Brooms Head

History

The area that is now Brooms Head was originally inhabited by the Yaegl people. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area between Brooms Head and Sandon was a common meeting and hunting point for the Yaegl. The name Brooms Head was first used in 1870 when a broom, thought to have come from the wreck of the schooner Eureka, was washed up on the beach, replacing the earlier name of Cakora Point. Early sources often used the spelling "Broome's Head" until the mid-20th century. Residents from Maclean and farmers from around the Lower Clarence began to camp around Brooms Head from the 1880s. Primary industries in the surrounding area in the early years of settlement were timber cutting, sand mining, and cattle farming, before the Yuraygir National Park was gazetted in 1970. The 12 Norfolk Island pines that sit along the edge of town were planted in 1916. The Bowling Club likely opened not long after. In 2017, the club adopted the iconic local brumby as its mascot.

Most-observed species

• Emu

  Dromaius novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  953
• Masked Lapwing

  Vanellus miles (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  537
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  529
• Allocasuarina thalassoscopica L.A.S.Johnson

  Allocasuarina thalassoscopica L.A.S.Johnson · Magnoliopsida
  522
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  482
• White-cheeked Honeyeater

  Phylidonyris niger (Bechstein, 1811) · Aves
  478
• Little Wattlebird

  Anthochaera chrysoptera (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  468
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  468