Dunoon & The Channon

Dunoon

Dunoon village is a major rural hub for social and sporting activities. It is the gateway to Nightcap National Park and Rocky Creek Dam, the major source of water supply for the region. Rocky Creek Dam and the Rous Water Rainforest Reserve has ample picnic and barbeque facilities and a playground for children. Minyon Falls is located 17km to the north. It has some popular walking tracks and a road-accessible lookout and picnic area.

The Australian macadamia industry was first established in the surrounding red volcanic soils of the Dunoon district where Macadamia orchards now cover the landscape. Although the industry has now spread into Queensland and other areas, Dunoon is still known as the Macadamia Capital of Australia.

Macadamias are a major horticulture contributor to the economy of the Northern Rivers region and to Australian horticultural exports.

The Channon

Nestled in the hills about 18km northwest of Lismore and about 21km from Nimbin, The Channon is a vibrant community with a population of about 374 as of the 2016 Census. The Channon comes alive on the second Sunday of every month with The Channon Craft Market, one of the most popular and eclectic markets in the Northern Rivers, with live music, food, and plenty of stalls featuring local artisans and producers.

The name Channon comes from a local Aboriginal term for the Burrawang palm, a type of cycad that proliferates along the ridgelines in the area. Protester Falls and the Nightcap National Park, with its World Heritage-listed rainforest are only a short drive from the village. The Channon is a good base for exploring the rainforests and waterfalls of the north coast.

Primary school students attend The Channon Public School or there is a school bus to Lismore for private schools and secondary education.

Coronation Park, which is the home of the markets, also hosts an annual outdoor opera.

Some History about Dunoon

On 17 June 1871 Duncan Currie made his first selection as far north as was permitted at the time. Duncan called his land “Dunoon” after his birthplace in Scotland. It was not long before the whole district was being called Dunoon.

Modanville Store now stands on that particular selection originally called Dunoon. On 15 September that same year, a huge forest reserve of 48 square miles was declared, stretching from Numulgi across to Terania Creek and all the way to the Nightcap Range. That reserve was gradually revoked, but Duncan’s property was completely isolated for about 8 years. His nearest neighbour was his brother Archibald about 3km closer to Lismore. The southern boundary of the forest reserve ran through his brother’s property.

The area we now called Dunoon was opened up for selection from 1879 onwards but it was a slow process. The eastern side of the road was made available some ten years before any land on the western side could be claimed. There was no real village till 1904 when Alfred Friedman opened the Post Office Store (where the post office now stands), on land subdivided by Michael Donoghue.