Sawtell, New South Wales

Sawtell is a coastal village near Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, Australia.

History
The original inhabitants of the land were Aborigines of the Gumbaynggirr clan. The Aboriginal name for the land where the town now stands was Bongil Bongil.

In 1863 a cutter carrying a load of cedar logs ran aground on what would become Sawtell Beach. A Coffs Harbour farmer named Walter Harvey assembled a team of workers to salvage the logs, and a small settlement developed near the site of the wreck.

Forty years later, the land around Sawtell Beach was purchased and subdivided by Oswald Sawtell for housing and farmland. A railway station, post office, school and hotel followed soon thereafter and by the 1930s Sawtell had become a thriving coastal village.

As of 2006, the population of Sawtell was 3,122.

Location
Sawtell is located on the north-eastern coast of New South Wales, within kilometres of Toormina and Boambee, and 10 km south of Coffs Harbour. It is served by the North Coast railway line with six XPT services daily, three heading north and three south. This station is an optional stop for all of them. Coffs Harbour Airport is located just to the north of Sawtell with the runway ending just to the north of the town. It is serviced daily by Virgin Australia and QantasLink.

Demographics
Sawtell has a population of 3,122 people. Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people make up 7.2% of the population. 21 people are African.

Sawtell, Toormina and Boambee (all with postcode 2452) have a combined population of 17,231 people, 9.2% of whom are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.

Sports and Events
Sawtell has numerous sporting clubs and facilities. The Sawtell Panther Junior and Senior Rugby League clubs play out of Rex Hardaker Oval, Toormina - along with Coffs Rugby, and the pigeon racing club. The Sawtell Scorpions are the local Football club, based at Toormina Oval, Toormina. The Sawtell Saints are the Australian Rules Football club, based at Richardson Park along with the Sawtell Cricket Club.

Sawtell also has a number of recreation sporting clubs, most notably, Sawtell Golf Club, Sawtell Bowling Club, Sawtell Swimming Club, Sawtell Surf Lifesaving Club and Sawtell Tennis Club..

A number of annual events have been organised by the local chamber of commerce.

The Chilli Festival involves local and national vendors serving assorted chilli-based dishes, including spicy desserts. Each year a chilli recipe book is produced.

The New Year's "Fun Day" involves family entertainment, including wood chopping, a fun run, tug of war competitions, and live entertainment.

The "Ben Woods Cricket Tournament", held between Sawtell and Coffs Harbour, takes places during the Christmas Period.

A surfing competition, held at Sawtell Beach, raises money for those living with spinal injuries. Surfers from all over NSW and Queensland come to compete in the event.