Tumbulgum
Encyclopedia
Tumbulgum is a town in northern New South Wales
, Australia. The town is in the Tweed Shire local government area, at the confluence of the Rous
and Tweed
Rivers, 818 kilometres (508.3 mi) north east of the state capital, Sydney
and 120 kilometres (74.6 mi) south east of Brisbane
. At the 2006 census
, Tumbulgum had a population of 349.
growing in the Tumbulgum area attracted timber-cutters from the 1840s and by the early 1860s a small community and river port had been established on the northern side of the Tweed River where it met the Rous. The town was originally called "Tweed Junction" but in 1880 the residents petitioned to have the name changed to "Tumbulgum". This was claimed to mean "meeting place of the waters" in an Aboriginal language but others claimed translations include "a large fig" or "wild fig tree". By 1885, the town had mostly moved to the southern bank of the Tweed.
In the 1880s Tumbulgum was the principal town in the Tweed Valley with an active commercial sector, including a bank. It was not until construction of the rail line to Lismore
in 1897 and the Murwillumbah Bridge in 1901 that Murwillumbah supplanted Tumbulgum as the major centre on the Tweed.
and newsagency, bakery and antiques store. The town is a popular fishing and boating destination.
In 2010, Tumbulgum became the third town in New South Wales to ban retail outlets providing disposable plastic shopping bags to customers.
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. The town is in the Tweed Shire local government area, at the confluence of the Rous
Rous River
The Rous River is a river in the Northern Rivers region of the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is a tributary of the Tweed River, joining the Tweed at Tumbulgum, northeast of Murwillumbah....
and Tweed
Tweed River (New South Wales)
The Tweed River is a short river in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Its drainage basin consists mostly of the erosion caldera of the Tweed Volcano, a huge extinct volcano of which Mount Warning is the volcanic plug...
Rivers, 818 kilometres (508.3 mi) north east of the state capital, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and 120 kilometres (74.6 mi) south east of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Tumbulgum had a population of 349.
History
The Australian Red CedarToona ciliata
Australian Red Cedar , Toona ciliata is a forest tree in the family Meliaceae which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. In Australia its natural habitat is now extensively cleared subtropical rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland...
growing in the Tumbulgum area attracted timber-cutters from the 1840s and by the early 1860s a small community and river port had been established on the northern side of the Tweed River where it met the Rous. The town was originally called "Tweed Junction" but in 1880 the residents petitioned to have the name changed to "Tumbulgum". This was claimed to mean "meeting place of the waters" in an Aboriginal language but others claimed translations include "a large fig" or "wild fig tree". By 1885, the town had mostly moved to the southern bank of the Tweed.
In the 1880s Tumbulgum was the principal town in the Tweed Valley with an active commercial sector, including a bank. It was not until construction of the rail line to Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
in 1897 and the Murwillumbah Bridge in 1901 that Murwillumbah supplanted Tumbulgum as the major centre on the Tweed.
Today
Tumbulgum is now an historic village with many buildings in the town—some constructed from the local Red Cedar—having National Heritage classification, including the Tumbulgum Hotel. As well as the hotel, facilities in the town include a General StoreGeneral store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and newsagency, bakery and antiques store. The town is a popular fishing and boating destination.
In 2010, Tumbulgum became the third town in New South Wales to ban retail outlets providing disposable plastic shopping bags to customers.