Kyogle sits prettily in one of the most diverse regions of New South Wales.
Story Bruce McMahon Photos David Kelly
Kyogle was settled on the Richmond River in the 1830s as a lumber camp and became a service town for the timber and dairy industries. It is home to the likes of Athol McQueen, ex-dairy farmer and the boxer who sat Joe Frazier on his haunches in a 1964 Olympics bout; Greg Hayes, who’s worked at Hogan Sawmill for 47 years; and Jim Hurley, from the town’s 75-year-old Brown and Hurley truck dealership. “I was born here in 1942, been around the world plenty of times and haven’t found anywhere else I’d rather live,” Jim says.
The town of close to 3000 people continues to attract fresh mobs of new-age settlers looking for the benefits of a rural lifestyle. There are three new subdivisions on the edge of town and in early 2021 real estate agent Rob Horder saw more buyers than houses for sale. Prices were up 12% throughout 2020 and lifted again in early 2021.
This story excerpt is from Issue #137
Outback Magazine: June/July 2021
