Korora, New South Wales

Korora is part of the land traditionally occupied by the Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal people. It is recorded that at the time of European settlement, Aborigines camped near the present site of the Kororo Public School, because there was a source of fresh water in Pine Brush Creek and it was close to the coast which provided abundant fresh food. Introduced diseases, such as measles and whooping cough, had a devastating effect on the Aboriginal population. The first European settler was a squatter, James Small, who arrived with his family and some teamsters in 1880. They cut cedar and pine for timber around Pine Brush Creek, which they hauled to the sea shore for shipment to Sydney. From the 1950s, farmland owned by various families in Korora began to be subdivided for residential blocks. The Hill family subdivided some of their farmland for home sites in 1964. and the land was subsequently developed for the Opal Cove Resort c. 1989. ==Demographics==

In the 2021 Australian census, Korora had a population of 2,740. Compared with Australia as a whole, Korora had an older population (median age of 44 vs 38 years), with more people born in Australia (77.8% vs 66.9%) and speaking English only at home (88.9% vs 72.0%). Korora also had a higher median weekly personal income ($832 vs $805) and level of education (28.7% vs 26.3% with a Bachelor degree or higher). ==Beaches==

There are two beaches in Korora, the 650m long Korora Beach in the south and the 600m long Hills Beach in the north, which are separated from each other by a rock platform. Pinebrush Creek creates a lagoon at the northern end of Hills Beach, which is periodically open to the sea. Both beaches are unpatrolled and rated as moderately hazardous (4/10) for swimming. Hills Beach Reserve is a public park at the south end of Hills Beach, with children’s playground, picnic shelters, BBQ facilities, toilets and showers. Completion of the Coffs Harbour breakwaters in 1946 interrupted the natural northerly transport of sand to beaches north of the harbour, including Korora Beach and Hills Beach. Korora Beach was sandmined in the 1950s and has experienced severe shoreline recession in the past. ==Tourist facilities==

Korora has a number of facilities providing tourist accommodation. The largest is the Opal Cove Resort which is located behind the northern end of Hills Beach. The eastern section of Ulidarra National Park lies in Korora. The park conserves lowland rainforest and provides habitat for a range of native animals. It has facilities for 4WD driving, mountain biking and bushwalking. Korora Lookout has views over the Korora Basin and out to the sea. The lookout is accessed from Sealy Lookout Drive by the 400m Gumgali walking track. Along this track are sculptures, murals and signage illustrating the Aboriginal story of Gumgali, the black goanna. ==Other facilities==

The Kororo Public School is a primary school with 635 students in 2022. Its catchment area includes Korora, Sapphire Beach, Moonee Beach and Bucca. The Coffs Harbour Montessori Preschool is also located in Korora. Korora Oval is a football field with toilet and changeroom facilities, maintained by the City of Coffs Harbour. The Kororo Nature Reserve is a 11 ha park west of the Pacific Highway. It was gazetted in 1967 for the protection of fauna, particularly koalas. == Gallery ==

Image: Hills_beach,_New_South_Wales.jpg|Hills Beach looking south Image: Korora_beach,_New_South_Wales.jpg|Korora Beach looking north Image: Kororo_public_school.jpg|Kororo Public School Image: Opal_cove_resort.jpg|Opal Cove Resort Image: Pinebrush_creek.jpg|Pinebrush Creek Image: Korora_banana_&_blueberry_farm.jpg|Banana and blueberry farm in West Korora Image: Korora_oval.jpg|Korora Oval Image: Gumgali_walking_track.jpg|Gumgali walking track Image: West_Korora_forest.jpg|Forest in West Korora ==References==