Ballina - Victoria Park

When Ballina was first settled by Europeans, the entire area was surrounded by rain forest. Sprinled throughout the forest, was huge numbers of cedar trees. This is what led to the settlement of the area. Few remnants remain, but one of the largest, is Victoria Park.


The Europeans who settled Australia were not very imaginative when it came to naming the big new country of Australia. There is a very long mountain range on the east coast of Australia. It divides the coast from the interior. What did they call it? Did they name it after the local aboriginal name? Nope. It's the "Great Dividing Range". Simple, hey?

Not to be outdone, the rainforest around Ballina was known as "The Big Scrub". Victoria Park is a remnant of this Big Scrub. For many years, there was a huge fig tree which towered over all other trees in the park. What did they call it? "The Big Fig Tree". Very imaginative, not.


Anyway, apart from the silly names, the park is actually quite pleasant. It's near the town of Alstonville, about twenty minutes' drive from Ballina. It covers a huge area, but a tourist friendly sized piece has been developed for visitors. A boardwalk has been built through a large chunk. This allows us to walk through the forest without getting our shoes dirty or getting tangled up by passing fig tree buttress roots.

It gives you a great look into the interior of a rain forest and is definitely worth a visit.