Bangalow New South Wales
Byron Street—Bangalow's main street
Bangalow
Coordinates	28°42′0″S 153°31′0″E / 28.70000°S 153.51667°E / -28.70000; 153.51667
Population	2,260 ( 2021 census) [1]
Postcode(s)	2479
Location	765 km (475 mi) NE of Sydney 167 km (104 mi) S of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Byron Shire
State electorate(s)	Ballina
Federal division(s)	Richmond

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

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