Yamba - When Did They Invent It????

[Marlin_Mike]

Well, seeing as how my daughter and her fiance moved into the Pacific Hotel Yamba a couple of months ago, he being the head chef there, my wife and I decided to visit them over Easter.

Never been there before, but heard alot about the place. I have one question...............when did they invent this town? :o What a top place. Everything is there. Land based fishing till you get tired of it, off shore fishing when the weather is good enough, Which it was while we were there. ;D

4 days of beautiful warm sunny days, hardly any clouds, light winds till Easter Saturday when they jumped up to a good 15 - 20 knots. ;D ;D

Beaches that are safe to swim at, walk everywhere till your legs get tired and fall off. Gotta go back there and next time the boat goes with me............:D

Couple of pics from the trip....

[Marlin_Mike]

Oh Yeah, didnt take a rod with me, bummer bad decision. But looked like plenty of fish caught, bream,flathead, whiting, trevs, luderick ...would love to give that rock wall a go one night. Boats going off shore, saw some boats trolling close to the beach and rocky headland out from Convent Beach.

Mike

[Fatenhappy]

Hey Mike ...

Used to slip the boat in at the public ramp mid way along Yamba Rd there, good solid access in and out.

Also, dunno if you camp on the boat, but next time when you also take the boat down, if you head out of the marina area and down towards the narrow passage that leads out into the Clarence River, instead of heading out into the main passage go straight ahead. Theres a great little sheltered bay over to the right with nice clean sand on the protected beach ..... great place to lay up overnight, drop a line or even have a BBQ and a couple of coldies ...

Cheers

[finga]

You and your bloody big mouth.
You should have just shut your trap instead of letting the secret out.

Oops. Just had a thought...actually Yamba's a great place...a beautiful place where fish nearly jump into your boat and the beer is cold and near free......a lot, lot, lot better place to stay then Evans Head,where the water is polluted and the beer is warm and the hot chips are cold, I give ya the drum.

That should get people to Yamba instead of Evans I reckon.....so good on ya Mike old china. I'm glad your telling the world the benefits of Yamba.
;)

[sandbankmagnet]

it's got a good golf course and bowls club too.

[TheRealAndy]

Shhhh. we need to get the mods to delete this post...please...

[mangomick]

But isnt Yamba in NSW??? Sort of takes the gloss off the place:P

[theoldlegend]

Yeah, it's a much better place than Iluka also.

Don't know why people go to Iluka when there's Yamba just on the other side of the river..............:( I mean, there's a light house at Yamba and none at Iluka.

The downside with Iluka is you've got to get a permit to drive along Main Beach up to the Bluff. Not good. Although you can stop at any interesting gutters on your way to the Bluff to fish for tailor and jew. Bit of a pain really.

You know Mike, that the Middle Wall is the official boundary between the two places?


TOL

[theoldlegend]

Oh, and another thing.

The condition of the wall at Yamba is much better than the Iluka side.

I've seen people riding bikes on the Yamba side. Can't do that on the Iluka side.

And the tackle shop at Yamba near where the ferry ties up has got more gear than the tackle shop at Iluka.


TOL

[the gecko]

heres another few reasons not to go;

- down by the seaway, near the caravan park, theres a guy who frams his own oysters and sells them out of a little 2 storey house turned into a restuarant. best oysters Ive ever tasted, wash em down with a chardonay, start at noon and stay all day......;D;D;D

Dont stay in any brand new units in a resort. Go to realestate.com.au and look up the holiday house section. We got a nice air cond 4 br house with double garage and ensuite, that BACKS ONTO A CANAL WITH A JETTY. woo hoo. ;D;D;Dboat tied up at the back door, fish all day. take lotsa sunscreen.

the other pub right on the river is not bad too, but only if its too rough for fishing.

memories.....

cheers
Andrew

[Marlin_Mike]

Yeah, it's a much better place than Iluka also.

Don't know why people go to Iluka when there's Yamba just on the other side of the river..............:( I mean, there's a light house at Yamba and none at Iluka.

The downside with Iluka is you've got to get a permit to drive along Main Beach up to the Bluff. Not good. Although you can stop at any interesting gutters on your way to the Bluff to fish for tailor and jew. Bit of a pain really.

You know Mike, that the Middle Wall is the official boundary between the two places?


TOL

Never got across the river to Iluka John.

Went to the ferry wharf, took a look at the sign and went to the beach. I reckon $13.00 bucks return was a little steeep for a ferry ride cross a river,

Mike

[kevy]

youre dead right about yamba. fishing the family rocks [ named after the FOAD FAMILY ] for blackfish, the tee piece, collis wall etc. green & black weed in the canals. fresh mullet from the old shack on the river for bream, good meals & top beer from the top pub, ah, memories, cheers, KEVY.

[gr hilly]

the gecko oh mate ill meet you there for a feed one day your post has made me drool

cheers hilly

[dogsbody]

It's a top spot alright, stayed down there a bit over the years.

A "few" years ago i saw the Ted Mulry Gang at the bowls club.

Dave

[finga]

I can't believe no-body has mentioned the top pub....
You know...the pub over looking the surf club..
Been leg less more then a few times there when I lived at Grafton.
http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Drinks/drinking-3.gif

People should drink responsibly though...

I remember one job we did in the boat harbour. We had to run some high voltage underground to a substation there.
Some joker turned up and asked if he could borrow the sledgie.
Yeah, no worries it's in the truck...just help yourself.
A couple of hours later he yelled out he's put it back. When we went to pack up we found an onion bag full of fresh tiger prawns. It was off to the look-out via the hot bread shop and bottlo for lunch...yum 8-)

[PinHead]

nice place to visit.would never want to live there...it has a few problems.

[Marlin_Mike]

You mean this Pub Finga???????????? Thats the surf club roof in the bottom of the photo. We stayed on the bottom right balcony of the pub as you look at the photo. top spot and view

[murf]

I just might have to give it a go ;)

Iluka and Evens Head are a bit boring hehe

couldn't imagine getting legless at the top pub though at those prices but a mid week counter lunch with that view is always on the cards

cheers Murf

[Lucky_Phill]

Don't forget Mike, you'all need a licence to fish over the border...

Apart from that. yep agree, great place. And biggest bream caught off rocks there.....


LP.
.
.
.
.

[finga]

nice place to visit.would never want to live there...it has a few problems.
Yeah. Sure has. One been I worked on the big substation there.


You mean this Pub Finga????????????
Yep, that be the one.
Hasn't changed a bit (I think??)

Great spot to have a cold, refreshing ale after a day at the beach or in the river looking out over the Pacific.

Ooh, getting a hang-over just thinking about the place....
I was around 20 years of age back then. Young, dumb and full of .... as the saying goes.

[haggis]

yeah great pub over looking the beach , got stuck in there during a thunder storm when i first went across the border dam storm
cheers jimmy

[deepfried]

Its a top part of the world and that pub makes it better along with the quality fishing. The best bit though is the lack of maroon number plates and traffic jams haha.

[Tangles]

Yamba going back again this year, great part of the world

and finga just wants evans all to himself;D

[PNG1M]

The Yamba tavern is a good spot to go for a feed (day or night) and its great for kids as there are hundreds of bream hanging around under the tavern's jetty.

Re: The ferry across the river to Iluka & back. I reckon its worth the $13 bucks as its an interesting trip across and when you get there you can walk about 80m to the nearby club (bowlo or RSL..?) and they have fantastic seafood baskets there.

And if you're in the Yamba vicinity make sure you drive to Angourie to check out the pools. Some good cliffs & ledges to jump off there (into the water!?)

Angourie back beach is great too. It has a remote/desert island feeling to it and I've seen guys spinning tailor off the headland there. It can often be protected when other places are chopped out with wind.

[mowerman]

The Yamba tavern is a good spot to go for a feed (day or night) and its great for kids as there are hundreds of bream hanging around under the tavern's jetty.

Re: The ferry across the river to Iluka & back. I reckon its worth the $13 bucks as its an interesting trip across and when you get there you can walk about 80m to the nearby club (bowlo or RSL..?) and they have fantastic seafood baskets there.

And if you're in the Yamba vicinity make sure you drive to Angourie to check out the pools. Some good cliffs & ledges to jump off there (into the water!?)

Angourie back beach is great too. It has a remote/desert island feeling to it and I've seen guys spinning tailor off the headland there. It can often be protected when other places are chopped out with wind.


SHUSSSH.

Did you have to say the A word.

Rod

.

[PinHead]

Used to do the drive many years back down to the A place and surf there..uncrowded and some great surf at tmes.

[PNG1M]

Quite a few scantily clad sunbathers at the A place too...! Not that I noticed though, as I was too busy fishing.

And, I forgot to mention the pippies - so easy to get from the wet sand.

And the abundance of cabbage/lettuce (whatever its called) on the rocks - and oysters too - at the southern end of the back beach ...a potentially 'hot' luderick spot; but wear your cleats!

Now I've got myself going ...I shouldn't've mentioned the A spot in the first place

[theoldlegend]

Now Mike, I've noticed that nobody (me included) has actually answered your original question, which is "Yamba - When did they invent it?", so I did a bit of research.

In 1876 the place was known as "Clarence River Heads" with a population of 35, which was only 69 years before I was born.

The port's first pilot was Francis Freeburn who took up duties in 1854, which was only 91 years before I was born.

Hence the name "Freeburn Island".

There was also an engineer there called Moriarty who did a bit of work around the place with the training walls I think, hence the name "Moriarty's Wharf" on the Iluka side.

"Yamba Town" was officially gazetted in 1885, which was only 60 years before I was born.

Therefore I suppose that Yamba was invented in 1885.

So there you go Mike. You should write all this down and keep it in your wallet just in case you're on a game show or whatever and this very question arises. Then you'd have the answers. It goes without saying that I expect to be fully compensated in no small measure for the effort I've put in on this matter.

For me, I'm fascinated by all the history of the place and I'm dying to visit the Yamba museum to learn as much as I can about the place.

For example,

how were the breakwater walls built?
how were the training walls in the river built?
how did they place all the granite rocks along the river banks?
how long did it take?

Some things are obvious like the quarrying operations under the light house at Yamba and also the quarrying operations up at the Bluff at Iluka under the lookout, but I'd love to know actually how they did it. There is evidence of railway lines here and there which suggests lines were built as the walls were extended.

And so on and so on.

Anyway, that's me done.


TOL

[Marlin_Mike]

Well ya ask a question.............................

As for due compensation TOL, how about i arrange a personal breakfast with the Breaka Girls, photos autographs etc etc? Would that suit your compensation wishes?


bbwwwaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahah..... just tugging ya leg John..............thanks for the detailed answer to my initial question. I will buy you a coffee payment for the answer.

Mike

[bruiser 2]

For Christ's sake its probably too late not to tell people about it. To good a place to disturb. Bruiser 2

[Awshucks]

The aboriginal mission is a must see no unforgettable holiday is complete with out it.
Oh yeah the high unemployment rate will sort it self out wth more single parent pension's.

[melony]

Yamba never heared of it, where would this place be, but it seems to good of a place to be true best bet is not to tell anyoe anything about it and send them all to wooli a litte futher down the road i love my fishing at yamba seen as it is my local hole so yer never heared of this place yamba best bet don't tell anyone where it is or about the fishing

cheers Melony

[bearessentials]

thats right people, yamba is great.... iluka is crap.... keep going to yamba peoples..... hahahaha, i grew up around this area, and funnily enough, was never really interested in fishing when i was there. it took a move to fnq, then back to brisbane for me to really appreciate it.. now i want to go fishing every time i visit again.. best river fishing, best surf fishing, best off shore fishing (except for cook town).. geez, i might have to move back there.....

[tinman42]

Now Mike, I've noticed that nobody (me included) has actually answered your original question, which is "Yamba - When did they invent it?", so I did a bit of research.

In 1876 the place was known as "Clarence River Heads" with a population of 35, which was only 69 years before I was born.

The port's first pilot was Francis Freeburn who took up duties in 1854, which was only 91 years before I was born.

Hence the name "Freeburn Island".

There was also an engineer there called Moriarty who did a bit of work around the place with the training walls I think, hence the name "Moriarty's Wharf" on the Iluka side.

"Yamba Town" was officially gazetted in 1885, which was only 60 years before I was born.

Therefore I suppose that Yamba was invented in 1885.

So there you go Mike. You should write all this down and keep it in your wallet just in case you're on a game show or whatever and this very question arises. Then you'd have the answers. It goes without saying that I expect to be fully compensated in no small measure for the effort I've put in on this matter.

For me, I'm fascinated by all the history of the place and I'm dying to visit the Yamba museum to learn as much as I can about the place.

For example,

how were the breakwater walls built?
how were the training walls in the river built?
how did they place all the granite rocks along the river banks?
how long did it take?

Some things are obvious like the quarrying operations under the light house at Yamba and also the quarrying operations up at the Bluff at Iluka under the lookout, but I'd love to know actually how they did it. There is evidence of railway lines here and there which suggests lines were built as the walls were extended.

And so on and so on.

Anyway, that's me done.


TOL

Hey TOL, my grandfather was the school teacher in the early days of Yamba. The old 'school house' where they lived, can still be seen on the corner in front of the bowls club. All the tall pines on the road coming into Yamba were planted by him. He is the inaugural life member of the Surf club also. From what my Dad tells me in those days his father, being the reputable school teacher, had a finger in most community projects.

I could bore you for years with this info, but to the point, I believe that the walls were built from rock quarried at Angourie (Blue Pools) and railed to Yamba.

Mike, I have know about Yamba for years and deliberately not told anyone, but now the cat is out, yeah, great place and relatively close to Bris.

cheers

Bob

[pommy]

Moved to Oz in 2001.

Drove from Sydney to Bundy before strting 3 years teaching in Toowoomba.

Holidayed up and down the coast for the next two years.

Got married to the Pommy girl who came out with me.

Honeymoon at the Pacific Hotel, Yamba.

Great place, great people!

How good is the North Coast of NSW?!

Rob.


By the way.....Queensland ain't too bad either.

[wamjam]

Im surpised noboby has mentioned boating out from Yamba to "Sedges reef" and fishing all day to get no fish and getting back to tell mum the bad luck stories.
wamjam

[murf]

Im surpised noboby has mentioned boating out from Yamba to "Sedges reef" and fishing all day to get no fish and getting back to tell mum the bad luck stories.
wamjam

been wrecked at Sedges Reef a few times :lipsrsealed:

cheers Murf

[theoldlegend]

been wrecked at Sedges Reef a few times :lipsrsealed:

cheers Murf


Yeah, you've gotta look out for that reef. When the tide comes in, you can't leave the place.


TOL

[Marlin_Mike]

been wrecked at Sedges Reef a few times :lipsrsealed:

cheers Murf


Now Murf is Sedges Reef really a reef or code for "PUB"...which one did you get "wrecked" at.....LMAO

[murf]

Now Murf is Sedges Reef really a reef or code for "PUB"...which one did you get "wrecked" at.....LMAO

haha no code at all mate, its what it is called

the annual winter trip will see a couple of cosy nights around the fire there :grin:

cheers Murf