Lennox Head is a seaside
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
in the
Northern Rivers
Northern Rivers is the most north-easterly region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence, Richmond, and Tweed rivers. ...
region of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia, situated on the stretch of coast between
Byron Bay
Byron Bay (Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headla ...
and
Ballina in
Ballina Shire
Ballina Shire is a local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed on 1 January 1977 by the amalgamation of the Municipality of Ballina and Tintenbar Shire. The Shire is located adjacen ...
local government area. It had a population of 7,741 in the
2016 Australian census.
Location
Lennox, as it is frequently called, was once separated from Ballina by some distance. However, the northern encroachment of Ballina and the southern advancement of Lennox Head means that little now separates the two areas.
Geology
The headland was created in the
Cenozoic Era as part of one of the
lava
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
flows from the
Tweed Volcano, a
Shield Volcano, centred on what is now
Mount Warning
Mount Warning ( Bundjalung: ''Wollumbin''), a mountain in the Tweed Range in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, was formed from a volcanic plug of the now-gone Tweed Volcano. The mountain is located west-south-west of Mu ...
. The
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
ic lava spread south and east from the volcano in a succession of flows which covered to varying depths an older landform uplifted from the ocean bed in the
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...
Era.
Significant events
In 1957, a major bushfire which had burned for several days in heathland behind Lennox Head changed direction and swept through the town. Local residents had some warning and sheltered in the space between the lake and the ocean. No houses were lost.
On 3 June 2010, the village was hit by a small Tornado, which severely damaged thirty homes, a number of people were injured and seven vans overturned at the Lake Ainsworth Caravan Park.
In January 2014, a major bushfire broke out just north of the town, igniting heathland all the way north to Suffolk Park. The blaze was started by a lightning strike and continued for another month due to underground peat fires.
Population
According to the
2016 census of Population, there were 7,741 people in the Lennox Head - Skennars Head area.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.9% of the population.
* 82.0% of people were born in Australia. The most next common countries of birth were England 4.1% and New Zealand 1.8%.
* 91.0% of people only spoke English at home.
* The most common responses for religion were No Religion 35.8%, Catholic 25.1% and Anglican 16.0%.
Tourism
The headland, also known as Lennox Point, is used by
surfers
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...
, who come for the noted righthand break.
Hang-gliders
Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...
too visit the headland to launch off its 65m cliff. The point is also used for watching dolphins surfing and the annual whale migration.
[ The Pat Morton lookout (at the headland) has views of the village and of Seven Mile Beach extending north towards Broken Head.][
The town is known for its ]pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, caravan park, as well as Lake Ainsworth, a freshwater lake that has distinctive tannin
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...
-stained waters from the surrounding tea trees and is in contrasts with the white sands of Seven Mile Beach.[ Over the warmer summer months the lake is subject to blue green algal bloom.
Also located in the village is a Bora ring of some significance to the local Bundjalung Tribe.]
Lennox Head markets are held on the second and fifth Sunday of the month, at the community centre.
The town also has a small primary school (Lennox Head Public School).
Sport and recreation
Lennox Head Dolphins
Group 18 is the name of a junior rugby league competition on the far north coast of New South Wales, Australia. Currently, the group has no senior competition. Prior to 2005, there was a joint Gold Coast-Group 18 competition which fielded tea ...
is a rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
club that competes in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League
The Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL) is a rugby league competition run in the far north of New South Wales, Australia. It is run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The league formed in 2005 as an extended Group 1 Rugby L ...
competition.
Lennox Head Rugby Union Club is a rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
club that competes in the Far North Coast Rugby zone. Known as The Trojans, it was established in 1999. The club’s home ground is Williams Reserve, Lennox Head.
Notable residents
* Pat Rafter
Patrick Michael Rafter (born 28 December 1972) is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. He reached the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles ranking on 26 July 1999. His career highlights include consecutive US Open ...
– professional tennis player
* Sam Cromack – lead vocalist of Australian indie rock band Ball Park Music
Ball Park Music are an Australian five-piece indie rock band from Brisbane, who formed in 2008. The band consists of Sam Cromack, Jennifer Boyce, Paul Furness, Dean Hanson and Daniel Hanson. Their debut studio album '' Happiness and Surroundin ...
, record producer
*Simon Baker
Simon Lucas Baker (born 30 July 1969) is an Australian actor in television and film, as well as a director. He is known for his lead roles in the CBS television series ''The Mentalist'' as Patrick Jane and ''The Guardian'' as Nicholas Fallin ...
- Actor
Gallery
File:Beach at Lennox Point, New South Wales.jpg, Lennox Point
File:Byron Bay from Lennox Point (New South Wales).jpg, Looking towards Byron Bay from Lennox Point
File:Seven Mile Beach from Lennox Point (New South Wales).jpg, Looking at Seven Mile Beach from Lennox Point
File:Lennox Point, New South Wales.jpg, Lennox Point
File:Sailboat on Lake Ainsworth, New South Wales.jpg, Fresh Water Lake - Lake Ainsworth
File:Trees by Lake Ainsworth, New South Wales.jpg, Lake Ainsworth
File:Lennox Head seen from Seven Mile Beach.jpg, Looking toward Lennox Head from the northern end of Seven Mile Beach
File:Panorama Showing Lennox Point and Training Surf Lifesavers.jpg, Panorama Showing Lennox Point and Training Surf Lifesavers
File:Seven Mile Beach and Lennox Head.jpg, Seven Mile Beach and Lennox Head
References
External links
Lennox Head webpage
*
Lennox Wave
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Towns in New South Wales
Surfing locations in New South Wales
Northern Rivers
Coastal towns in New South Wales