Rainbows amidst the rivers

Nested micro-regionality in north-eastern New South Wales

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60162/swamphen.11.18106

Keywords:

region, Rainbow Region, Australia

Abstract

The far north-eastern corner of New South Wales (NSW), a region commonly referred to as either the Far North Coast or Northern Rivers, has a particular status within NSW, Australian and international social imaginaries on account of its rich environmental assets and the lifestyle and cultural characteristics commonly associated with it (typified by the lyrics to Kelly’s song that preface this article). The first named author’s extended residence in the region in 2000-2021 and participation in community groups and public forums indicated that these senses of place were shared, to varying extents, by its residents but are also juxtaposed with and/or opposed by others who have different senses of locale and region. This is unsurprising, as such perceptions are highly contingent on socio-cultural, political and spiritual inclinations, some of which can be more easily aligned with dominant regional identity projections than others. The concept of regionality is, itself, a complex and contingent one and this article explores these tensions and divergencies with regard to an area that has strong place mythologies and shifting demographics that are modifying these.

Author Biographies

  • Philip Hayward, University of British Columbia

    Philip Hayward is the editor of Shima - an Environmental Humanities research journal specialising in island, marine and riverine themes <www.shimajournal.org>. He has been involved in developing the notion of the aquapelago, a concept that emphasises the integration of (some) island and coastal societies with marine environments, resources, histories and imaginations. Initial articles on this topic and responses by other researchers are available online in an anthology section of the journal Shima and in the book Aquapelogos with Routledge in collaboration with May Joseph (Pratt Institute, Brooklyn) https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003569534. His current research interests include the nature of heritage, modernity and built environments in riverine, island and coastal locales and the theorisation of aggregates of islands, coasts and aquatic spaces in general. 

  • Christian Fleury, University of Caen Normandy

    Christian Fleury is a geographer at Caen Basse-Normandie Unversité, France whose interests are mainly centered on sea appropriation conflicts.

    Philip Hayward and Christian Fleury are co-coordinators of the Flowzones project, which aims to develop a reflective inventory of the riverscapes, river islands and floodplains of northern New South Wales. They have collaborated on a number of research and publication projects including contributions to Philip Hayward and May Joseph (Eds.) Aquapelagos: Integrated terrestrial and marine assemblages (Routledge, 2024). Philip Hayward is also editor of the online Environmental Humanities journal Shima and Christian serves on the journal's editorial board.

References

Aberley, Doug. ‘Interpreting bioregionalism: A story from many voices.’ In Bioregionalism, edited by M. V. McGinnis, Routledge, 1999, pp. 13–42.

Agnew, John A. ‘Arguing with Regions.’ Regional Studies, vol. 47, no. 1, 2012, pp. 6–17.

Ashton, Mr. ‘The Northern River.’ Clarence River Advocate, 1904, p. 4.

Baker, Gilbert. ‘Rainbow Flag: Origin Story: The story behind How the Rainbow Flag was created.’ 2019. https://gilbertbaker.com/rainbow-flag-origin-story/

Bible, Vanessa. On Common Ground. Cultivating Environmental Peace: A History of the Rainbow Region. University of New England, 2016.

‘Byron Bay.’ Wikivoyage. https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Byron_Bay

Byron Events. Lismore, 2023. https://www.byronevents.net/towns/lismore.htm

Crystal Castle & Shambhala Gardens. https://crystalcastle.com.au/?gad_source=1

Daily Examiner. ‘Far Northern Rivers Areas: Suggested County Council.’ 20 August 1935, p. 4.

Daily Examiner. ‘Northern Rivers County Council.’ 25 June 1952, p. 2.

Hueneke, Klaus. ‘Getting it together.’ Canberra Times, 25 August 1979, p. 17.

Libes, Kenna. ‘Did hippies discover the rainbow? Tracking the emergence of rainbow motifs in Western European clothing, 1500-1900.’ Brown University seminar paper, 2018. https://www.academia.edu/39738525/Did_Hippies_Discover_the_Rainbow_Tracking_The_Emergence_Of_Rainbow_Motifs_In_Western_European_Clothing_1500_1900

Lovejoy, Hans. ‘Once known as the rainbow region.’ Byron Shire Echo, 16 February 2024. https://www.echo.net.au/2024/02/once-known-as-the-rainbow-region/

‘Native.’ ‘Northern Rivers Districts.’ Northern Star, 1892, p.5.

NSW Auditor General. 2024. Flood Housing Response. https://www.audit.nsw.gov.au/our-work/reports/flood-housing-response

NSW Government. Far North Coast Regional Conservation Plan.

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/biodiversity/10982fncrcp.pdf

Offord, Baden. ‘Mapping the Rainbow Region: fields of belonging and sites of confluence.’ Transformations, no. 2, 2002. http://www.transformationsjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Transformations02_Offord.pdf

Regional Development Australia. Northern Rivers Regional Economic Recovery Plan 2025. https://www.rdanorthernrivers.org.au/recovery2025/

Regional Studies. https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/cres20

Ricketts, Aidan & Kia, Annie. ‘Enabling Emergence: The Bentley Blockade and the Struggle for a Gasfield Free Northern Rivers.’ Southern Cross University Law Review, 2018. https://commonslibrary.org/enabling-emergence-the-bentley-blockade-and-the-struggle-for-a-gasfield-free-northern-rivers/

Smee, Ben. ‘When Covid came to the anti-vax capital of Australia.’ The Guardian, 14 August 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/14/when-covid-came-to-the-anti-vax-capital-of-australia

Söderbaum, Fredrick. ‘Rethinking the links between micro-regions and macro-regions.’ In Region-Making and Cross-Border Cooperation: New Evidence from Four Continents, edited by Elisabetta Nadalutti and Otto Kallscheuer. Routledge, 2108, pp. 30–44.

Thayer, Robert. L. LifePlace: Bioregional Thought and Practice. University of California Press, 2003.

The Rainbow Region. Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/groups/rainbowregion/discuss/72157594181364884/

Visit Lismore. Nimbin Mardi Grass. https://www.visitlismore.com.au/whats-on/event/Nimbin+Mardi+Grass/11931

Published

2025-06-19