Maclean is a town in Clarence Valley

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 ...

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. It is on the Clarence River and near the Pacific Highway. At the , Maclean had a population of 2,778, total urban area including Townsend and Gulmarrad (postcode 2463) is more than 8,304. The Maclean, Yamba and Iluka area known as the Lower Clarence had a combined population of 17,533. Its industries are tourism,

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

production, farming and river-

prawn Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten. The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...

trawling Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch different speci ...

. Together with Grafton, Maclean is the shared administrative centre for the

Clarence Valley Council Clarence Valley Council is a local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The council services an area of and draws its name from the Clarence River, which flows through most of the council area. The are ...

local government area.

Geography

Maclean is nestled at the base of Mt Maclean and the shoreline of the Clarence River where the river reunites after splitting around

Woodford Island Woodford Island is an inland island in the Far-North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is formed by the Clarence River where it splits into the South Arm and North Arm at the small village of Brushgrove then reforms at the town of Maclea ...

. A bridge connects Woodford Island to Maclean. It is part of the Tourist Drive 22. During times of heavy rain the town is under threat of flooding by the surging waters of the river. The Pacific Highway bypass of Maclean was opened in 1966 in conjunction with the first Harwood Bridge over the South Channel of the Clarence. The bypass was duplicated and the bridge superseded by a four-lane bridge in 2020 (the 1966 bridge has been retained for local traffic).

History

The area was originally inhabited by the Gumbaingirr or Yaygir

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

peoples.

Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...

landed near the mouth of the Clarence River in 1798. Cedar cutting began in the area in the 1830s. The Maclean area was known as Rocky Mouth in the 1850s. The township was officially laid out in 1862 and named after Alexander Grant McLean, the Surveyor-General. The sugar industry began to develop around 1865.

Heritage listings

Maclean has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Clarence River by North Arm: Ulgundahi Island

Culture

River Street, Maclean, New South Wales, 2021, 21

The popular Maclean

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

Gathering has been held for over 100 years during the Easter weekend. Participants and bands contest traditional Scottish athletic and cultural competitions, such as caber tossing, highland dancing, band competition, and bagpiping. The "Maclean, The Scottish Town In Australia Association", is a community group which was formed in 1986 under the initiative of former bank manager Mr Graham Leach, and works to promote Maclean's strong Scottish origins. The work of this committee over the years has ensured that Maclean now has national and international recognition as 'The Scottish Town' in Australia. Many street signs are written in English and

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

, power poles are painted with tartan patterns, and a stone cairn has been erected in Herb Stanford Park.

Schools

Maclean Public School

St Joseph's Primary School

Pacific Valley Christian School

Maclean High School

Newspapers

*''

The Daily Examiner ''The Daily Examiner'' is a daily newspaper serving Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. The newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia. At various times the newspaper was known as ''The Clarence and Richmond Examiner and New England Advertiser' ...

'' *''The Coastal Views'' *''Clarence Valley Review'' *''The Independent'' *''The Northern Rivers Times''

References

External links

Clarence Valley Council WebsiteClarence Valley Tourism WebsiteMaclean
Australian Heritage

''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', 8 February 2004 {{authority control Towns in New South Wales Northern Rivers Clarence Valley Council