Today Newrybar is a thriving rural settlement located on the northern edge of the Shire. It is home to 460 residents – both long-term and recently arrived. It is well-patronised by locals and visitors, flocking there to enjoy the food and shopping experiences it has to offer. In recent years also, its community hall has grown in popularity as a venue for community and family events.

Newrybar’s character is at the heart of its present day attraction. Its name is documented to be of Bundjalung origin, and well before it was declared a settlement the land on which Newrybar was laid out formed part of the Bundjalung Nation.

Newrybar was first settled in 1881, two decades after the Colonial Government legislated that land could be selected and purchased free-hold in the district. This triggered the migration of farmers and others to the region.

A General Store, tinsmith and tailor, Presbyterian Church and Public School were among the facilities that first established. Some of Newrybar’s earliest buildings remain intact today; it has also seen major changes across the decades, especially since the 1960s.

The Changing Place of Newrybar is and interactive map that demonstrates the ‘layered history’ of the Newrybar streetscape. The interactive guides you through three layouts of the settlement.

View The Changing Place of Newrybar. Click on the icons to view ‘snippets’ of history about past and present-day shops and other buildings.

By Bayden, Jahla (Alstonville High School), Jan (Alstonville Plateau Historical Society) and Duke Albada in collaboration with Lynette Foster and Tony Kibblewhite.