Coraki is a small town that sits on the confluence of the Richmond and Wilson Rivers in northern

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 in Richmond Valley Shire. At the 2016 census, Coraki had a population of 1,277 people. CC-BY icon

Material was copied from this source, which is available under
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
.

History

The name ''Coraki'' is derived from the Bundjalung word ''gurigay'', meaning ''the meeting of the waters'', and the

Bundjalung people The Bundjalung people, also spelt Bunjalung, Badjalang and Bandjalang, are Aboriginal Australians who are the original custodians of the northern coastal area of New South Wales, Australia, located approximately northeast of Sydney, an area th ...

are the

traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have right ...

of the area. The village was founded by William Yabsley in 1849 when Lismore was only a small cattle station and Casino had only one store and a hotel. Yabsley and his family obtained the lease to Brook Station and established the first permanent settlement. He built his shipyard just above ''The Junction'', as it was first called. Many ships and river boats were launched there and Yabsley opened a store for provisions for the

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

cutters who came to the district. Transport at the time was almost entirely by water and Coraki was the busiest port on the Richmond River.

Description

Coraki is positioned centrally to the hub of the Summerland Way

Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

( west), the regional city of Lismore ( north) and the popular tourist beachside location of Evans Head ( east). At the western boundary of Coraki township lies Box Ridge, an Aboriginal community. Like many other towns in the area, it is a hub for the local agricultural industries such as

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

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 stalk ...

and

tea tree oil Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is an essential oil with a fresh camphoraceous odor and a colour that ranges from pale yellow to nearly colourless and clear. It is derived from the leaves of the tea tree, '' Melaleuca alternifolia'', ...

. Coraki is a small village with many community facilities: Coraki Fire Station, Coraki Public School, St Joseph's Primary School, St Joseph's Church, Coraki Uniting Church, Coraki Anglican Church, Coraki Community Hall, the Rural Transaction Centre, Mid-Richmond Museum, Coraki Library, post office, Mid-Richmond Retirement Village, cemetery, hockey fields, tennis courts, skate park, boat ramp, and the Memorial Park with barbecue, playground and picnic facilities aligning the "healing stones" riverside path. There is a number of local businesses, including the historic Coraki Hotel on Richmond Terrace.

Events

Coraki is the home of the annual Coraki Art Prize (formerly the Coraki Tea Tree Art Prize) and an art competition and exhibition open to all artists and including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and printmaking, held late October. In 2010, the first Dylanfest celebrated the music, art and poetry of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

in October at the Coraki Hotel. Annually in November, the Tweed Water Skiing Club converges on the Richmond River to contest the "Coraki Assault" race.

Population

According to the 2016 Census of Population, there were 1,277 people in Coraki, with the following demographic features: * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 12.0% of the population. * 82.9% of people were born in Australia and 87.1% of people spoke only English at home. * The most common responses for religion were Catholic 30.8%, No Religion 21.7% and Anglican 18.8%.

Native title

In late April 2021, the Federal Court of Australia convened at Evans Head, where a

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...

determination was made over of land, consisting of 52 separate areas of land. Included in the land is a bora ring of great cultural significance to the Bundjalung people, near Coraki.

Gallery

Image:Coraki_welcome.jpg, ''Welcome sign on the outskirts of Coraki.'' Image:Coraki_river_junction.jpg, ''Junction of the Richmond and Wilson rivers at Coraki.'' Image:tea tree plantation.JPG, ''Tea tree plantation near Coraki.''

References

External links

Northern Rivers Geology Blog – Coraki
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Northern Rivers Richmond Valley Council