Brunswick Heads
town
Statensw
Coordinates28°32′0″S 153°33′0″E
Pop1,686
Postcode2483
Dist 1795
Dir 1NE
Location 1Sydney
Dist 2148
Dir 2SE
Location 2Brisbane
Dist 318
Dir 3N
Location 3Byron Bay
LgaByron Shire
StategovBallina
FedgovRichmond

Brunswick Heads is a small town on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia in Byron Shire and it is 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the regional centre of Byron Bay.

It is located on the traditional lands of the Bundjalung Nation and, specifically, the Arakwal people although it also includes parts of the Minjungbal and Widjabal territories.[1][2]

At the , the town had a population of 1,686 people.[3]

History

Originally inhabited by people of the Bundjalung nation, the Brunswick River was charted by Captain Henry Rous in 1828. His visit was followed more than 20 years later by cedar cutters, whose activities led to the creation of the first town in what is now Byron Shire. By the 1880s, Brunswick Heads was a busy port with a small commercial centre.[4]

The town was initially proclaimed as the village of Brunswick on 20 March 1885 but the name Brunswick Heads became more commonly used and was officially changed in the NSW Government Gazette on 2 July 1971.[5] The Brunswick part of the name comes from its closeness to the Brunswick River, which was named for Caroline of Brunswick.[6]

Poet and painter Edwin Wilson (1942–2022) started school at Brunswick Heads, as recorded in his 2000 autobiography The Mullumbimby Kid.[7][8]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
19661,069—
19711,210+13.2%
19761,402+15.9%
19811,877+33.9%
19861,585−15.6%
19911,662+4.9%
19961,835+10.4%
20011,861+1.4%
20061,614−13.3%
20111,450−10.2%
20161,559+7.5%
20211,686+8.1%

Australian Bureau of Statistics data.[9][10]

Geography

Brunswick Heads is a small coastal holiday village situated at the mouth of the Brunswick River. Torakina Beach is located within the breakwater, while a white sandy surf beach stretches to the south. The north bank of the river is the home to a protected rainforest and the southern bank provides a harbour and small marina for fishing boats and small craft.[11][12]

Despite the surrounding coastal development, Brunswick Heads has retained its traditional seaside village atmosphere. Timber bridges link the riverside to the river and surf beaches.[11][12]

Brunswick Heads has a 30 minutes travelling time from both Gold Coast Airport and the Ballina-Byron Gateway Airport, and it is 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of the Queensland border.[11] The Pacific Highway bypassed Brunswick Heads in 1998.[13]

Arts and culture

The Brunswick Picture House venue, which operates out of an old cinema,[14][15] opened in its current form in March 2016. It hosts entertainment events including film, circus, cabaret, comedy and live music events.[16]

The Brunswick Heads Library operates out of a former church.[17]

Economy

Brunswick Heads has a number of cafes, restaurants, accommodation and specialty shops. It also offers a range of leisure activities all year round, and hosts a number of small-scale community and family-oriented festivals and events.[11][12]

The annual 'Brunswick Heads Woodchop', held in January, is one of the largest woodchopping events in Australia. It has been running since 1928 with the original aim being to raise money for the footbridge from Brunswick Heads village to the surf.[18][19][20][21] The footbridge officially opened on 31 January 1937 with the aim of improving tourism.[22][23]

  • The town was the location for the cult 1980s comedy series Brunswick Heads Revisited (a send-up of Waugh's Brideshead Revisited), broadcast across Australia by the ABC.[24][25][26]
  • The fourth series of the ABC TV drama series, SeaChange, was filmed there in 2019.[12][27]

References

  1. ^ "'Walking taller': Byron Bay native title claim approved 20 years after application". ABC News. 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  2. ^ "Aboriginal Cultural Heritage". Byron Shire Council. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  3. ^ "2021 Brunswick Heads, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  4. ^ "History of Brunswick Heads". Brunswick Heads. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  5. ^ "GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ACT, 1966". Government Gazette Of The State Of New South Wales. No. 71. 2 July 1971. p. 2404. Retrieved 14 November 2024. – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Brunswick Heads (locality)". NSW Geographical Names Board. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  7. ^ "Poetry | Edwin Wilson". Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  8. ^ Wilson, Edwin & Wilson, Edwin, 1942-2022 (2000), The Mullumbimby kid : a portrait of the poet as a child, New ed., Woodbine Press, ISBN 978-0-949557-18-6
  9. ^ "Statistics by Catalogue Number". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Search Census data". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Brunswick Heads. Simple Pleasures - Official Website.". www.brunswickheads.org.au. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  12. ^ "Brunswick Heads, North Coast – Surf, accommodation & restaurants | Visit NSW". www.visitnsw.com. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  13. ^ "Brunswick Heads Bypass". Roads and Traffic Authority. Archived 30 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ^ Chenery, Susan (2018-05-22). "How two fringe cabaret promoters saw the Brunswick Heads Picture House reborn". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  15. ^ "The Brunswick Picture House – The Birth of a Cultural Hub". Carnival Cinema. 2019-04-29. Archived 2025-03-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  16. ^ "History » Brunswick Picture House NSW". Brunswick Picture House NSW. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  17. ^ "Brunswick Heads Library". rtrl.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  18. ^ "Brunswick Heads Woodchop | NSW Holidays & Accommodation, Things to Do, Attractions and Events". www.visitnsw.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  19. ^ "Brunswick Heads. Simple Pleasures - Festivals and Events.". www.brunswickheads.org.au. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  20. ^ "Brunswick Heads". The Northern Star. Vol. 54. 3 March 1930. p. 4. Retrieved 24 July 2025. – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ "Brunswick Heads". The Northern Star. Vol. 54. 11 February 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 24 July 2025. – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ "Access to surf: Brunswick Heads progress, footbridge officially opened". Northern Star. Vol. 61. 1 February 1937. p. 4. Retrieved 27 July 2025. – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ "Brunswick Heads: boon of footbridge". Tweed Daily. Vol. XXIV, no. 75. 30 March 1937. p. 4. Retrieved 27 July 2025. – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "Angela Webber & Adam Bowen – Brunswick Heads Revisited (1982, Cassette)". discogs.com. 1982.
  25. ^ "High Riser: [sic] Brunswick Heads Revisited". highriser.blogspot.com.au. 13 January 2010.
  26. ^ "Obituaries - A comic delighted by the absurdities of life". smh.com.au. 22 March 2007.
  27. ^ Sullivan, Rebecca (2019-08-07). "This is exactly where the SeaChange reboot is filmed". Now To Love. Retrieved 2025-07-24.