Korora is a suburb of the

City of Coffs Harbour The City of Coffs Harbour (also known as the Coffs Harbour City Council) is a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is , expanded in 2004 to take in parts of the former P ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia, located 6 km north of the city centre. Korora is located in a basin that runs from the foothills of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...

in the west to Korora Bay (part of the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...

) in the east. It is bisected by the Pacific Highway, which runs south to north between

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. The section of Korora between the Pacific Highway and the coast is mainly residential, with some tourist facilities. The section west of the Highway consists of larger residential blocks and farms growing mainly bananas and blueberries. The west-most section of Korora is forested and includes part of the Ulidarra National Park. The Korora basin is drained by creeks that flow into Pine Brush Creek and enter the sea at

Hills Beach Hills Beach is a seaside community in Biddeford, York County, Maine, United States, approximately north of Boston, Massachusetts. Hills Beach is a narrow stretch of sandy beach on the north side of Biddeford Pool near the mouth of the Saco Ri ...

. The name Korora stems from an Aboriginal word ‘Kurrawa’ which has been variously interpreted to mean “rough sea or seas”, “sound of the waves” or “roar of the seas”.Mill R. Kororo Primary School Centenary Book 1893-1993. Coffs Harbour; Bananacoast Printers; 1993. The variant spelling ‘Kororo’ is found in some place names (Kororo Public School, Kororo Reserve), but is thought to be due to a spelling error in an early handwritten document.

History

Korora is part of the land traditionally occupied by the

Gumbaynggirr The Gumbaynggirr people, also rendered Kumbainggar, Gumbangeri and other variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Gumbathagang was a probable clan or sub-group. The traditional lands of th ...

Aboriginal people. It is recorded that at the time of European settlement, Aborigines camped near the present site of the Kororo Public School, because there was a source of fresh water in Pine Brush Creek and it was close to the coast which provided abundant fresh food. It is also recorded that the area was of mythological significance, with Korora Bay being a black

goanna A goanna is any one of several species of lizard of the genus ''Monitor lizard, Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous r ...

increase site associated with a large rock in the bay.Yeates N. Coffs Harbour. Vol I: Pre-1880 to 1945. Coffs Harbour; Coffs Harbour City Council; 1990. Introduced diseases, such as

measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...

and

whooping cough Whooping cough ( or ), also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable Pathogenic bacteria, bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common c ...

, had a devastating effect on the Aboriginal population.Pitman M. From Forest to Founding a City: The Coffs Harbour Story. Coffs Harbour; Coffs Harbour Historical Society; undated. The first European settler was a

squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not Land ownership and tenure, own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estima ...

, James Small, who arrived with his family and some teamsters in 1880. They cut

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 ...

and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

for timber around Pine Brush Creek, which they hauled to the sea shore for shipment to

. When the supply of timber declined, Small began growing and milling

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

. He established a steam powered mill, but there were difficulties in transporting the sugar out. As a squatter, Small became concerned that he would lose use of the land to others who had legal title, so he left the area for Kempsey around 1888. Sugar growing finished in 1900/01 when the Australian government ended a bounty paid to sugar growers. A primary school, the Kororo Public School, was first opened in 1893 and continues to the present day. A German selector, Hermann Rieck, acquired land in the area in 1881 and lived there until 1913. He had a private income from his family’s publishing business in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and could afford to experiment with various crops. He was the first to grow

bananas A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – berry (botany), botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa (genus), Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called pla ...

in the district. Banana farming was slowly adopted by others, including the Jordan family in 1911. Following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, land in West Korora was set aside for settlement by former soldiers, who also took up banana growing. In 1922, banana farms in other areas of

and in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

were affected by the disease bunchy-top, which boosted demand for healthy fruit and suckers from the Korora region. Mr and Mrs Norman Hill settled on a farm in Korora in 1923. They established a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

on the property for use by the Coffs Harbour Golf Club. The course continued on the Hill’s farm until 1938, when the club secured a permanent site elsewhere. The Hill family established the Banana Bowl tourist park at

in 1960. This included caravan and camping sites, a shop, a natural swimming pool and 100 acres of banana plantation for walks.Yeates N. Coffs Harbour. Vol II: 1946 to 1964. Coffs Harbour; Coffs Harbour City Council; 1993. From the 1950s, farmland owned by various families in Korora began to be subdivided for residential blocks.Griffin B. My Childhood, In Cowling N. Coffs Harbour Time Capsule Book. Vol 3. Coffs Harbour; Nan Cowling; 2011. The Hill family subdivided some of their farmland for home sites in 1964. The site of the Banana Bowl tourist park was sold by the Hill family in 1983 and the land was subsequently developed for the Opal Cove Resort c. 1989.

Demographics

In the

2021 Australian census The 2021 Australian census, simply called the 2021 Census, was the eighteenth national Census of Population and Housing in Australia. The 2021 Census took place on 10 August 2021, and was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). ...

, Korora had a population of 2,740. Compared with Australia as a whole, Korora had an older population (median age of 44 vs 38 years), with more people born in Australia (77.8% vs 66.9%) and speaking English only at home (88.9% vs 72.0%). Korora also had a higher median weekly personal income ($832 vs $805) and level of education (28.7% vs 26.3% with a Bachelor degree or higher).

Beaches

There are two beaches in Korora, the 650m long Korora Beach in the south and the 600m long

in the north, which are separated from each other by a rock platform. Pinebrush Creek creates a lagoon at the northern end of

, which is periodically open to the sea. Both beaches are unpatrolled and rated as moderately hazardous (4/10) for swimming. Dogs are allowed on leash on both beaches. Hills Beach Reserve is a public park at the south end of Hills Beach, with children’s playground, picnic shelters, BBQ facilities, toilets and showers. The sea off Korora Bay is part of the Solitary Islands Marine Park and the beaches are designated as Habitat Protection Zones. Recreational line fishing is allowed.NSW Department of Primary Industries. Solitary Islands Marine Park Zoning Map. https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/656305/Solitary_Islands_Marine_Park_Zoning_Map.pdf Retrieved 16 October 2022. Completion of the Coffs Harbour breakwaters in 1946 interrupted the natural northerly transport of sand to beaches north of the harbour, including Korora Beach and

. Korora Beach was sandmined in the 1950s and has experienced severe shoreline recession in the past. Both beaches are predicted to experience future recession, estimated at -0.4 metres/ year for Korora Beach and -0.2 metres/year for

. BMT. Coffs Harbour Coastal Zone Management Plan. Final Report; Coffs Harbour City Council; 2019 https://www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/environment/our-coast/updated-coffs-harbour-coastal-zone-management-plan-2019.pdf. Retrieved 10 December 2022.

Tourist facilities

Korora has a number of facilities providing tourist accommodation. The largest is the Opal Cove Resort which is located behind the northern end of

. The Solitary Islands Coastal Walk which runs for 60 km from Red Rock to Sawtell, passes along Hills Beach and Korora Beach. The eastern section of Ulidarra National Park lies in Korora. The park conserves lowland rainforest and provides habitat for a range of native animals. It has facilities for 4WD driving, mountain biking and bushwalking. Korora Lookout has views over the Korora Basin and out to the sea. The lookout is accessed from Sealy Lookout Drive by the 400m Gumgali walking track. Along this track are sculptures, murals and signage illustrating the Aboriginal story of Gumgali, the black goanna.

Other facilities

The Kororo Public School is a primary school with 635 students in 2022. Its catchment area includes Korora, Sapphire Beach, Moonee Beach and Bucca.NSW Public School Finder. Kororo Public School. https://schoolfinder.education.nsw.gov.au/index Retrieved 11 December 2022. The Coffs Harbour

Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

Preschool is also located in Korora. Korora Oval is a football field with toilet and changeroom facilities, maintained by the City of Coffs Harbour. The Kororo Nature Reserve is a 11 ha park west of the Pacific Highway. It was gazetted in 1967 for the protection of fauna, particularly koalas.NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Kororo Nature Reserve. https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/kororo-nature-reserve Retrieved 11 December 2022.

Gallery

Image: Hills_beach,_New_South_Wales.jpg, Hills Beach looking south Image: Korora_beach,_New_South_Wales.jpg, Korora Beach looking north Image: Kororo_public_school.jpg, Kororo Public School Image: Opal_cove_resort.jpg, Opal Cove Resort Image: Pinebrush_creek.jpg, Pinebrush Creek Image: Korora_banana_&_blueberry_farm.jpg, Banana and blueberry farm in West Korora Image: Korora_oval.jpg, Korora Oval Image: Gumgali_walking_track.jpg, Gumgali walking track Image: West_Korora_forest.jpg, Forest in West Korora

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in New South Wales Mid North Coast Coastal towns in New South Wales Suburbs of Coffs Harbour