Courtesy of Trove Richmond River Herald 24 December 1891
It is but a short journey from the Clarence to the Richmond. The coach left Harwood on the arrival of the s.s. City of Grafton early in the morning with the Sydney mails, and five hours afterwards I found myself steaming down the rival river.
They are rivals – there is no mistake about that. The people of the Clarence boast of the beauties of their river like we in Sydney do of the magnificence of our harbour, whilst the inhabitants of the Richmond are equally proud of their waterway. And who shall decide between them? I have now seen both rivers, and must candidly admit that they are both splendid sheets of water. In point of volume the Clarence carries the sway. It is broader and longer and rejoices in the possession of more tributaries. But with respect to scenery, the Richmond must be awarded first place. Although narrower it is deeper. It twists and winds about in the most tortuous manner. The back land for the greater part is hilly. The dense scrub is occasionally relieved by open patches of ground, and the fringe of cultivation on the borders of the river forms a pleasing contrast to rugged country beyond. But, alas! the fringe of cultivation is narrow indeed. Thousands upon thousands of acres remain in their primitive condition. If you inquire the cause, you are informed that all manner of difficulties lie in the way of those who would till the soil. The trouble commences with the land, and extends to the water. Conveyance by road is in many places, under existing circumstances, an impossibility; navigation by water is rendered troublesome because of the difficulty of crossing the bar at the Heads. But a generous Government is doing its best to remedy both these evils. Now highways are being opened up, old roads are being repaired, and improvements are being carried on at the mouth of the river, which, it is hoped, will bring prosperity to the townships which line its borders. The river entrance at Ballina – the first port – is blocked up by sand. One bank called the South Spit, is produced by the strong westerly winds which prevail. These heap up the sand, which chokes up the channel of the river, and forces it into Shaw’s Bay. Then the waters of the North Creek, which is a tributary of the river, and those of the main river meet in conflict at the mouth, with the result that sand-spits are formed within the bar. The sand moves, and the channel is continually changing according to the way the wind blows, or as it may be acted upon by the freshes which come down the river. Sometimes the harbour gets into a very bad state, the entrance being blocked entirely, but at the best of times navigation is considerably impeded: at present there is a depth of water on the bar of 9ft. But this state of things will, it is hoped, shortly be changed. Sir John Coode visited the place in the early part of November, 1885. A little under three years afterwards – in February 1888 – he sent in a report to the Government. In this he recommended certain works which are now being carried out in their entirety, no alteration whatever having been made from the original designs. These works embrace north and south training walls. The north wall is 4500ft. in length, whilst the south wall extends for a distance of 8500ft. These walls can only claim their title by courtesy. They are not walls in the usual acceptation of the term. No mortar or cement is used, and in their construction the mason’s art is unknown. Practically speaking, they are rubble banks ; but it is a special kind of “rubble.” Some of the stone used weighs up to 20 tons, and in that portion of the work exposed to the sea none will be used of less weight than 6 tons. The larger portion of it will average from 15 tons to 18 tons in weight, and cranes are being provided which will lift 25 tons. These walls will thus constitute solid and massive breakwaters. They will rise 10ft above high water mark; at the top they will be left wide, and the base will extend to a width of 160ft. They will not be of one height for their entire length.
Near the shore they will be 4 ft above high water, and will rise by gradient of 1 in 100ft to 16ft above high water level. The north arm has already been built out 1100ft., and the maximum height of the wall will be reached at a distance of 1200ft, or 100ft further than now. The wall will then continue level for the remainder of the distance. The stone used is a very hard basalt, and it is quarried at the headland known as Pilot Point. The ocean bed varies in depth. The workmen have had to fill up as much as 35ft. under water; but now the water is more shallow, and more rapid progress is being made. Last month 80ft. of the wall was built; but in the deeper water the progress made did not average more than 30ft. per month. It is found as the work progresses that the rock at the bottom is scoured bare by the very strong current which swoops round the foot of the breakwater. This is an advantage to the work, as the stone tipped down finds a sure foundation on the bed of the rock. The stone which is tipped in from the end is allowed to find its own place, and it is believed that the rugged edge thus presented to the sea will be more effective in keeping back the water than would masonry work built in the ordinary way. It has been noticed in break waters in England that where a smooth surface is presented to the sea the waves dash against the wall, rise to a great height, and then fall on the structure itself. Amongst a mass of large uneven stones, however, the turbulent water gets lost, whilst its force, although terrible at times, is distributed and rendered futile. The south wall has not yet been commenced, owing to the necessity of getting the stone for its construction from Riley’s Hill, which is 19 miles further up the river. The material will be brought down to the heads in punts, and arrangements are being made to construct wharfs on either side of the river for the purpose of unloading the stone. The effect of these walls, when built, will be to force the current in a particular direction, concentrate it, and cause it to scour out the bar. The width between the walls will be 1000ft., and it is expected that the depth of water secured will be from 16ft. to 17ft. In addition to this some inner work will be done. A guide bank 2000ft. in length will be built, the object of which will be to train the water of the North Creek to meet the river water at a proper angle, and pass it over the bar. Besides this, another wall – some 3000ft. in length – will be erected, which was not provided for by Sir John Coode. This will really be a protecting wall for Ballina, lest the ocean when confined between the main training walls should acquire additional force, and sweep over the town. Ballina is an important and rising place, but it has this misfortune, that really it does not lie more than 4ft. above high water mark. Owing to its peculiar situation, floods which affect the townships higher up the river pass by it harmlessly, but still the citizens dread lest some time or other a tidal wave should come and wipe them off the face of the earth. This would be a solution of the bar trouble hardly desirable. Therefore, now that they are altering the course of the
currents of the ocean and varying the flowing of the waters of the river, a sea wall is also being built, which it is trusted will provide for all eventualities. Sir John Coode estimated that the general works would cost £320,000, but the estimate of Mr. Darley, the Engineer-in-chief, is that they will involve an expenditure of £356,350. The work is under the superintendence of Mr. Keel, the resident engineer, who has in his employ about men; but it will be some years before everything is fully completed. In the meantime the lighthouse, which is on the rocky headland jutting out on the north side of the entrance to the river, and the signal and pilot station alongside, will continue to do good service. A powerful steam-tug is owned by Captain Fenwick, and the service is subsidised by the Government. Entrance can only be made in the daytime and at highwater. The Richmond River, when once crossed, is navigable for about 80 miles by ocean-going vessels. Indeed, the chief port – the claims of Ballina not withstanding – is Lismore, which may be considered the head of navigation. The river then breaks up into a lot of small arms, and gets lost in the mountainous ranges between the Tweed and the Richmond. Its course in shape somewhat resembles a horseshoe. The two chief towns Ballina and Lismore, are only about 20 miles apart by land; by water it is necessary to travel 80 miles. At Coraki, which is 40 miles from the entrance, the river divides itself into two arms, called the North and the South. The North Arm, which is looked upon as being really the main body of water, goes on to Lismore; whilst the South Arm flows to Casino. Unfortunately the South Arm is so shallow that ocean-going vessels cannot reach Casino, and it is therefore necessary to discharge all produce at Coraki, which owes its existence to the necessity of there being a forwarding station at this point. A good deal of money has been spent within the last three years in snagging, dredging, and generally improving the river at this juncture. In the neighbourhood of Woodburn and Coraki the land is very low, the banks of the river being scarcely perceptible. A good deal of injury is often caused here by floods, the water, after flowing over an immense quantity of land, finding its way out to sea at Evan’s River, 15 miles from Ballina. At the foot of the ranges of the Big Scrub, which is chiefly mountainous country, the land is very swampy. It is however, capable of being drained. Some of it again forms fine pastoral country. The principal products are sugar and maize, and the timber also is valuable ; but into the matters affecting those pursuits I shall enter more fully in other articles. The district is supposed to be pretty rich in minerals, but hitherto little has been done in the way of development. Coal has been found in various parts; as far out as the Brunswick even land has been taken up for this purpose, but so far as I can learn there are only two places where anything in the way of mining is being done. This is at Bungawalbin and Swan Bay, where two mines are being opened out. A small quantity of coal found at Rous is being worked for local use, and it has also been proved to be excellent for steam purposes. On the rocks at the beach gold has been discovered, whilst the sand thereon has been found to contain platinum. The Richmond River is undoubtedly a valuable possession. It passes through country blessed with a fertile soil, with a warm climate, and with a bountiful rainfall, and in years to come it will unquestionably form the waterway of a populous, thriving, contented, and happy district.