Comments on: Brunswick Heads Revisited

By: Ampersand Duck

Ampersand Duck — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:55:07 +0000

Oh, thanks just for reminding me of that wonderful radio spoof of Brideshead Revisited (c. 1982?). I spent a lot of time listening to my dad crack up over that series. It was a cracker.

By: Glen

Glen — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 23:48:59 +0000

Anna Kraack & Jane Kenway have done some research on related issues.

By: Shaun Cronin

Shaun Cronin — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 23:20:11 +0000

I grew up in Grafton and the relatives on my Mom’s side were all in the Lismore area including BH. The change over the past 30 years has been tremendous. I remember back when Bangalow just a small town you passed through on the way to the Gold Coast. Not the trendy town of arts, craft and lattes it has become. We often visited a relative in BH on the way through to the GC as well. I remember it as a quiet seaside village.

A few years ago we spend a few days in Woolgoolga over Christmas. Visited Bellingen near Coffs and found that as well have become a arts/craft/cool cafe village.

It would be nice for these towns to find a balance. It is such a beautiful area and I fear development and a push to grab city types will harm (if not already) those areas.

On the plus side, what I have noticed on my trips back is that even little hamlets out of the main towns often have a nice cafe or a pub that does good food. These become a popular secret with the locals and there are some great little places if you have local knowledge.

By: cs

cs — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 22:45:40 +0000

Hard to feel that it’s not all a terrible shame. I’ve had some good times in that BH pub (alas, refurbished). Although utterly over-run by international tourists, one of the things I like about Italy, for instance, is that the place has a stable population and distribution in its towns. Will the growth mania ever stop in Oz?

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 08:23:01 +0000

Interesting post, Paul. I think I was last in Brunswick Heads in 92 - and it was certainly a sleepy sort of place back then - and with good cheap pub food!

There are a number of factors coming together which are focussing attention on development in regional and coastal areas - housing prices and welfare in capital cities, downshifting, infrastructure, and demographics spring to mind.

There’s no doubt that a debate on these sort of issues and how growth (and decline) affect communities is needed.

By: Tony.T

Tony.T — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 06:35:06 +0000

When I go down to my holiday house, I resent the fact that the locals resent me. Especially as I am giving them lots of my not very hard earned lolly.