| Type: | town |
| Kyogle | |
| State: | nsw |
| Lga: | Kyogle Council |
| Postcode: | 2474 |
| Est: | 1830s |
| Pop: | 2751 |
| Pop Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation: | 72 |
| Coordinates: | -28.6167°N 153°W |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Stategov: | Lismore |
| Fedgov: | Page |
| Dist1: | 746 |
| Dir1: | NNE |
| Location1: | Sydney |
| Dist2: | 163 |
| Dir2: | S |
| Location2: | Brisbane |
| Dist3: | 31 |
| Dir3: | N |
| Location3: | Casino |
| Dist4: | 44 |
| Dir4: | NW |
| Dist5: | 131 |
| Dir5: | N |
| Location5: | Grafton |
| Region: | Northern Rivers |
Kyogle [2] is a town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It falls within the local government area of Kyogle Council. At the 2016 census, Kyogle had a population of 2,751 people.[1] Kyogle is known as a "gateway" to many national parks including Border Ranges National Park and Toonumbar National Park.
It was founded in the 1830s as a lumber camp, and is located 758km (471miles) north of Sydney, 32km (20miles) north of Casino on the Summerland Way close to the Queensland border. It also lies on the banks of the Richmond River. It is the seat of its own shire.
The meaning of the name Kyogle is adapted from the Bundjalung word ‘kaiou-gal’ meaning ‘place of the bush turkey” which is a fast long-legged running bird.[3]
The bush turkey, or brush turkey, is a common theme in Kyogle and this is reflected in the construction of the "Big Bush Turkey" and that the Kyogle Rugby League Football Club is known as the Kyogle Turkeys.[4]
Cattle grazing, dairy farming and forestry are the primary industries. In times past, timber getting was the main reason for settlement in the area, with red cedar and hoop pine the main timber trees.
Kyogle station is served by the main North Coast railway line between Sydney and Brisbane. A train from Sydney to Brisbane stops at 2:46am and a train from Brisbane to Sydney stops at 7:53am (only stops if there are booked passengers getting on or off at Kyogle). A short crossing loop used to be located at the passenger station, but when the loop was extended for 1500m (4,900feet)-long trains, the crossing loop was relocated to a more suitable – straighter – site outside town.
Further north along the railway line towards Brisbane, located at Cougal, is the Border Loop spiral, where the track loops 360 degrees and eventually passes over itself. This loop was constructed for trains to climb from the low side (NSW) to the high side (QLD) of the McPherson Range.
In 2012, Kyogle Council made a submission for a twice-daily train service, between Kyogle and Brisbane, which would benefit both the South East Queensland and the Kyogle regions, especially in tourism. [5] The proposal would, however, require cooperation from both the Queensland and NSW governments, and these governments have yet to act on the proposal.
According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 3,464 people in Kyogle.
Kyogle is home to one of Australia's big things in the form of the Big Bush Turkey. This is located at the southern end of the town on Summerland Way.
It was constructed by a Kyogle couple, John and Chrystine Graham, in 2018 and weighs 16 tonnes. It is 8.5 metres wide, 4 metres high and 20 centimetres thick.[6]
It is sometimes called the Big Brush Turkey or the Big Scrub Turkey.[7]
Kyogle won the "Young Legends" category award at the 2012 Australian Tidy Town Awards. One of the judges, Dick Olesinski, described how Kyogle's community encompasses a diverse range of projects that demonstrate the community's commitment to Tidy Towns and other related environmental and beautification programs, saying "Kyogle's Tidy Towns Committee continues to deliver active and enthusiastic promotion of the town, providing infrastructure and support of community activities."[8]
The 2009 World Rally Championship, also known as the 2009 Rally Australia, passed through the Kyogle area in 2009.[10]
In early January 2008, parts of Kyogle were subject to major flooding, when the Richmond River burst its banks after heavy rainfall around Kyogle and upstream, reaching heights of 18.1m (59.4feet). This was the second worst flood in Kyogle on record, after the flood of 1954.