Brunswick Heads, New South Wales: Travel guide and things to do

Located 797 km north of Sydney at the mouth of the Brunswick River, Brunswick Heads is a charming mixture of quiet holiday retreat and large commercial fishing fleet. Given that many of the towns in the immediate area, most notably Byron Bay, have in recent years attracted large numbers of holiday makers and alternative life stylers, Brunswick Heads has remained remarkably immune from the changes in the area. The town is simple and unassuming. Even the access to the town's main beach is quite complicated involving crossing Simpsons Creek via two bridges. There is an ambience of peacefulness and an easy sense of holiday making which pervades this quiet town.

Prior to European settlement the area around Brunswick Heads was inhabited by the Banjalang Aborigines. In 1828 Captain Rous discovered the Brunswick River which he named after Queen Caroline of Brunswick who was the wife of King George IV. Cedar cutters moved into the area in the 1840s and by the 1850s and 1860s the area was being settled and timber was being shipped out through the Brunswick River. The mouth of the river was always dangerous with the bar being both shallow and narrow.

One of the first settlers was a cedar cutter named Steven King who moved to the Brunswick River area in the late 1840s. Such was the richness of the timber cutting that by the 1870s there were nearly 100 cedar cutters working in the hinterland. Around this time a pilot station was established at the mouth of the river to help the timber barges to navigate across the bar.

The town's importance diminished dramatically with the arrival of the Sydney to Brisbane railway line in the late 1880s. The residents had hoped the railway line would pass through Brunswick Heads. Instead it was routed through Mullumbimby. Since then the town has continued to develop slowly. Its major economic activities are tourism and its fishing fleet. In fact today the town's single greatest attraction is Fins Seafood Restaurant to the north of the town, which is rated one of the best restaurants in Australia. The proprietor has the luxury of choosing the very best seafood brought to the port by the fishing fleet.

Things to see

Holiday Activities
Brunswick Heads is a popular fishing, surfing and swimming holiday destination. There is an interesting quasi-pirate ship located in the river near the main beach. Near the pirate ship both canoes and paddle boats can be hired.

Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve
When you cross the Brunswick River (if coming from the south) take the first right which leads through the alluvial sands of Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve. This interesting piece of sub-tropical rainforest is an interesting combination of mangroves and rainforest habitat both of which sustain a rich variety of birdlife.