Federal, New South Wales

Town in New South Wales, Australia

28°39′03″S 153°27′19″E / 28.65083°S 153.45528°E / -28.65083; 153.45528Population712 (2011 census)^[1]Postcode(s)2480Elevation140 m (459 ft)Time zoneAEST (UTC+10) • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC+11)Location

780 km (485 mi) NNE of Sydney
171 km (106 mi) SSE of Brisbane
20 km (12 mi) w of Byron Bay

LGA(s)Byron ShireState electorate(s)Ballina Federal division(s)Richmond

Federal is a village in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Byron Shire local government area. It is approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the regional centre of Byron Bay.^[2]^[3] It is 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to Minyon Falls which is within the Nightcap National Park.^[4]^[5]

It is on the lands of the Widjabal of the Bundjalung people who are the Traditional Owners of this land.^[6]^[7] It stands on land that was a part of The Big Scrub, 75,000 hectares of lowland subtropical rainforest which was cleared for agricultural use; this clearing also dispossessed many of the Bundjalung people.^[7]

At the 2011 census, Federal had a population of 712.^[1] At the 2021 census, the population was 784, with a median age of 47.

History

The village is one of the older in the area and it was originally known as Jaspar (or Jasper), until it was cleared for the use of agriculture in the 19th century with farmers moving to the area in 1882.^[2]^[8] Some of the first European settles were William Risley and William John Bate who were led there by a cedar-getter named Daniel Withers.^[6]^[9]

When still known as Jaspar, The Federal Butter Factory was built there, this factory was a part of a dairy co-operative and was constructed around 1893. Its name is thought to have been proposed by members of the co-operative in support of the Federation of Australia.^[6]

The village was renamed Federal when a post office was built by the factory in 1899 and the name changed in common use but was not formally changed until 1906 after petitioning to the government.^[10]^[11]^[12]

Over the last years, Federal has seen settlers revitalise new services and endures as a quaint village for its rural lifestyle.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Federal (NSW)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Federal". Visit North Coast NSW. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ "Discover Federal: Things To Do In Federal - Blackbird Byron". 2 August 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ "Minyon Falls walking track". NSW National Parks. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ "Minyon Falls | Discover Ballina | Discover Ballina". www.discoverballina.com.au. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Burns, Jenna Reed (1 April 2023). "Preliminary heritage assessment of Federal Village: proposed heritage conservation area" (PDF). Byron Shire Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ ^a ^b Byron Shire Council (1 October 2022). "Federal Village masterplan: a 20 year vision (2022 - 2042)" (PDF). Byron Shire Council. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Protecting the heritage of Federal Village". www.byron.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ "Late Mr WJ Bate: 33 years' residence in district". The Northern Star. Vol. 58. New South Wales, Australia. 24 January 1935. p. 13. Retrieved 29 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Federal (Locality)". NSW Geographical Names Board. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ "Federal Post Office file [Box 260], 1893 - 1907 (SP32/1)". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ "Death of Mr A Keys". The Northern Star. New South Wales, Australia. 9 July 1948. p. 6 (Stumps Edition). Retrieved 29 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.