Tumbulgum

The place name Tumbulgum comes from the Bundjalung language and is thought to either mean 'meeting of the waters' or be from a combination of the words 'tumbul' or 'chumal' which mean fig tree. European settlers to the region first called this area 'Tweed River Junction' or 'The Junction'. These names were used until 1880 when the name of the post office was changed to the name Tumbulgum following petitions from local residents. ==History==

In the 1880s Tumbulgum was the principal town in the Tweed Valley with an active commercial sector, including a bank. It was not until construction of the Murwillumbah railway line to Lismore in 1897 and the Murwillumbah Bridge in 1901 that Murwillumbah supplanted Tumbulgum as the major centre on the Tweed. Tumbulgum history timeline: • 31 October 1823, John Oxley discovers the Tweed River. • 1842 Cedar Getters arrive on the Tweed River. • 1866 the first land selectors arrived on the Tweed River and river port of Tweed Junction established. • 1 March 1881, name changed from Tweed Junction to Tumbulgum • 26 January 1883, Baker's Farm Auction enabled development of current village site • 24 December 1894, Murwillumbah Railway line opened. Murwillumbah replaces Tumbulgum as the commercial centre of the Tweed. • July 1936, Barney's Point Bridge, Chinderah opens to traffic from Murwillumbah to Tweed Heads. Bypassing Tumbulgum Road and North Tumbulgum. • 1973, Pacific Highway bypasses Tumbulgum enabling the development of Riverside Drive. • 20 December 1986, Alexander Twohill Bridge opens replacing the Tumbulgum Ferry. • 4 August 2002, Yelgun-Chinderah Freeway opens, the old highway route renamed Tweed Valley Way. The Tumbulgum Heritage Trail was established in 2013. Permanent signs depicting life in Tumbulgum's past, have been installed at 12 sites identified of historical significance. The Trail is a flat walk and takes approx 40–50 minutes. Map of the Trail is displayed in the window of the Community Hall. Tumbulgum was evacuated and a number of buildings destroyed in the 2022 eastern Australia floods. ==Today==

Tumbulgum is now an historic village with many buildings—some constructed from the local red cedar—having National Heritage classification, including the Tumbulgum Hotel. It a popular fishing and boating destination. Within Tumbulgum and North Tumbulgum are environmental treasures: Stotts Island Nature Reserve, containing a example of lowland sub-tropical rainforest, Duroby Nature Reserve and Skinners Reserve. Tumbulgum itself is both an historic and contemporary hidden gem, tucked away off the busy Tweed Valley Way. In 2010, Tumbulgum became the third place in New South Wales to ban the provision by retail outlets to customers of free disposable plastic shopping bags. To commemorate 150 years of European settlement at Tumbulgum, a rock monument was placed at Bluey Hill Park in 2016. ==Demographics==

In the , Tumbulgum recorded a population of 383 people, 50.4% female and 49.6% male. The median age of the Tumbulgum population was 42 years, 5 years above the national median of 37. 78.1% of people living in Tumbulgum were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were England 5.7%, New Zealand 2.1%, Wales 1.3%, Philippines 1%, Denmark 1%. 87.7% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 1.6% Dutch, 1% German, 1% Italian, 0.8% Greek. ==Notable people==

• Faith Bandler, civil rights activist • Iain Finlay, news correspondent • Jim Rutherford, rugby league footballer ==References==