Bellingen, New South Wales

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Bellingen is a small town (pop 2800) on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Bellingen Shire Council. It is approximately half way between the major Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane. The Bellingen area is a mixture of valley, plateau and coastal environments.

Bellingen is affectionately known by citizens around the area as "Bello". Bellingen township lies on the not-quite-spelled-the-same Bellinger River, this different spelling was originally suggested as being the result of a misinterpretation of some poor handwriting. In fact it results from an ongoing German tradition to have the name of a river ending in "er" and the related town name ending in "en".

Bellingen was one of the filming locations for the 2003 comedy film Danny Deckchair, written and directed by Jeff Balsmeyer. Bellingen was also the notional setting of the book Oscar and Lucinda written by Booker Prize winning author Peter Carey.

In fact Bellingen has a strong affinity with the arts and is home to four festivals: the popular Global Carnival (often known simply as "The Global"), the Jazz and Blues Festival, Stamping Ground Dance Festivaland Camp Creative.

Bellingen is home to well-known current events reporter George Negus and pianist David Helfgott (subject of the film Shine released in 1996). Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist was born in Bellingen. == Not only famous cricketers call Bellingen their town of origin, but well-known guitarist Joshua Angus Buckley was also born here in the summer of '89. ==

The Bellingen Valley From Above

[edit] History

The Bellinger Valley including Bellingen was first settled by Kooris - the Gumbaynggir People - long before European settlement. Bellingen was originally known as Boat Harbour, changing its name to Bellingen in 1870. In the 1830s, Bellingen was literally a backwater where red cedar was shipped to the mouth of the Bellinger River. From the 1840s onward red cedar attracted more and more settlers. In the 1890s, Bellingen was selected as the government centre of the valley, due to its location at the tidal limit of the Bellinger River and the availability of fresh water. A period of rapid growth ensued.

By the early 1900s, red cedar supplies were virtually depleted, except for those that survived in the inaccessable upper reaches of the Bellinger Valley. Ther indigenous population had been decimated by disease and inability to move across the land to locate traditional food supplies. 'Black Jimmy' is reported to be the last full-blood member of the Gumbaynggir People. Black Jimmy died in 1922 and is buried in Bellingen Cemetery. The Gumbaynggir People have since moved between districts and have inter-married. Many of the old customs have disappeared.

Dairy farming became the major industry in the early 1900s. The dairy industry crashed in the 1960's as export prices fell and the margarine industry finally overcame long-standing draconian laws restricting it's production levels. Dairy farming still continues to a lesser extent.

Rainforest logging ceased altogether in 1975.

From the 1970s until the present, alternate life-stylers purchased land in the area and built owner built homes. The rural lifestyle of Bellingen and surrounds has consequently diverged and is now a mix of traditional and non-traditional farming. Many of today's residents have established home based activities such as artists, craftspeople, writers, musicians and horticulturalists.

Tourism has been encouraged in recent years by the cafe, market and festival culture. Bellingen is also the hometown of world-reknowned jesters James Stephen Hull and Jai Ruben Wadick.