Ballina () is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

. Ballina's urban population at June 2018 was 26,381. The town lies on the Richmond River and serves as a gateway to Byron Bay.

History

Ballina is located on the ancestral land of the Bundjalung people, the original inhabitants. Archaeological evidence demonstrates Bundjalung occupation of the region for at least 6000 years. One view suggests that the name Ballina comes from corruption of a clan name for the ''Bullina'' band of the

Arakwal The Arakwal are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of New South Wales. Country In Norman Tindale 's estimation the Arakwal had about of territory, stretching from Ballina, New South Wales, Ballina and the north side of the Richmond Riv ...

. It has been argued that in this tribe's Bundjalung language, meant "place of many oysters". This theory argues that the Aboriginal name reminded the predominantly Irish settlers of "Ballina", so the name's origin could be an accidental or deliberate corruption. Another view is that town's name comes from the Irish placename Ballina (''Béal an Átha'', "mouth of the ford"), which is found in several parts of Ireland. Ballina was established in the 1840s on the northern shore of the Richmond River, 20 kilometres south of Cape Byron, Australia's most easterly point. HMS ''Rainbow'', commanded by Capt. Henry Rous, first sailed into the Richmond River in 1828, followed by overland settlers from the Clarence River. In 1842, more settlers arrived on a ship called ''Sally,'' forming a settlement at what is now East Ballina on Shaws Bay. A lighthouse,

Richmond River Light Richmond River Light, also known as Ballina Head Light and Ballina Light, is an active lighthouse located at Ballina Head, a headland in Ballina, New South Wales Ballina () is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Austr ...

, was first constructed in Ballina in 1866, which served as a significant port in the region. The temporary lighthouse was replaced with the current one, designed by James Barnet, in 1879, and first lit in 1880. It is still active. A branch railway line connected Ballina with the Murwillumbah railway line railway at Booyong. The line was opened on 24 August 1930 and closed on 12 January 1949.

Landfalls

Ballina has a number of famous "landfalls" associated with it. In 1928, Charles Kingsford Smith's plane, the '' Southern Cross'', crossed the coast over Ballina after its epic journey across the Pacific Ocean. Ballina had a festival associated with the event during the 1970s and 1980s, and a school in East Ballina bears the name "Southern Cross". In 1973, the Las Balsas rafts were towed into Ballina by fishing trawlers after their journey from Ecuador. One of the rafts is preserved in the Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum. They had planned to arrive in Mooloolaba in Queensland, but currents forced them off their course. Their journey was almost twice as long as the '' Kon-Tiki'' expeditions of 1947 and proved that people could have travelled across the Pacific in ancient times.

Heritage listings

Ballina has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 37 Norton Street:

Brundah Brundah is a heritage-listed private residence at 37 Norton Street, Ballina, Ballina Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1908. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. History Brundah was b ...

Location

It is approximately north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Ballina is a coastal town and is connected to the Pacific Highway which now bypasses it. The Richmond River was an important transport route for the region for the first 100 years after settlement. The river and its estuaries abound with marine wildlife and provide for recreational fishing and water sports.

Demographics

The population of Ballina township was 16,506 at the 2016 Census (representing 39 percent of the Ballina Shire population of 41,790). The urban area had a population of 26,381, which includes Lennox Head and other suburban areas. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.3% of the population; compared with the national and state average of 2.9%. The most common ancestries in the area were English 31.2%, Australian 28.3%, Irish 10.9%, Scottish 8.7% and German 3.2%. 81.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 3.4%, New Zealand 1.7%, Scotland 0.5% and South Africa 0.4%. 13.3% of people had both parents born overseas. 88.7% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion in the area were No Religion 30.2%, Catholic 23.0% and Anglican 19.6%.

Economy

The median household income was estimated to be A$1,093 per week; with the median mortgage repayments estimated at A$1,733 per month; and median rent estimated at A$345 per week. The average number of motor vehicles was 1.6 per dwelling. Ballina serves as a tourism gateway to the close by destinations of Lismore and Byron Bay. The town has access to several beaches, such as Shelley's Beach, and to historical sites such as the Ballina Manor and the

Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum The Ballina Naval & Maritime Museum is a local maritime history museum located in the town of Ballina, New South Wales in Australia. The museum explicitly houses and records the local maritime history of Ballina and the former mariners that res ...

, however its most famous landmark is undoubtedly the 'Big Prawn'.

The Big Prawn

Ballina is home to the world's largest prawn model (made of concrete and fibreglass). On 24 September 2009, Ballina Shire Council voted to allow the demolition of the Big Prawn, but this permission was never acted upon. Bunnings Warehouse purchased the site and refurbished the Prawn as part of the redevelopment. The Prawn now sits on a stand next to the entrance of the Bunnings Warehouse car park. In March 2018, Google Maps' facial recognition software blurred out the facial area of the Prawn, first noticed on Reddit Australia, and later reported in '' The Sydney Morning Herald''.

Climate

The town of Ballina experiences a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Koppen ''Cfa''), typical of the central part of Australia's eastern coast. Summers are sultry, humid and rainy, with approximately 40% of the town's total annual precipitation occurring from December to March, with March being the wettest month of the year, receiving an average of of precipitation. Ballina's annual precipitation total observes a considerably higher concentration in the first half of the year (January–June) than the second half of the year (July–December). Ballina's wetness is due to the town's coastal location and proximity to Cape Byron, the easternmost point in Australia, which means that exposure to moisture-laden frontal systems that develop throughout the year in the Tasman Sea follows accordingly. Ballina experiences a copious of precipitation annually, which is one of the highest annual precipitation levels to be found along the eastern coast of Australia south of the tropical coast of northern Queensland. The all-time highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in the town are and on 12 January 2002 and 17 June 1999 respectively.

Media

The ''Northern Rivers Echo'' is a free weekly community newspaper with 27,000 copies distributed to Lismore, Alstonville, Wollongbar, Ballina, Casino, Nimbin and Evans Head. '' The Northern Star'' is a tabloid newspaper based in Lismore. It covers the region from Casino to Ballina and up to Murwillimbah and Byron Bay, covering a population of several hundred thousand. Ballina receives TV channels from SBS and ABC and the regional affiliates of

Seven 7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist ...

, Nine and WIN Television’s 10 Northern NSW. The commercial radio stations in the area are Triple Z (Hit Music) and 2LM 900 AM. Both are run by Broadcast Operations Group. The community radio station is

Paradise FM 101.9 Paradise FM (callsign 2PAR) is a community radio station in Ballina, New South Wales. Radio stations in New South Wales Adult contemporary radio stations in Australia Ballina, New South Wales {{Australia-radio-station-stub ...

. Other radio stations are Triple J 96.1 FM,

ABC Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors an ...

96.9 FM,

ABC Classic FM ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. ...

95.3 and

ABC North Coast ABC North Coast is an ABC Local Radio station based in Lismore and broadcasting to the Northern Rivers region in New South Wales. This includes the towns and cities of Grafton, Ballina, Casino and Murwillumbah. The station began as 2NR in 1 ...

94.5 FM.

Facilities

There are four high schools in the town (Emmanuel Anglican College, Richmond Christian College, Ballina Coast High School and

Xavier Catholic College Xavier Catholic College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in the Northern Rivers regional town of Ballina, New South Wales, Australia. A Companion School of the Society of Jesus (or Jesuits), the sc ...

), five primary schools (Ballina Public School, Emmanuel Anglican College, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Richmond Christian College, St. Francis Xavier Primary School and Southern Cross School), a hospital and aged care facilities.

Transport

Ballina bypass

The long-awaited Ballina bypassBallina bypass – Road Projects
New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority. project upgraded 12.4 km of dual carriageway road, extending from south of Ballina at the intersection of the Bruxner and Pacific Highways to north of Ballina at the intersection with Ross Lane at

Tintenbar Tintenbar is a village located on the Far North Coast of New South Wales (in Australia). Administratively it is part of the Ballina Shire. It is located about or a 9-minute car drive north-west from Ballina along the Pacific Highway. Syd ...

. Twelve kilometres of local roads were also upgraded. Early works started in April 2008 and substantial works on 16 June 2008. The Cumbalum to Ross Lane section opened in 2011 (the bypass was extended an extra 0.5 km to allow for a better connection to the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Project) with full completion in mid-2012. The project had its final traffic switch opened to the public in April 2012, allowing for separation of the Pacific Highway and the Bruxner Highway traffic.

Airport

Ballina Byron Gateway Airport is the region's main airport, located on Southern Cross Drive and from the Ballina CBD. It has links to Newcastle, Melbourne and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

with FlyPelican, Jetstar, Regional Express Airlines and Virgin Australia operating services. The airport is a 30-minute road trip to Byron Bay and 40 minutes to Lismore. In 2005 Ballina Airport was renamed the Ballina Byron Gateway airport in a bid to attract more people to the area.

Sports and recreation

The Ballina Seagulls is the local rugby league club that competes in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League competition. The Ballina Seahorses is the rugby union club that competes in the Far North Coast Rugby zone. There is also a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

competition with clubs such as the

Ballina Bears The Ballina Bears Cricket Club are a club based in the Ballina district on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The Club has existed since at least 1902, under various names associated with local watering holes. The club became ...

and Tintenbar-East Ballina competing at both the district and regional ( LJ Hooker League) level.

Notable people

* Mitchell Aubusson, Sydney Roosters NRL player * Simon Baker, actor *

Dustin Clare Dustin Clare is an Australian actor. He is known for his starring role as Gannicus in the Starz series '' Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'', '' Spartacus: Vengeance'' and '' Spartacus: War of the Damned'', and as Riley Ward on the series ''McLeo ...

, actor *

Nathan Crosswell Nathan Crosswell (born 3 August 1979) is an Australian former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball League from 1999 to 2013. During his 14-year career in the NBL, Crosswell played for the Melbourne Tigers, Vict ...

, basketball player *

Declan Curran Declan Curran (born 15 April 1952) was a rugby union player who represented Australia. Curran, a prop, was born in Ballina, New South Wales and claimed a total of 5 international rugby caps for Australia. His father, Frank Curran, played Rug ...

, rugby union player *

Dustin Dollin Dustin Dollin (born 27 June 1980) is an Australian professional skateboarder who is one of the original team riders for Baker Skateboards Early life Dollin was born in Ballina, New South Wales, Australia, and raised in Katoomba, New South Wales ...

, professional skateboarder * George Martin, mayor of Ballina *

Hunter Poon Hunter Robert George Poon (14 May 1894 – 25 January 1980) was the first player of Chinese descent to appear in Australian first-class cricket.Cashman, R., Franks, W. et al. (1997) ''The A-Z of Australian Cricketers'', Oxford University Press, ...

, cricketer *

Kerry Saxby-Junna Kerry-Anne Saxby-Junna, born Kerry Saxby AM (born 2 June 1961) is a retired Australian race walker. She was born in Young, New South Wales and grew up in Ballina, New South Wales. She represented Australia 27 times in international competi ...

Saxby-Junna, Kerry
at the International Association of Athletics Federations Saxby competed with the Ballina Athletic Club; the "Kerry Saxby Pathway" runs past the Olympic Pool and Waterslide to the Naval and Maritime Museum

Twin cities

Ballina is twinned with: * Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland * Matamata-Piako District, Waikato, New Zealand

Gallery

Boats on the Ricmond River at Ballina.jpg, Boats on the Richmond River at Ballina Shelly Beach Ballina from Lookout.JPG, Ballina beaches Ballina LasBalsas1.jpg, The Las Balsa raft at the

Riversleigh, Ballina NSW.jpg, Riversleigh, Ballina Wigmore Arcade.jpg, Wigmore Arcade Missingham Bridge, Ballina, NSW, Australia.jpg, Missingham Bridge crossing North Creek from Ballina to East Ballina. Richmond River Prawn Trawler.jpg, Richmond River Prawn Trawler

References

External links

*
Ballina Shire Council
{{Authority control Towns in New South Wales Northern Rivers Populated places established in 1866 1866 establishments in Australia Ballina Shire