Brunswick Heads is a town on the north coast of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 in Byron Shire

Byron Shire

Byron Shire is a Local Government Area located in the North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Pacific Ocean coast between 50 and 80 kilometres south of the Queensland border. The shire, administered from the town of Mullumbimby, covers an area of , and has existed as a local...

. In 2006, the town had a population of 1,614 people.

Brunswick Heads is a small coastal holiday village situated at the mouth of the Brunswick River. Nestled within the breakwater there is the safe and peaceful Torakina Beach, while a white sandy surf beach stretches to the south. The north bank of the river hosts a protected rainforest and the southern bank provides a harbour and small marina for fishing boats and small craft. Mount Chincogan and Mount Warning

Mount Warning

Mount Warning is a mountain west-south-west of Murwillumbah, near the border with Queensland in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia...

 provide a spectacular hinterland backdrop to the river that meanders up to the small town of Mullumbimby ("The Biggest Little Town In Australia").

Despite the surrounding coastal development, Brunswick Heads has retained its traditional seaside village atmosphere. Timber bridges link the riverside to the river and surf beaches.

Brunswick Heads is situated 10km (15 minutes drive) north of the town of Byron Bay

Byron Bay, New South Wales

Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland Australia. At the 2006 Census, the town had a...

 and 30 minutes travelling time from both Coolangatta and Ballina

Ballina, New South Wales

Ballina is a town on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire Local Government Area. It had a population of 16,477 in the 2006 Census.-Location:...

 airports, and 40 kilometres south of the Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 border. Brunswick Heads is across the river from Ocean Shores

Ocean Shores, New South Wales

Ocean Shores is a coastal town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Since being established in the early 1970s it has grown to a reasonable size town. It is the largest town north Byron Bay in the Byron Shire and second largest in the shire. It is located in the Brunswick Valley - a...

. The Pacific Highway

Pacific Highway (Australia)

The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...

bypassed Brunswick Heads in 1998.

The small community of Brunswick Heads retains a quality mix of cafes, restaurants, specialty shops, accommodation and a variety of activities.
Brunswick Heads offers a great range of simple pleasures activities all year round, for all ages. Brunswick Heads also hosts a number of small scale community oriented and family friendly festivals and events throughout the year.

Brunswick Heads was made world famous by the song "When we Were Young" by Sneaky Sound System. The song features the title of a local pizza restaurant 'Sticky Fingers' in the first verse. Sticky Fingers was apparently favoured by the band because the staff kept to the restaurants title.

History

Originally inhabited by people of the Bundjalung nation, the Brunswick River was charted by Captain Rous in 1828. His visit was followed more than 20 years later by cedar cutters whose activities led to the first town in what is now Byron Shire. By the 1880s Brunswick Heads was a busy port and a robust little commercial centre.

The township went into decline after the construction of the railway through Mullumbimby in 1894. In time however, Brunswick’s popularity for family seaside holidays returned, and from the 1920s onwards its fame spread far and wide. Holiday cottages from that period are still in evidence throughout the town.

The early camping grounds along the foreshores later became caravan parks and are now the comfortable holiday parks we know today.