Red Rock is a small hamlet in the northern beaches of the

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal 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 a ...

coast beside the banks of the Corindi River 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, situated 416km north of Sydney, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at Hawks Nest to as far ...

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and is surrounded by National Parks. It is in 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 ...

local government area. At the , Red Rock had a population of 303 people. The Red Rock headland, from which the town takes its name, is high, is named for its vivid colour caused by the amount of rock jasper, an opaque silica, in its composition. This formation is believed to be more than 300 million years old. The Traditional Owners of Red Rock and the surrounding areas are the Gumbaynggirr people who have occupied this land for thousands of years.

History

Red Rock sits within the traditional

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 ...

tribal area and it was first colonised in the 19th century when farmers established themselves at what is now Corindi Beach. The headland is an extremely sacred site for the Gumbaynggirr people and it is also the site of a massacre of their people in 1841 which is known as the Bloodrock massacre as this is what many of the Garby (Gumbaynggirr) Elders began calling this place. The massacre began at Blackadders Creek when mounted police entered a campsite. They started shooting and then pursued the survivors to the Corindi River where they continued shooting. Some people were also driven off the headland. A memorial has been erected at the base of the headland to honour the victims and survivors of the massacre; it is now viewed as an important place for reflection

Tourism

Red Rock is primarily a holiday village. Most of the residencies remain vacant throughout majority of the year - except during the school holidays, where you will need to book though the camping ground typically years in advance to secure a site. There is a lifesaving club, community centre, bowling club, a general store and caravan park located within the village. The area has lovely beaches and the river is also good for swimming, kayaking and snorkeling. The southern beach can be dangerous and isn't recommended for children, but it provides excellent fishing and great shorebreak barrels which have been mastered by the local bodyboard surfers. It is easy to cross the estuary and explore the National Park to the north.

Notes and references

Towns in New South Wales Northern Rivers City of Coffs Harbour {{authority control