An early history of Bilambil village

The Bilambil village over the years has enjoyed a most colourful history.

It has been known for over 80 years for the production of sugar cane, timber, bananas and small crops, dairying, and a small amount of gold mining, with many resultant carrying businesses. The rich soil started it all. It brought settlers in droves towards the end of the 19th century.

The provisional school which was built in 1898 was gazetted a Public School in 1900.

Bullocks Transport at this time was bullock wagon, horse wagon, and horse and sulky. Water transport was to come, but the local creek had to be dredged before steamers could be used to transport goods and passengers.It is estimated this operation was carried out about 1911. From when the creek was dredged till motor transport appeared in the 1920’s the steamships, launches and the boat harbour, adjacent to the present shop were the “lifeline” of the village.Later, the cane, most of which grew on the slopes above the present school, was sent down to the wharf by flying fox, and loaded on boats at the boat harbour.

The going was rough on the horse drays which were used to carry the cane from the hilly paddocks. Often the animals had to be destroyed after the heavy loads of cane had toppled over. Cane growing on the slopes, however, was to become too expensive to cut and transport to the sugar mill at Condong, and dairying eventually replaced it.
PHOTO: Bert Barnier and Frankie Conaghan 1922

Bananas On the other hand, by 1918 the banana industry was thriving in the soldiers’ settlement. Bullocks were used to haul the bananas to Bilambil Creek, where motor launches would take them to Murwillumbah, via Tweed Heads, and then they were loaded on trains to Byron Bay, and then shipped to Sydney on the North Coast Navigation Co. steamers. Bunchy top wiped out all bananas plantations in 1922. Gold mining had a relatively short-lived existence in the area. It is believed a small nugget found at the head of the gullies rising in the Terranora Lakes area started the “gold rush”. Mr Reubon Poiser sunk the first shaft without result, as did Andy Rixon and Jim Bonner.
PHOTO: Pat O'Neill and Podge Johnson at Ron Randell's banana plantation, Carool 1932

Bilambil has always been a hive of activity. The “younger” generation still remember the butcher shop which operated till about 1955, the blacksmith shop and the basket maker. Bread was baked in the village until 1939. The Bilambil Post Office was first conducted by Mr John Suter, Snr., in the 1890’s at his house in the village on the Upper Bilambil Road. For a number of years the mail was carried by horse and sulky by Mr Joe Dowling. In the late 1920’s, Mr Alf Window introduced motor transport and took over the mail run.

Residents today look on the 1920’s and 1930’s as the day when the village boomed.
The area certainly took on a new look in 1920 when the road was built from Bilambil to the soldiers’ settlement by the Tweed Shire Council. Motorisation was in by 1930 and the launches were eventually phased out because they could not compete. But let’s all pause and remember the important part played by the cream boats in our early existence.
PHOTO: Harold William Moore, banana carrier from Carool to Murwillumbah in the 1930's