Mullumbimby is an Aboriginal word for ‘small round hill’. Perhaps this refers to Mount Chincogan, the dramatic backdrop to the town. The first thing you see when you drive along the road inland from the old Pacific Highway is a rural scene of green rolling hills. And, then you behold the amazing framed silhouette of Mount Chincogan, 307 meters high and, further in, the magnificent Koonyum Range escarpment. The Brunswick River meanders through the town on its way to Brunswick Heads.

Mullumbimby is known as the ‘Biggest Little Town in Australia” . As a little town it sure is a healthy, vibrant place.

Mullumbimby’s population is around 3000 with another 2000 people living in the villages and hills surrounding the town.

While Byron Bay can be extremely busy with its huge tourist population, Mullumbimby maintains its quiet and laid back atmosphere even at peak tourist times on the coast.

Since the early 1970’s when Mullumbimby was initially chosen as the site for the Aquarius Festival there has been a diverse community of old and new settlers in the town. This rainbow blend has helped to maintain the energy and community of the town and created a heritage of diversity and tolerance.

This diversity is demonstrated in the range of schools in town (including public, Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventist and Steiner), the variety of arts and entertainment activities (from playback theatre and public sculptures to old time dancing) and is obvious in the dress and greetings of locals everyday in the main street.

Mullumbimby’s main street is really two streets in a cross pattern that provides a compact, beautiful and very well used town centre. These streets are filled with people throughout the day and only drowned out by the crimson rosellas in the palm trees most afternoons.

There are over 100 businesses in the Mullumbimby CBD. The wide range of small shops provide almost everything one needs on a day to day basis and a number of great cafes and two pubs provide plenty of places to hang out. The main complaint one hears about the Mullumbimby shopping centre is that it is very hard to just drop in to pick up something without having to stop to chat with all the people you know.

One of the things that makes Mullumbimby such a nice place is this strong sense of identity and community and the willingness of shop keepers to provide that extra level of service – whether it be useful advice, taking goods to the car or stocking special requests.

Mullumbimby is magical – it is a very special place that nurtures a wide variety of people and helps them to feel that they have a place in this town.

If you were to plan the perfect town Mullumbimby would have to come close.