Woolgoolga, New South Wales

Woolgoolga is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Highway, approximately 550 km north of Sydney and 400 km south of Brisbane. The closest city to Woolgoolga is Coffs Harbour, which lies 25.8 km to the south. Woolgoolga has two beaches on the Pacific Ocean. The area has long been a centre of banana growing in New South Wales, but this industry has declined in the face of competition from Queensland and overseas. Timbergetting and sawmilling was established in 1883. A Government Jetty was constructed in 1892 upon which tramways were laid. These led to saw mills in the town which in turn were connected by light railway to the Jesse Simpson Range forest areas. The jetty was demolished over a prolonged period from 1952 to 1956.

Demographics
Woolgoolga had a population of 	5,050 persons in 2011, including 207 indigenous persons and 3,897 Australian-born persons. The median age of all persons in 45 years. Notably, from the Census data, 653 persons (12.9%) speak Punjabi at home, 661 persons practice Sikhism, and 409 persons (8.1%) were born in India.

History
Permanent European settlement occurred in the 1870s. Prior to this, the area was inhabited by the Gumbaingirr Aboriginal tribe. It is believed that the name of the town derives from the word "Weelgoolga", which was used by the local Aborigines to describe the area, and the lilly-pilly trees that grew there. The name "Woogoolga" was gazetted in 1888, and changed to the current name of Woolgoolga in 1966.

Woolgoolga was an early centre of Sikh migration to Australia. Sikhs had migrated to New South Wales and Queensland prior to the imposition of the prohibition of non-European migration under the White Australia Policy in 1901 and many of them then led a marginalised life on the north coast of New South Wales and in southeastern Queensland. Some Sikhs began to settle in Woolgoolga during World War II, because war-time labour shortages led to a relaxation of the previous prohibition of non-European labour in the banana industry. After the war they were able to acquire leasehold and freehold banana plantations. Woolgoolga has the largest regional Sikh/Punjabi population in Australia, and they are now said to own 90% of the banana farms.

Tourism


Woolgoolga's coastal location and temperate climate make it a popular tourist destination. The town is soon to be bypassed by the Pacific Highway and many travellers break their journey in Woolgoolga.

The Sydney 2000 Olympics torch relay passed through Woolgoolga, as did the 2006 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay.

In 2011, the area hosted Rally Australia, the 10th round of the World Rally Championship. It hosted stages 22 and 25 at Plum Pudding.

Temples
Woolgoolga has two Gurdwaras (temples):
 * The First Sikh Temple Woolgoolga (the first purpose built Gurdwara in Australia)
 * The Guru Nanak Gurdwara ('The Temple on the Hill')

Curryfest
Curryfest is the largest single gathering for the Woolgoolga community with over 10,000 people expected to attend the April 2011 event. Curryfest was inaugurated in 2006 (with the help of local celebrity Jack Thompson), to celebrate the culture of the local Sikh community.

The festival was originally run by the Woolgoolga Chamber of Commerce. This occurred in the initial two years of 2007 and 2008, however the festival became incorporated into its own identity for 2009. The event still uses the name and backing of the Chamber of Commerce but now partially pays for the event itself, including through the introduction of a two dollar entry fee in 2009 (Star FM 105.5 interview 09/04/2009).

Food and wine
Woolgoolga has a pub and a number of cafes and restaurants.

The Seaview Tavern (Cnr of Clarence and River Streets), also known as The Foutain on the Mountain, is the only pub. There is usually live music on Friday and Saturday nights and a function room upstairs where larger gigs take place.

Bluebottles (corner of Beach Street and Lake Road) is one of the many cafes. It serves as a more upmarket establishment for lunch and dinner. Thursday night is jazz night with live jazz music played throughout the evening.

Other cafes are Bonettos, Possums and The Beachouse.

Restaurants include Mick Hundal's Spice Rack, Aloy Dee Thai, Peking Palace and Golden Chinese.

There are two pizza restaurants in Woolgoolga: Woolgoolga Pizza Place and Eagle Boys Pizza.

Sporting clubs

 * Woolgoolga White Pointers, a Rugby Union club whose home ground is Centennial Oval.
 * Woolgoolga Seahorses (The Mighty Seahorses), a Rugby League club whose home ground is situated at the local high school's fields. They play in Group 2 Rugby League.
 * Woolgoolga United Football Club, a Soccer club situated at High Street.
 * Woolgoolga Australian Football Club (The Blues), an Australian Rules Football club who team up with the Grafton Tigers to contest the North Coast Australian Football League competition. The junior competition sides have changed their name to Northern Beaches. The Northern Beaches play a Centennial Oval while the Blues play a minority of their games in Woolgoolga, the majority are played at Ellem Oval in Grafton.
 * Woolgoolga District Netball Association, formed in 2006 for ages 5+. WDNA has a local competition as well as representative participation in the Netball NSW State Age Championships. The clubhouse and courts are located on the corner of Nightingale and Scarborough Streets.
 * WASP (Woolgoolga Area Surfing Posse), a local boardriders club that holds annual competitions around the area.
 * Woolgoolga Surf Life Saving Club, as the name states, a Surf Lifesaving club that has been around since the 1930s, which patrols Woolgoolga Beach. It caters from ages 5–14 in Nippers, and can take part in carnivals held around the area. Ages 15+ can patrol the main beach, if they have a Surf Rescue Certificate or Bronze Medallion.
 * Northern Beaches Hockey Club, a Hockey club that plays in Coffs Harbour near the BCU International Stadium.

Notable current and former residents

 * Air Marshal Sir Charles Read, former RAAF Chief of the Air Staff.


 * Actor Jack Thompson. Thompson has played a vital role in the organisation and running of community events both in Woolgoolga and surrounding regions.


 * Emma Moffatt, two-time women's triathlon world champion, attended Woolgoolga High School

( Former Professional Surfer, top 44 surfer Shaun Cansdell, attended Woolgoolga High School.

Education


Woolgoolga has three schools:
 * Woolgoolga High School (opened 1981) is a public high school.
 * Woolgoolga Public School (opened 1884) is a public primary school.
 * St Francis Xavier Primary School (opened 1994) is a Catholic primary school.

Library and cultural facilities
Library
 * Coffs Harbour City Library and Information Service - Woolgoolga branch

Museums
 * Woolgoolga RSL Sub-branch Museum

Local media
Newspapers
 * The Advertiser - weekly community newspaper dedicated to Woolgoolga and the Northern Beaches.
 * The Coffs Coast Advocate

Bus and coaches

 * Ryans Bus Service runs between Coffs Harbour and Grafton.
 * Watsons Woolgoolga Coaches
 * Greyhound Australia

Taxis
Woolgoolga Taxi Service services the local area.

Train
The nearest station is Coffs Harbour railway station.

Air travel
The nearest airport is Coffs Harbour Regional Airport.