Bangalow

Town in New South Wales, Australia

Bangalow is a small town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia in Byron Shire. The town is 765 kilometres (475 mi) north of Sydney^[2] and 167 kilometres (104 mi) south of Brisbane,^[3] just off the Pacific Highway. It is on the Lands of the Bundjalung people.^[4][5]

The town's name was derived from a Bundjalung word, "Bangalla", said to mean 'a low hill' or 'a kind of palm tree'.^[6][7]

History

Bangalow's historic streetscape, monthly market and proximity to the popular tourist resort of Byron Bay has increased its appeal as a tourist destination. Timber cutters established a camp on the banks of Byron Creek in the 1840s but it was not until the 1880s that a town appeared on the site. The town was known as Bangaloe until 1907, when the modern spelling came into use.^[8]

In recent years Bangalow has become a pleasant stop for holiday-makers and day-trippers as its main street is lined with cafes and boutique-shops. Organic produce grown nearby is a regular feature in the cafes and at the monthly farmers market. The village is home to a number of heritage buildings with many of these built in the style Federation architecture.^[9] Information about many of these heritage buildings are available via a self-guided tour called the Bangalow Heritage Walk.^[10][11]

Some of these heritage buildings are:

• Bangalow A & I Hall; The hall was built in 1911 to be used for the annual Agriculture and Industrial show but it has been used since for many events; including as a cinema, a hospital during the 1919 Spanish flu, and, in wartime, to farewell and welcome home soldiers. It fell into disuse in the late 20th century and was close to being demolished; between 1991 and 1994 major restoration works were completed and it was re-opened on 11 June 1994.^[12][13]
• Bangalow Police Station and Courthouse; These were built in 1905 and 1909 respectively when Bangalow was in a growth period. Before the construction of the police station, and associated lock-up, the police were required to transport people in custody to the Byron Bay Police Station.^[14] The Courthouse officially opened in May 1910 as the Bangalow Court of Petty Sessions which operated until 1964.^[15] The Courthouse now operates as the Police Station.^[16][17]
• Bangalow Public School; This school was first built in 1884 and was originally known as the Byron Creek Provisional School and renamed in 1907.^[18] In 1925, a 4 classroom brick building block was built which is now heritage listed.^[19][8][20]
• Bangalow Uniting Church; This church was first built in 1909 - 1910 but was destroyed and rebuilt in 1914 after a tornado blew down the original (Methodist) church. The church congregation is still active.^[8][21]
• Granuaille Hotel; This hotel was built in 1891 and burnt down on 29 April 1939 and replaced by what is now known as the Bangalow Hotel in 1940.^{[22][23][24][25]} It was likely named for the Irish pirate-queen Granuaile and this name was chosen by early settles from the region with Irish heritage.^[26]

Bangalow is also home to the Bangalow Heritage House Museum which gives information about the town and regions history; this museum is run by the Bangalow Historical Society^[27][28] It is located in an Queenslander-style wooden building on the corner of Ashton and Deacon Streets.^[29]

Markets and events

Bangalow is home to the weekly Bangalow Farmers' Market which are held Saturday mornings, from 8am - 11am. These markets feature a variety of local farmers and producers and have been running since 2004.^[30] Each month (on the 4th Sunday) the Bangalow Markets are held, at the showgrounds and these markets have been operating since 1982.^[31]

Additionally number of events are held in Bangalow each year and these include the following annual events:

• Bangalow Billy Cart Derby: held in May and hosted by the Bangalow Lions Club.^[32] This event began in 1994 and homemade carts are raced down the main street and races are held for various age groups.^[33][9]
• Bangalow Show: this is held in November over two days and it showcases local rural life and the activities and produce of the area; it was first established in 1897.^[34][35]
• Sample Food Festival: held in September at the showgrounds this festival lets visitors sample plates from restaurants, breweries and distilleries from around the Northern Rivers Region.^[36]

Population

At the 2021 census, Bangalow had a population of 2,260 people. 73.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 7.1%, New Zealand 3.0% and United States of America 1.2%. 84.2% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 61.38%, Catholic 11.8%, Not stated 9.6% and Anglican 7.1%.^[1]

Gallery

• 
  Private residence, Bangalow
• 
  Corner store
• 
  Bangalow Hotel

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (22 January 2024). [1]. 2021 Census QuickStats. 22 January 2024.
2. Sydney-Bangalow Google Maps
3. Brisbane-Bangalow Google Maps
4. "Arakwal People of Byron Bay". Retrieved 15 July 2024.
5. "Aboriginal Cultural Heritage". www.byron.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
6. "Bangalow". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
7. "Exploring the Charm and History of Bangalow, NSW, Australia". Bangalow Locals. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
8. "History". Bangalow A & I Hall. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
9. Bay, Byron (10 November 2021). "Bangalow". The Official ByronBay.com Guide. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
10. "Bangalow Heritage Walk" (PDF). Brunswick Heads. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
11. McEwan, Samantha (8 May 2023). "Things to do in Bangalow". Victoria's. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
12. "History". Bangalow A & I Hall. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
13. "Bangalow A & I Hall". www.byron.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
14. "District news: Byron Bay". The Northern Star. Vol. 28. New South Wales, Australia. 26 November 1904. p. 5. Retrieved 16 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
15. "Public notices". The Evening News (Sydney). No. 13, 392. New South Wales, Australia. 12 May 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 16 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
16. Legal, B. H. S. (28 March 2014). "Bangalow Courthouse -Police Station, Bangalow, New South Wales". WillsHub-BHS Legal. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
17. "Bangalow Police Station - NSW Police Public Site". www.police.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
18. Bangalow Public School (1 January 2021). "Welcome to Bangalow Public School: 2021 school information booklet" (PDF). Retrieved 15 July 2024.
19. "Bangalow Public School centenary, 1884-1984 - Catalogue | National Library of Australia". nla.gov.au. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
20. "Byron local environmental plan 2014 - schedule 5". classic.austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
21. "Church History - Bangalow Uniting Church". bangalow.uca.org.au. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
22. "Hotel, Bank, Shops Destroyed By Fire". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). Vol. IV, no. 34. New South Wales, Australia. 1 May 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 16 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
23. "New hotel for Bangalow". The Tweed Daily. Vol. XXVI, no. 169. New South Wales, Australia. 19 July 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 16 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
24. "New £10,000 Hotel". [The [Daily Examiner]]. Vol. 30, no. 9657. New South Wales, Australia. 20 July 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 16 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
25. "Bangalow's oldest hotel". The Daily Examiner. Vol. 29, no. 9328. New South Wales, Australia. 27 June 1938. p. 7. Retrieved 16 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
26. "Why a Bangalow street is named after an Irish pirate queen". ABC News. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
27. NSW, Museums & Galleries (14 April 2015). "Bangalow Heritage House Museum - MGNSW". Retrieved 15 July 2024.
28. "Heritage House". www.byron.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
29. "Bangalow Historical Society". Bangalow Historical Society. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
30. Shakeel, Muhammad. "Bangalow Farmers Market". The Official ByronBay.com Guide. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
31. "Bangalow Market, Craft, Fashion, Food, Entertainment". Bangalow Markets. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
32. "Bangalow Billycart Derby". bangalowbillycart.com.au. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
33. "Bangalow Billy Cart Derby". Byron4Kids. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
34. "Bangalow Show". Bangalow Show. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
35. "Bangalow Show". Bangalow Showground. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
36. "Sample Food Festival Bangalow". Sample Food Events. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
37. "Statistics by Catalogue Number". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
38. "Search Census data". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 January 2024.

External links

• Byron Shire Council homepage
• Bangalow Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Archived 12 February 2002 at the Wayback Machine
• Bangalow information site
• Town information from the Sydney Morning Herald
• VISITNSW.com - Bangalow