The shaping of the township of Mullumbimby...
Mr Frank Mills OAM - Historian

As the cedar-getters and boat-builders made frequent trips up the river from Brunswick Heads for materials, a camp site was established at the junction of the three arms of the Brunswick River. It was an excellent site because the river was tidal and could be easily navigated to that point. Its central location gave access to all areas of the catchment and it provided the best position for bullock teams to cross the river with their wagons loaded with timber.

This site grew to become a village and later the township of Mullumbimby.
Mullumbimby officially came into existence in 1872. The proclamation concerning the incorporation of the Mullumbimby Municipality was gazetted on July 1st, 1908. In 1981 by Ministerial direction the Shire of Byron and the Mullumbimby Municipal Councils where amalgamated. Mullumbimby did not prosper until after the Lismore to Murwillumbah railway line was established. It became a transport centre to Byron Bay with the jetty being built at Byron.

It was the banks, the stores and churches that generated the hub for the developing township of Mullumbimby. It is seen today that a sound foundation was laid for the town to become the service centre of the Byron Shire.

More history on the Parish & School ...
St John's Primary School Mullumbimby, is one of the earliest schools to have opened in the Brunswick Valley. The first teacher was a Sister of St Joseph by the name of Sr Malachi. She taught children of all ages in a single room adjacent to the new church from 1907 until the official school building was erected in 1910. More formal classes began in the new building and some of the early teachers who followed Sr Malachi Reardon included Sr Vincent Pound, Sr Carmel Moore and Sr Oda Groves. Students from Kinder to Intermediate were instructed by the sisters of St Joseph and in the 1940s & 1950s, the sisters also ran Secretarial Courses after school hours which allowed many young women to gain typing skills and qualifications for office work.

As numbers of students increased more classrooms were required. A new Infants block was constructed in 1955. In 1964, further classrooms were added to accommodate secondary students. This building came with a new Library and Office attached. In 1966 a new Science block was completed along with a Yr 10 room and a new toilet block.
Students boarded at the convent between 1920 and the late 1970's. The St John's High School closed in 1977 but the Primary School is still operating today.

In 1996 four new classrooms were erected and the Parish Hall, constructed in 1993, has been a magnificent facility for the school students to use. In 2006, a new staffroom and office block was completed with air conditioning also being installed in some of the classrooms.
The final Sister of St Joseph to work full time in the school was Sr Valerie Mason. Sr Valerie left Mullumbimby in 1992 and was replaced by the first lay principal, Mr Terry Cahill. The current Principal is Mrs Bernie Thompson who can be contacted on 6684 2386 for information regarding the school.