๐ฆ๐บ Ballina is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire local government area. The town lies on the Richmond River and serves as a gateway to Byron Bay.
Economy The median household income was estimated to be A$1,093 per week; with the median mortgage repayments estimated at A$1,733 per month; and median rent estimated at A$345 per week. The average number of motor vehicles was 1.6 per dwelling.
Ballina serves as a tourism gateway to the close by destinations of Lismore and Byron Bay. The town has access to several beaches, such as Shelley's Beach, and to historical sites such as the Ballina Manor and the Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum, however its most famous landmark is undoubtedly the 'Big Prawn'.
The Big Prawn Ballina is home to the world's largest prawn model (made of concrete and fibreglass). On 24 September 2009, Ballina Shire Council voted to allow the demolition of the Big Prawn, but this permission was never acted upon. Bunnings Warehouse purchased the site and refurbished the Prawn as part of the redevelopment. The Prawn now sits on a stand next to the entrance of the Bunnings Warehouse car park. In March 2018, Google Maps' facial recognition software blurred out the facial area of the Prawn, first noticed on Reddit Australia, and later reported in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Airport Ballina Byron Gateway Airport is the region's main airport, located on Southern Cross Drive and 5ย km (3ย mi) from the Ballina CBD. It has links to Newcastle, Melbourne and Sydney with FlyPelican, Jetstar, Regional Express Airlines and Virgin Australia operating services. The airport is a 30-minute road trip to Byron Bay and 40 minutes to Lismore. In 2005 Ballina Airport was renamed the Ballina Byron Gateway airport in a bid to attract more people to the area.
Ballina has a population of over 26,381 people. Ballina also forms the centre of the wider Ballina Shire which has a population of over 44,208 people.
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Ballina has links with:
๐ฎ๐ช Ballina, Ireland ๐ณ๐ฟ Matamata-Piako, New Zealand๐ฟ๐ฆ Richards Bay -28.751
๐ฟ๐ฆ Sol Plaatje -28.738
๐ฟ๐ฆ Phuthaditjhaba -28.533
๐ฟ๐ฆ Masilonyana -28.517
๐ฟ๐ฆ Bloemfontein -29.118
๐ง๐ท Caxias do Sul -29.168
๐ง๐ท Bento Gonรงalves -29.174
๐ฆ๐ท Reconquista -29.233
๐ง๐ท Farroupilha -29.234
๐ฆ๐ท Ciudad de La Rioja -29.4
๐ท๐บ Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 158.645
๐ณ๐ฟ Invercargill 168.373
๐ณ๐ฟ Queenstown 168.658
๐ฆ๐บ Gold Coast 153.416
๐ฆ๐บ Redland City 153.25
๐ฆ๐บ Coffs Harbour 153.117
๐ฆ๐บ Sunshine Coast 153.087
Locations Near: Ballina 153.555,-28.8679
๐ฆ๐บ Lismore 153.29,-28.815 d: 26.5
๐ฆ๐บ Gold Coast 153.416,-28.002 d: 97.3
๐ฆ๐บ Southport 153.405,-27.974 d: 100.5
๐ฆ๐บ Logan 153.109,-27.639 d: 143.4
๐ฆ๐บ Redland City 153.25,-27.583 d: 145.9
๐ฆ๐บ Brisbane 153.024,-27.471 d: 163.8
๐ฆ๐บ Ipswich 152.666,-27.665 d: 159.6
๐ฆ๐บ Coffs Harbour 153.117,-30.3 d: 164.8
๐ฆ๐บ Moreton Bay 152.917,-27.283 d: 187
Antipodal to: Ballina -26.445,28.868
๐ต๐น Ponta Delgada -25.673,37.736 d: 19026.4
๐ฎ๐จ Arona -16.667,28.1 d: 19055.9
๐ต๐น Angra do Heroรญsmo -27.217,38.65 d: 18925
๐ฎ๐จ San Cristรณbal de La Laguna -16.314,28.478 d: 19026.1
๐ฎ๐จ Santa Cruz de Tenerife -16.25,28.467 d: 19019.7
๐ต๐น Madeira -17,32.75 d: 19015.7
๐ต๐น Funchal -16.905,32.648 d: 19011.8
๐ฎ๐จ San Bartolomรฉ de Tirajana -15.573,27.926 d: 18946.8
๐ฎ๐จ Santa Lucรญa de Tirajana -15.533,27.917 d: 18942.9
๐ฎ๐จ Las Palmas de Gran Canaria -15.44,28.13 d: 18936.9