| Northern Rivers New South Wales |
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View south from Byron Bay, the most easterly point on mainland Australia. |
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| Population: | 296,677 |
| Area: | 20732.6 km² (8,004.9 sq mi) |
| State District: | Tweed, Ballina, Lismore, Clarence |
| Federal Division: | Richmond, Page, Cowper |
Northern Rivers is a region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between 590 and 820 kilometres (370 and 510 miles) north of the state capital, Sydney. As with all regions of New South Wales, it has no official status, although state government department offices and local governments in the area work together for purposes such as tourism, education, water catchment management and waste management.[1][2] This area has a mild, sub-tropical climate.
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The Northern Rivers region is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Northern Tablelands to the west, the Queensland border to the north and It includes the valleys of the Clarence River, Richmond River and Tweed River. It consists of the following local government areas:
| LGA | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Ballina | 42,708 | 485.4 km2 (187.4 sq mi) |
| Byron | 32,378 | 566.6 km2 (218.8 sq mi) |
| Clarence Valley | 52,592 | 10,441.2 km2 (4,031.4 sq mi) |
| Kyogle | 9,877 | 3,589.1 km2 (1,385.8 sq mi) |
| Lismore | 45,917 | 1,289.6 km2 (497.9 sq mi) |
| Richmond Valley | 23,115 | 3,051.4 km2 (1,178.2 sq mi) |
| Tweed | 90,090 | 1,309.3 km2 (505.5 sq mi) |
The region is traversed by the Pacific Highway, Bruxner Highway, Clarence Way, Summerland Way and the North Coast Line which links Sydney to Brisbane, Queensland.
The region contains the Southern Cross University, which is headquartered at Lismore and has campuses in Tweed Heads and Coffs Harbour.[3] The North Coast Institute of TAFE has campuses at Lismore, Ballina, Casino, Grafton, Kingscliff, Maclean, Trenayr and Wollongbar.[4]
The Northern Rivers has its own orchestra based in Murwillumbah the Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra as well as the Lismore Symphony Orchestra.