Area profile
A quick snapshot of Bellingen Shire, drawn from official ABS estimates and the NSW Government's council data. Bellingen Shire is a Mid North Coast LGA built around the arts and river town of Bellingen, the coastal village of Urunga at the mouth of the Bellinger and Kalang rivers, and the mountain town of Dorrigo, connected by the tourist route Waterfall Way, which climbs to the World Heritage-listed Dorrigo National Park rainforest.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Local Government Area (LGA)
- The official area a council governs.
- Estimated Resident Population (ERP)
- The official population count for an area.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- The national statistics agency behind population figures.
- Population (ERP, 2023–24)
- 13,278ABS Estimated Resident Population.
- Area
- 1,600.4 km²
- Population density
- ~8 people per km²
- Region
- Mid North Coast NSW
- Council classification
- Large Rural (OLG group 11)
- Main centres
- Bellingen (council seat), Urunga, Dorrigo, Raleigh, Mylestom, ReptonWaterfall Way links Bellingen to Dorrigo and the Dorrigo Plateau rainforest; Urunga sits at the coast where the Bellinger and Kalang rivers meet the sea.
Suburbs & postcodes
- Bellingen2454
- Urunga2455
- Dorrigo2453
- Raleigh2454
- Mylestom2454
- Repton2454
- Thora2454
- Fernmount2454
- Kalang2454
- Bostobrick2453
On the map
The shaded area is the official Local Government Area boundary.
The suburb list and postcodes are a selection of the many localities in the Bellingen Shire LGA. The shaded area on the map is the official Local Government Area boundary (OpenStreetMap administrative boundary for Bellingen Shire Council). In January 2026, a landslip closed Waterfall Way between Bellingen and Dorrigo for several weeks — see Priorities & direction for the ongoing remediation and detour-route work.
Sources — check it yourself
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.