Bexhill, New South Wales
Bexhill is a small village in New South Wales, Australia. As of 2006, the town had a population of 472 people.[2] It is located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) from Byron Bay and about 11 kilometres (7 mi) from Lismore and is in the City of Lismore. It is on the Murwillumbah railway line and on Bangalow Road.
| Bexhill New South Wales | |
|---|---|
 Bexhill open air cathedral | |
  Bexhill | |
| Coordinates | 28°45′S 153°21′E |
| Population | 495 (2016 census)[1] |
| Postcode(s) | 2480 |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | City of Lismore |
| State electorate(s) | Lismore |
| Federal division(s) | Richmond |
Attractions
Bexhill is well known for its pleasant open air cathedral which is managed by volunteers of the Uniting Church. The "cathedral" has attractive native gardens and overlooks a large length of valley and hills along Coopers Creek. It is well used for wedding services and special events.
The village also contains an old quarry, formerly the Bexhill Brickworks, which is officially closed for recreational purposes. The attractive colour of the lake in the pit and Bexhill's hot summer weather draw many visitors. In 2016, the Daily Telegraph reported that the water had high levels of acidity[3] but many people have swum there despite the danger.[4]
The Bexhill Quarry Parklands Association has been set up with the aim of developing the site into a regional parkland for visitors and residents.[5] The quarry site would be linked with the planned Northern Rivers Rail Trail which is partly complete[6] and if it goes ahead, will connect the Tweed Valley with Byron Shire, Lismore and Casino.
The regeneration plan for the quarry was boosted in July 2023 by $2000 in funding from Greater Bank's #GreaterNorthernRivers Community Funding program.
Geography
The village is located on the end of a ridge of basalt hills. The village itself is located on sedimentary rocks of the Clarence Moreton Basin and is surrounded by the Wilsons River and Coopers Creek flood plains.
History
Bexhill, established in the early 19th century, was the central point of the early North Coast of New South Wales. In the 19th century Bexhill was known as Baldhill.
Bexhill's early production was red cedar logging, its close proximity to Boat Harbour made the floating of logs an easy task during flood waters. The Bexhill school (established around 1850) was subject to easy flooding as well, and was eventually relocated to higher ground. After the Federation of Australia the population of Bexhill began to dwindle. The trades it produced were no longer as vital and people started to migrate to more lively parts of the far north coast. With the population slowly moving out, parts of Bexhill began to close. The post office which brought the surrounding areas its post closed down, relocating to Lismore. The Bexhill Brick works which produced the bricks for the far north coast closed down towards the end of the 1990s, unable to keep up with the production of bricks from Coffs Harbour and Newcastle.
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Bexhill". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Bexhill (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- "Quarry not safe for a dip".
- Weekes, Peter (23 January 2010). "Swimming hole highly acidic". The Northern Star. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- Daunt, Adam (15 May 2023). "Lismore's Bexhill Quarry set for change". Quarry. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- "Advocates have spent years pushing for this controversial tourist trail. Now it has officially opened". ABC News. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.