magic Garden
Show is a discussion of the fruits which can be grown at
home followed by tastings. There are also fruits and fruit
products for sale, souvenirs and a restaurant. It is open
daily from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., tel: (02) 6677 7222.
Pioneer Plantation
19 km south along the Pacific Highway is Mooball. If you
turn off here and head north-east along Pottsville Rd it is
4 km to Pioneer Plantation, an award-winning agri-tourism
complex based around a banana plantation. Highlights are the
6WD trip to the top of Banana Mountain, the Friendship Farm
and the Wildlife Sanctuary - a free-range enclosure
featuring kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas, wombats,
pademelons and a lake with waterbirds. Other attractions are
the Banana Garden, the Gardens of Australia, a family
restaurant, walking tracks, and a giftshop. It is open from
10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, tel: (02) 6677 1215.
Mount Warning National Park
Mount Warning (1157 metres) is famous throughout Australia
as the first point on the east coast to be touched by the
sun's morning rays. It is located in a 2379-ha rainforest
park which was given a World Heritage listing in 1986. The
mountain, with its Dreamtime connections, is significant to
the indigenous people who know it as 'Wollumbin'. Its
European name was bestowed by Captain Cook to warn mariners
of offshore reefs which he encountered in May 1770.
20 million years ago Mt Warning was the magma chamber and
central vent of a volcano which covered 4000 square
kilometres from Coraki in the south to Beenleigh in the
north, west to Kyogle and its remnants form reefs in the
ocean to the east. At that time, Mt Warning was twice its
present height. The harder rhyolite from the magma chamber
has formed a core which has remained while the basalt
deposits of the surrounding area have eroded away leaving
the present basin which forms the largest erosion caldera in
the world.
To get there, head south-west along the Kyogle Rd for 10
km then take the signposted right turn onto the Mount
Warning Road and travel 6 km to the Breakfast Creek Picnic
Area at the park entrance by the base of the mountain. The
Mt Warning Summit Track commences from the associated
parking area.
This walk is very highly recommended although it is
strenuous, steep and rocky in parts. It is an 8.8-km hike
(return) through subtropical and temperate rainforest, wet
sclerophyll forest and heath shrubland which takes about
four hours return so it is best to start by 2.00 p.m. in
winter. There are rest stops along the way and a chain to
assist you up the last steep section.
The 360-degree views from the peak are stunning. The land
which can be seen from the summit consists largely of the
lava which once spilled from its mouth, carved into its
present shape by erosion and the course of many rivulets
down its slopes.
The Lyrebird Track (200 m) crosses Breakfast Creek and
passes through palm forest to a platform amidst the
subtropical forest.
The park's fauna includes vulnerable and protected
species. There are frogs, marsupial mice, quolls, water
rats, bush rats, the platypus, gliders, koalas, possums,
bats, water dragons, pythons, tree snakes, skinks and lace
monitors. Birdlife includes goshawks, eagles, currawongs,
butcher birds, whipbirds, crows, doves, pigeons, the
spangled drongo, kookaburras, kingfishers, lyrebirds,
monarchs, brush turkeys, honeyeaters, crimson rosellas, king
parrots, satin bowerbirds, marbled frogmouths, catbirds and
owls.
There are barbecue facilities at the picnic area. Camping
and fires are not otherwise permitted, although a
privately-run campground offers car and caravan-based
camping. For further information ring (02) 6672 6360 on
weekdays.
Uki and Clarrie Hall Dam
4 km beyond the turnoff to Mt Warning is the attractive
village of Uki which began as a service centre to a
cedar-getting area. It prospered with the emergence of
dairying in the 1890s. The school (1895) and Holy Trinity
Anglican Church (1921) remain in the main street. The
village shrank when dairying declined after the Second World
War. In the 1980s urbanites began to open hobby farms in the
area.
4 km beyond Uki is a turnoff on the left into Doon Doon
Rd which leads to Clarrie Hall Dam where there are barbecue
facilities.
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Murwillumbah
