Ulong is a small village located on the

Mid North Coast The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolg ...

region, neighbouring the

Northern Tablelands The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England regio ...

, 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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It has a community hall, public school, cafe-post office and an Ex-services Club.

Facilities

The village is serviced by the Ulong Ex-services Club, cafe with rural transaction centre, and the Eastern Dorrigo Community Hall. The hall has camping facilities available with kitchen, BBQ and shower facilities available Timms Park is situated on Ulong Creek with a picnic area including tables, bins and a toilet. The land surrounding the park was donated to the community by LEH Timms.

Geography

The village lies inland from

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

by . Whilst a short distance, it takes 45 minutes to drive to, through the mountainous rainforest. Ulong is on the Eastern

Dorrigo Plateau The Dorrigo Plateau is a plateau in the Northern Tablelands and New England regions of New South Wales, Australia. The plateau forms part of the Great Dividing Range and is sometimes referred to as the Dorrigo and Guy Fawkes Plateau. The highes ...

and sits some . Like the neighbouring village of Lowanna, the climate is markedly different from Coffs Harbour. Ulong is known as the "Village in the Valley".

History

Once larger than Coffs Harbour, it was a centre for the timber industry. Dorrigo pine (''

Araucaria cunninghamii ''Araucaria cunninghamii'' is a species of ''Araucaria'' known as hoop pine. Other less commonly used names include colonial pine, Queensland pine, Dorrigo pine, Moreton Bay pine and Richmond River pine. The scientific name honours the botanist a ...

''), tallowwood (''

Eucalyptus microcorys ''Eucalyptus microcorys'', commonly known as tallowwood, is a species of medium to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or string bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to egg-shaped adult leaves, flower bud ...

''), blackbutt (''

Eucalyptus pilularis ''Eucalyptus pilularis'', commonly known as blackbutt, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, finely fibrous greyish bark on the lower half of the trunk, smooth white, grey or cream-coloured ...

'') and coachwood (''

Ceratopetalum apetalum ''Ceratopetalum apetalum'', the coachwood, scented satinwood or tarwood, is a medium-sized hardwood tree, straight-growing with smooth, fragrant, greyish bark. It is native to eastern Australia in the central and northern coastal rainforests ...

'') were milled extensively via the

Dorrigo railway line The Dorrigo railway line is a closed railway line in the north of New South Wales, Australia. It branches from the North Coast line at Glenreagh. Original scheme The Dorrigo line was intended to be part of a much larger rail system linking ...

. There was gold in the hills too. Georges Gold Mine was open on occasion as a tourist attraction before its closure in 2007 Ulong is on the road to

Nymboida River The Nymboida River, a perennial stream of the Clarence River catchment, is located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Nymboida River rises in the northern foothills of the Barren Mountain, on t ...

and borders two of its tributaries, the Little Nymbodia and Bobo Rivers. The Australian National series Enduro motorcycle Championships took place over two days in and around Ulong in 2007. On 9 September 2011 a special stage of the World Rally Championship was held in the area. These events make use of the roads within the extensive array of State and National parks in the area

Population

At the , Ulong had a population of 131 people. By 2016, the population increased to 233. Home of iconic actor Jack Thompson.

Climate

The region surrounding Ulong, especially the higher area, has a

Subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(''Cfb'') with warm, humid and wet summers and cool winters with frosty nights.

Notes and references

Mid North Coast Towns in New South Wales {{NewSouthWales-geo-stub