TOMEWIN - A History
Editorial material courtesy of Dave Tardent
of Hanging
Rock Chalets
Historic photographs © 1998 courtesy of Robyn Buckley
Connecting Two Valleys
Straddling the Queensland/New South Wales border about 20 kms inland
from Point Danger and the twin
towns of Tweed Heads
and Coolangatta, the European history
of the Tomewin region dates from the mid 19th century when the
first settlers engaged in timber
getting (cedar and rosewood were pre-dominant), cattle grazing
and banana growing.
Tomewin became a resting place for the horses on the Cobb and Co.
coach run between Murwillumbah and Nerang, which was the inland
route between the towns of the colonies whilst the Tweed River
was a barrier along a flat coastal route.
Connecting the Currumbin and Tweed valleys, the steep terrain
of the route was a feature of any travel along Tomewin Road.
Mount
Tomewin has an elevation of 457 metres (1,500 feet) and with
most of the ridge at about 335 metres (1,100 feet), logs
and other heavy freight needed to be tied down during transport
by horse and wagon.
Photo right: Aerial view of Tomewin by David
Tardent ©
Forced Migration
Boom times saw the forced migration of Pacific Islanders (Kanakers) as
banana labourers, and their children often made up the majority of
pupils at the Tomewin Primary School during its heyday.
Photo right: 
Banana
plantation ©
Present day Tomewin has seen the general demise of farming with only a
few holdings of bananas remaining, timber
getting being phased out,
and the area given over to smaller subdivided lots where hobby farming
is practised.
Rainforest Canopy
The volcanic history of the area
means the soils are fertile with a rainforest canopy
of quandong, red cedar, bloodwood and rosewood and a shrub stratum
of ferns, bangalow palms, crows nests, elkhorns, staghorns and orchids.
High rainfall averages of 2,100 mm (84 inches) per year, contribute to
the many springs that are abundant in this environment together with
a rich diversity of birdlife and ground animals. Wedge
tailed eagles soar and black cockatoos shriek in the heavens; lorikeets
and parrots play in the canopy while below, Mr. Carpet Snake goes about
his business.
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The Arthur Freeman Lookout
Named after a banana pioneer of early 20th century, this lookout on the
QLD side of the border provides spectacular views over the Currumbin
Valley and Border ranges. It was the site of the banana flying
fox of the day when bananas were hauled up the steep mountain slopes
for transport to the markets.
Photo
right: The flying fox clearing in it's heyday. ©
It looks directly at Mt. Cougal, Boyd's Butte and the sheer walls of Mt.
Durran, where the rockface gives off a pale pink hue at sunrise. Springbrook
plateau in the background is a cascade of waterfalls during the wet
season.
In the distance to the east are the sparkling waters of the Pacific Ocean,
while in overcast weather, rainforest mists settle in the smaller gullies
and around mountain tops not unlike the interior of Borneo and other
far flung lands.
The Elliott Gruner Lookout
On the NSW side of the border, the view from this lookout captures the
old volcano crater and its remaining core, Mt.Warning,
at its best. This view as painted by Gruner was awarded the Wynn
prize in 1921. The Tweed Valley floor is littered with sugar cane farms
and forest covered foothills with three World
Heritage listed rainforests in the area.
World Heritage Rainforest Centre
The tourist centre beside the Tweed River in Murwillumbah gives the visitor
an insight into the paradise which lies in this part of the region
and has abundant information on the area's attractions. Tomewin
on the state border at the top of the mountain, is the half way point
for the designated Tourist Drive Circuit joining this part of the Hinterland
through Tweed Heads and Coolangatta on the coast.
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Tomewin Walks
The border fence in "No Man's Land" is still maintained for
cattle tick control purposes and allows an easy walk along the border
from lower Tomewin past the Hanging
Rock edifice (a single monolith relic of the volcanic era) to the
Border Gates, a post still manned by the NSW Department of Agriculture.
Phot right: Hanging Rock by David Tardent ©
Further west around the border range and accessed by the Garden Of Eden
Road, is a one hour walk to Mt. Cougal. The view from the top
encompasses the scenic beauty of the old crater and rim that formed
from the Mount Warning (Wollumbin) shield volcano.
The valley floor on Queensland side is host to the Currumbin Valley Rock
Pools, a popular attraction, while at the end of
the valley lies the foothills of the Springbrook
National Park, which
contain rock slides and the remains of an old sawmill built during
1914.
Bird Calls
At sunrise the forest resounds to the sounds of kookaburras and whipbirds while
the sunset over the Cougals with its kaleidoscope of colours may be
enjoyed to a background noise of cicadas as you wonder at planet earth's
magnificence and this "green
behind the gold", all just a
stone's throw from Australia's major holiday destination, the Gold
Coast.
Stayovers are a must to fully explore the local environment as well as
a base to sample the delights offered in the region as a whole - a
peaceful and natural alternative to the glitter of the Coast whose
lights at night beckon in the distance.
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