Where to live: Bellingen?
We’re planning on leaving Sydney in the next year or so, due to starting a family and needing a 4-bedroom house. But where to move to? The choice is overwhelming. In this series of posts, I explore a plethora of possible places - many of which we’ve visited - in an attempt to reach some sort of conclusion. First up - Bellingen.
Bellingen is a vibrant country town nestled in the middle of the Bellinger Valley, south-west of Coffs Harbour, NSW. We first heard of it through some friends of ours; their son lives in an intentional community just outside Bellingen proper.
For such a small town - population: 3,000 - Bellingen is a truly happening place. It has a famous jazz festival; lots of great cafes and restaurants; two good pubs; a very strong community feel; and a bit of an “alternative” culture (think Glastonbury in the UK, or Sydney’s Newtown). It also has a bit of history, with some lovely heritage buildings in the town, and the scenery is simply stunning. Just the kind of place we’re after, in fact.
It’s also nice and close to Coffs Harbour, which - while nothing special - does at least have decent-size shops and facilities, and is a pleasant enough seaside town. Some of the other smaller seaside places near Bellingen are lovely too.
The good, the bad, and the floodly
So what’s not to like? Well, for one thing, Bellingen is 5 hours’ drive away from Brisbane and a whopping 7 hours’ drive away from Sydney. That’s a long, long way from our friends and my work contacts in Sydney. It also means that Cat would be far from a big city for her Bowen therapy work - although, as Bellingen is into alternative therapies and the like, this might not be such a big deal.
Also - Bellingen gets floods. Now this is by no means a unique phenomenon; most of the northern NSW coast gets flooded on a regular basis. However, Bellingen seems to get it pretty bad. I recently downloaded the State Emergency Service’s FloodSafe Guide to Bellingen and, frankly, it gives me the willies. For example, quoting from the leaflet:
“The flood of record was in November 1870 when the Bellingen River peaked at 11.55m resulting in severe flooding in Bellingen. Floods exceeding this height should be viewed as inevitable and would rise more rapidly and have faster flowing floodwaters.” (Emphasis mine.)
It then goes on to list the streets - practically half of Bellingen by the looks of it - that would be inundated in a severe flood. Not that Bellingen even needs a severe flood; a moderate flood is enough to split the town in half and isolate it from the rest of the country. Not good. (And building towns next to rivers seemed like such a good idea a hundred years ago…)
It’s mainly these two factors - miles from anywhere, and somewhat flood-prone - that put me off Bellingen somewhat (though it’s still in our top ten). If it wasn’t for these things, I’d move there like a shot. Can we move Bellingen to a hill just outside Sydney please? 
May 25th, 2008 at 7:08 am
hello, i’m 14 and i’ve been living in urunga for approx. 11 years.
urunga is the on the coast directly east of bellingen.
i go 2 bellingen high which is an ok school, but there are a few christian/private schools in coffs.
i would agree when it floods it can get pretty bad, but we dont get them that often, and unless you live pretty close to town, you should be alright.
If your kids are serious about sport i wouldn’t suggest bellingen, or really any of the north coast. there isnt really any good sporting facilities around.
im a sprinter and the closest tartan track is at newcastle!!
well the good points about bellingen i believe for a kid would be:
good environment (beach close, river, swimming holes, trail riding etc)
more freedom
good community
lots of music/festivals
no school when it floods lol
bad points:
need better sporting facilities
lots of raves/parties
drugs easily accessible
merv the ranger(cranky guy)
May 29th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Thanks for your comment Jordan. It’s great to hear about a place from someone who’s grown up in the area. Thanks for the useful info about the flooding too. I guess the floods do have their good points!
We did really love Bellingen and the general area when we visited. Perhaps one day, when we’re not so reliant on a nearby big city, we’ll end up moving there. (And we’ll keep an eye out for Merv, too! lol)
June 5th, 2008 at 6:24 am
I lived in Bellingen for most of my high school years (1999 - 2002).
While it’s a very beautiful place,like most small towns there’s not a lot of job opportunities and most people end up moving away.
For a retiree or someone who doesn’t have to worry about establishing a career, you can’t go past Bellingen. Properties in Gleniffer and other surrounding areas are awesome.
Yes, it does flood once a year but it’s more of an inconvenience than a safety and/or property damage issue.
Drugs would have to be your main concern as just about everyone grows or smokes weed and also magic mushrooms are in abundance in many of the paddocks down by the river.
Putting those things aside, there is no other place like Bellingen; it’s an experience that I will always remember.
Ahh Merv… still the bane of Bellingen’s youth.
June 8th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Very interesting Josh. Thanks for adding your comments! It’s wonderful to get all these first-hand points of view on Bellingen.
July 14th, 2008 at 5:00 am
Matt,
We left Sydney 18 months ago and came to Bellingen. It had been a 5 year project to get up here. My partner and i have two young kids and we shuddered to even consider bringing them up in Sydney. Sydney’s great when your in your 20s and focused on going out, but it would hellish at any other stage of life, in my opinion - hence we hit our 30s and left.
Bellingen has been fantastic. As long as you can find a place to live that isn’t damp, (or flood affected) its heaven on earth. We have made lots of friends, the kids love it here and every morning i look out my window and thank the universe for being so blessed.
Sure, when the kids get older, we’ll have to encourage them to spread their wings and try living in a new place, becuase as someone said earlier, employment is an issue, but it’s the sort of place that a kid could always call home no matter how far their wings took them. A safe haven to come home to.
As for the floods, i think they’re exciting. The BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) website is my home page now days. Since moving here, it’s the first time i’ve ever really cared about the weather. The floods bring a sense of excitement to town and remind you of how cool nature is.
I’d love to know what other places are on the top ten. I lived for a couple of years in the Eurobodalla Shire on the south coast, and if i wasn’t here, that’s where i’d be. Heaven on the south coast.
And by the way, Merv has just retired.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
My husband and I moved to Sydney from NZ nearly a year ago and we too are investigating a move away from the city and burbs. Trouble is hubby still works in Crows Nest, at least a few days a week, so need to consider doable commutes. We’ve got 3 little tots, so bringing up kids is an issue. Trying to pick a spot is overwhelming when you don’t know the country.
We loved the Blue mountains and thought we might look into Glenbrook. Anyone else with more thougts on the mountains? Its been so interesting reading everyone’s comments so far!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:03 am
@Mel: Good on you for the Bellingen move - sounds like it’s working out great for you! The Eurobodalla area is lovely, though I think it would be too far away from a big city for us.
@Carla: It is hard to pick an area when you’re new to the country isn’t it. And the rest of Australia is so different to Sydney - almost like the two are in separate countries! The Blue Mountains are beautiful, but I’m not sure they’re the right place for us (too far from the beach for one thing). I’d imagine Glenbrook to Crows Nest could be a bit of a slog - test it out in peak traffic time! Also I think the lower mountains are of a very different character to the upper mountains (eg Leura) - much hotter in summer for example.
Anyway, the big news for us is that we’re finally moving - to Robertson in the Southern Highlands! More info here:
http://tgo.elated.com/2008/07/16/were-moving-to-robertson/
Only 6 weeks to go - can’t wait!!