BIOREGIONAL REPORT

Bioregion Boundaries

The area of land chosen for this report is the “Wollumbin” bioregion in Northern New South Wales. The boundaries for this region are the Border Ranges to the North, Ballina to the South, Kyogle to the West and Byron Bay to the East. This area has been chosen as it is common to most of the students in the course.

Bioregion Characteristics

The name Wollumbin was the original name given by the indigenous people to the mountain which is now called Mount Warning.  Mount Warning is the remnant of a volcano which erupted 22 million years ago giving most of the area its rich volcanic soil which it has today.

The region has a varied landscape featuring many national parks, rainforest reserves, rivers, estuaries and long stretches of coastline much of which is protected as a marine national park. The climate is predominately sub-tropical with temperate areas in the hinterland.

These favourable elements have led to a region rich in agricultural production, commercial fishing and tourism.

Major agriculture commodities in the area include dairy, tropical fruits, cattle, poultry, plantation forests, soya bean, sugar cane and aquaculture.

Tourist drawcards such as the townships of Byron Bay and Nimbin have lead to a very strong tourism industry with the region having the second highest level of international tourists in N.S.W.

The region has a population of approx 250,000 people. The high quality of life and wide range of lifestyle opportunities in rural, urban, forested and coastal areas sees this rate increasing at a rate of 1.2 per cent per annum.

The region has a strong creative community consisting of many artists, musicians, filmmakers and craftspeople. There is also strong support for alternative cultures creating a dynamic mix of people.

The regions high population growth and popularity with tourists puts it under threat from development which may lead to negative environmental impacts.

TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

The Wollumbin bioregion is serviced by roads, air, rail and bikeways.

Roads

The Pacific Highways runs through the region creating a link to areas north and south. There are paved roads in the urban and village areas and access to some rural areas is by unpaved roads. Because public transport is limited many people are reliant on cars.

Bus Services

The region is serviced by two interstate bus companies being Greyhound and Premier.

Blanchs is a local bus company which services Ballina, Byron Bay and Mullumbimby. Kirklands provide extensive town services and connect Lismore with Byron Bay, Broadwater, Lennox Head and Ballina. There are also a number of smaller local operators and shuttle buses for the airports and areas between Ballina and the capital city of Brisbane which is north of the region.

Air

There are two airports within the region and one outside of the region but very close.

The Ballina Byron Gateway domestic airport is five minutes drive from Ballina and is serviced by leading airlines Jetstar, Virgin Blue and Rex. Flights are available to Sydney and Melbourne with transfers available to most parts of Australia. Lismore Regional Airport offers flights to Sydney through Rex airlines. Also very close to the region is the Gold Coast airport which offers many domestic and international flights from seven airlines.

Rail

CountryLink Rail has a service running from Brisbane to Sydney with two stations falling within the region at Kyogle and an interchange in Casino. CountryLink coaches providing a connection between most towns in the region to the Casino interchange.

Cycleways

The local councils provide bike paths in the larger urban areas. Byron Shire Council has bikepaths for Byron Bay, Suffolk Park, Mullumbimby, Ocean Shores, Bangalow and Brunswick Heads. Lismore city currently has approximately 18 km of existing cycleways and plans to extend these. Ballina also has cycleways available.