On my part, it is small with a population of around 3000 residents, but still close to the bustling Coffs Harbour for when certain shopping and specialists are needed. It is also not totally sports centred as I have found many small communities, such as where we lived in Kulin in 1999 and 2000, to be. Bellingen has a definite Arts and Music scene, and has many gorgeous old shops built in the late 19th – early 20th century still in good condition. Trevor has observed that many places that have developed quickly have demolished a lot of their older buildings before it was realised how valuable they were. Bunbury is an example of a place that has done this. Bellingen has shops operating in many old buildings and they make for such a rich, juicy feel.
We kept taking photographs of places we saw, particularly in the ‘Old Butter Factory’ which now houses a vibrant community arts centre.
This was full of lovely shops; retailing and in some cases producing, wood, leather, jewellery, visual art and sculpture products. There was also a cafe, a discreet beauty parlour and an amazing new furniture and homewares store that sources gorgeous products from all over the world. We spent ages wandering them through them all.
The main street has lots of tempting retail stores, like a Steiner Crafts store where I bought lots of bright wool to knit myself a ‘Bellingen Blanket; a newly opened old fashioned ‘Lolly Shop’ where the lady patiently helped Harry choose his 30c worth of lollies. A store named ‘Vintage Expresso’ tickled us, as down one side was a second hand store with specially selected vintage clothes, and then on the other side was a funky coffee shop furnished with wine barrels, wooden game boards and with smooth jazz music playing.
Bellingen was a delight to visit!
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