Mullumbimby, or “Mullum” as it is affectionately known by the locals, is a historic country town located in the North of the Northern Rivers in NSW. Known as the “Biggest Little Town in Australia” because of how much this charming little town offers.
Location
Located 20 minutes drive inland from Byron Bay, 30 minutes South of the Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta and 30 minutes North of the Ballina Airport, Mullumbimby is only a short trip to stunning beaches, subtropical rainforests, a huge range of tourist activities and natural attractions.
History
Originally occupied by the Bundjalung people, by the 1850s a British camp site was established at the junction of the three arms of the Brunswick River. This grew to become a village and later the township of Mullumbimby. The name was given to the district by Aboriginal people possibly because of the proximity of Mount Chincogan. It is alternatively believed to refer to a small round hill on Mainarm Rd (and not referring to Chincogan, the local landmark). The name of this small round hill is derived from the Bandjalung-Yugambeh dialect ‘mulubinba’ (pertaining to a native fern which grew there).
It was an excellent site because the river was tidal and could be easily navigated to that point. Its central location gave access to all areas of the catchment area and it provided the best position for bullock teams to cross the river with their wagons loaded with timber. At low tide it is still possible to see the shallow region where the bullocks made the crossing of the Brunswick River.
Mullumbimby was a separate municipality from 1908 until 1980 when it was forced to amalgamate with the Byron Shire. The Byron Shire Council offices were relocated to Mullumbimby in the 1990s.
Byron Shire, including Mullumbimby and nearby Byron Bay, became a centre of alternative or counter culture alongside the extant mainstream culture in the 1970s and 1980s, and remains so today. Mullumbimby is also a farming community, with a number of banana, cane, cattle and dairy farms around the township.
