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 halfway between the major Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane. The Bellingen area is a mixture of valley, plateau and coastal environments. “NSW” redirects here. ... Image File history File links Bellingen_valley. ... Australian postcodes have four digits; envelopes for posting from Australia reflect this. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Map of Local Government Areas in New South Wales Types of LGAs in New South Wales The Local Government Areas of New South Wales, Australia have been subject to periodic bouts of restructuring and rationalisation by the State Government, involving voluntary and involuntary amalgamation of areas. ... Bellingen Shire Council is a Local Government Area on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. ... State Electoral District is a term used to refer to a voting area within Australian states. ... Oxley is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. ... The Australian House of Representatives is elected from 150 single-member districts called Divisions. ... The Division of Cowper is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. ... Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ... For other uses, see Fahrenheit (disambiguation). ... Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ... For other uses, see Fahrenheit (disambiguation). ... This article is about the unit of length. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... “NSW” redirects here. ... Bellingen Shire Council is a Local Government Area on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... For other uses, see Brisbane (disambiguation). ...

Bellingen is 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". Penmanship is the art of writing clearly and quickly. ...

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. The film version of Eucalyptus (novel) was set to be filmed in Bellingen as well before it fell through. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Danny Deckchair is a 2003 Australian comedy film written and directed by Jeff Balsmeyer. ... Oscar and Lucinda is a novel by Peter Carey, which won the 1988 Booker Prize. ... The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known as the Man Booker Prize, or simply the Man Booker, is one of the worlds most important literary prizes, and awarded each year for the best original novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland in... Peter Philip Carey (born May 7, 1943) is an Australian novelist. ... Eucalyptus is a novel by Australian novelist Murray Bail. ...

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

Bellingen is home to well-known current events reporter George Negus, writer Victor Kelleher, pianist David Helfgott (subject of the film Shine released in 1996) and author Steve Biddulph. Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist was born in Bellingen. George Negus is an Australian author, journalist, and television presenter who as of 2005 is hosting the Dateline current affairs programme for the SBS network. ... Victor Kelleher (born 1939) is an Australian author. ... David Helfgott (born May 19, 1947) is an Australian pianist, born in Melbourne to Polish-Jewish parents, whose life inspired Australian director Scott Hicks Oscar-winning film Shine. ... Shine is a 1996 Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. ... Steve Biddulph is an influential author, activist and psychologist from Tasmania, Australia who is the author of a number of influential books and now speaks world wide. ... Adam Craig Gilchrist (born 14 November 1971), nicknamed Gilly or Church,[1] is an Australian cricketer. ...

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. Koori (also spelled Koorie) is a word which some Indigenous Australians in New South Wales and Victoria use to identify themselves, and has become a well established term to mean Indigenous Australians from south eastern Australia. Many Indigenous Australians dislike the terms Aborigine and Aboriginal because these terms have been... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... // First use of general anesthesia in an operation, by Crawford Long The first electrical telegraph sent by Samuel Morse on May 24, 1844 from Baltimore to Washington, D.C.. First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi, Northland New Zealand. ... Australian Red Cedar, Toona australis (sometimes merged with Toona ciliata) is an Australian forest tree in the family Meliaceae which grew in the now extensively cleared rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland. ...

By the early 1900s, red cedar supplies were virtually depleted, except for those that survived in the inaccessible upper reaches of the Bellinger Valley. The 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.

The dairy industry crashed in the 1960s with the rise of the European Common Market, when export prices fell (with Britain no longer relying on Australian dairy products) and the margarine industry finally overcame long-standing draconian laws restricting its production levels. Dairy farming still continues to a lesser extent. The European Community (EC), most important of three European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ...

Rainforest logging ceased altogether in 1975 but sclerophyll forest logging is still a significant industry. Arid, largely treeless areas aside, most Australian bushland is sclerophyll forest. ...

In 1950, Bellingen came to national fame with the birth of the Sara Quads (Sara family quadruplets). From the 1970s until the present, alternative life-stylers purchased land in the area and built owner-built homes. Numerous intentional communities were established, such as Shamballa (still extant) in 1973. 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, such as artists, craftspeople, writers, musicians and horticulturalists, have established home-based activities.

Tourism has been encouraged in recent years by the cafe, market and festival culture. Bellingen is also the hometown of world-renowned exotic dancers, James Hull, and the birthplace of the reputed guitarist Josh Buckley. The Sinister Forest, one of the world's leading conceptual post-modern bands, was also formed in Bellingen, and four of its members are local to the area. The Sinister Forests second album, July 2005 The Sinister Forest are an Australian Post-Modern concept band. ...

Noteable Residents

Adam Gilchrist- Australian test cricket wicketkeeper/batseman

External links

• Bellinger Magic - the official visitor guide to the Bellingen district
• Bellingen Online

References

Coordinates: 30°27′S 152°54′E / -30.45, 152.9 Australian Bureau of Statistics logo The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the Australian government agency that collects and publishes statistical information about Australia. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bureau of Meteorology is an Australian government organisation responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...