Money
Prices, rates, jobs and rentals. Keep more of your money local.
The Daily Maverick
Sunday 18 October 2026
One local app instead of a dozen.
Your app saves you 27 apps
= 1 Daily Maverick
Bellingen 2454
No fires or weather warnings near us right now. Alerts
Your app saves you 27 apps
No more checking 27 apps and websites every morning: that’s about 27 min back every day, or 3 hr 9 min a week (at about a minute an app). Everything below is on your page or one tap away.
= 1 Daily Maverick, your way
Alerts
In an emergency call 000.
Fire danger today
🟢 MODERATE Plan and prepare.
No Total Fire Ban today. Gas, electric, wood and charcoal BBQs are fine with care: keep an adult on it, water handy and nothing that burns nearby. Burning off or a fire in the open? Check if you need a permit.
Tomorrow: 🟢 MODERATE
Source: NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire Danger Ratings (North Coast). Updated Sun, 18 Oct, 9:00 am.
Fires within 100 km
No fires listed within 100 km.
Source: NSW Rural Fire Service, Fires Near Me. Updated Sun, 18 Oct, 9:30 am.
Weather warnings
No current warnings for our area.
Source: Bureau of Meteorology, NSW warnings. Updated Sun, 18 Oct, 9:30 am.
Team Smarketing is on it.
A live roads and traffic feed.
For now, try Live Traffic NSW.
It's a big job. We'll get there.
More news today
“Do not try to fix whatever comes in your life. Fix yourself in such a way that whatever comes, you will be fine.”— Sadhguru
These stories are written and owned by News Of The Area, NBN News, not us. We show the headline and a short summary; tap a story to read it in full on their site. Updated Fri, 16 Oct, 5:22 pm.
Why you'll love Bellingen
What 2454 has that nowhere else does. Every fact sourced.
- The setting of a Booker Prize winner
Bellingen is the notional setting of Peter Carey's Booker Prize-winning novel Oscar and Lucinda. The town was also a filming location for the 2003 comedy Danny Deckchair.Source: Wikipedia
- A calendar packed with festivals
The town hosts the Bellingen Jazz and Blues Festival, the Bello Winter Music Festival, the Global Carnival, and the Readers and Writers Festival, which began in 2011.Source: Wikipedia
- A community market for over 40 years
The Bellingen Community Market has run monthly for more than 40 years, with live music and over 200 stalls.Source: Wikipedia
What's on
Specials, members nights, bingo, trivia, live music, markets and events around Bello, in one place.
These venues' websites block automatic reading, so we can't show their specials: C.ex Urunga (weekly activities), C.ex Urunga (club page), Bellingen Community Markets. Check with them directly.
Read from each venue's own website twice a day. Specials can change, so check with the venue before you go. Know a venue we're missing? Tell us.
Community events
Nothing listed in 2454 yet. Know something on? Add it free.
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Deaths
Remembering locals who have passed. Our thoughts are with their families and friends.
- Robert 'Bob' Wilson
Passed Wed, 14 Oct · Service Mon, 19 Oct, Coffs Harbour Crematorium Chapel
Source: Victor Rullis Funeral Services - Anita Tracey
Passed Mon, 12 Oct · Service Wed, 21 Oct, Coffs Harbour Lawn Cemetery chapel
Source: Victor Rullis Funeral Services - Iris Hardcastle
Passed Fri, 2 Oct · Service Fri, 16 Oct, Coffs Harbour Crematorium Chapel
Source: Victor Rullis Funeral Services
Top baby names across NSW, 2025
Girls
- CHARLOTTE =
- AMELIA =
- OLIVIA =
- ISLA ▲1
- MIA ▼1
Biggest climber: LAINEY, up 41 to #56
Highest new entry: AMIRA at #79
Boys
- NOAH =
- OLIVER =
- THEODORE =
- LUCA =
- LEO ▲1
Biggest climber: ELIAS, up 52 to #35
Highest new entry: MATEO at #65
The latest full-year list from the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Arrows show the move since 2024. NSW doesn't publish names by town. Checked Sat, 17 Oct, 3:16 pm.
Number one in every state, 2025
| Girls | Boys | |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Charlotte | Noah |
| VIC | Charlotte | Noah |
| QLD | Charlotte | Oliver |
| WA | Isla | Noah |
| SA | Charlotte | Oliver |
| TAS | Charlotte | Noah |
| ACT | Evelyn | Oliver |
| NT | Amelia | Noah |
From each state and territory's Births, Deaths and Marriages registry. There's no single official list for all of Australia.
Around the world, 2025
United States
Olivia, Charlotte, Emma, Amelia, Sophia
Liam, Noah, Oliver, Theodore, Henry
Top 5 from the US Social Security Administration.
England & Wales
Olivia, Lily, Amelia, Isla, Florence
Muhammad, Noah, Leo, Luca, Arthur
Top 5 from the UK Office for National Statistics.
New Zealand
Isla, Charlotte, Amelia, Hazel, Olivia
Noah, Luca, Oliver, George, Theodore
Top 5 from the NZ Department of Internal Affairs.
Noah, Oliver, Charlotte and Amelia make the top 5 in more than one country. Some names travel well.
Handy tools
☰ Everything on the Daily Maverick Every page we have, in one place → Community notice board Lost pets, volunteers, clubs and classes. No buy and sell → My home Bin night reminders and a house-sitter sheet to print or share → Why Bellingen? What 2454 has that nowhere else does, plus the whole area → 🟢 What’s open? Local or visiting: pharmacies, doctors, servos, cafés, mechanics and more. Open ones first → Dog beaches & parks Off-leash spots near you → Dog-friendly cafés & pubs Places happy to see your dog → LGBTQ+ friendly Local places that welcome everyone → What to watch tonight Stop scrolling, start watching. See what locals rate → What's in your fridge? Dinner ideas from what you've already got → Birthday deals Which local places look after you on your big day → Kid Zone Games for kids 12 and under, with a grown-up’s OK. No chat, no ads, nothing collected → Gen Alpha interpreter What did your kid just say? Jimmy Joel translates → Births, Deaths and Marriages Family notices, filtered by what you’re looking for → Renting Every rental site, plus your rights and bond help, in one place → Jobs Every job site in one place, already searched for Bellingen → School run check Weather and traffic for your school drop-off and pick-up →Dog friendly
Off-leash beaches, dog parks and places happy to see your dog. If there’s nothing mapped, it says so.
Source: OpenStreetMap (OpenStreetMap contributors), the free map anyone can add to.
LGBTQ+ friendly
Local places that welcome everyone. If there’s nothing mapped, it says so.
Source: OpenStreetMap (OpenStreetMap contributors), the free map anyone can add to.
Fuel
Source: NSW FuelCheck
Supermarket watch
The everyday basics at each supermarket today. Cheapest in green. We update these prices twice a day, around 6am and 2pm, so you always know how fresh they are.
Cheapest basket today (milk, bread, eggs, chocolate): Woolworths at $17.80, Coles $20.80.
| Woolworths | ALDI | Coles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full cream milk 2L | $3.40 | – | $3.40 |
| White sandwich bread 650g | $2.50 | – | $2.50 |
| Free range eggs, 12 pack | $6.40 | – | $6.90 |
| Cadbury Dairy Milk 180g | $5.50 special | – | $8.00 |
| Extra virgin olive oil 750ml | – | – | – |
| Weet-Bix 575g | $5.00 | – | $5.00 |
| Bananas | $0.81 | – | $0.83 |
ALDI prices didn’t load at this check. We’ll try again at the next one.
Online prices from each supermarket's own website, house brand where there is one. Checked: Woolworths Sat, 17 Oct, 4:30 pm · ALDI not available today · Coles Sat, 17 Oct, 4:30 pm. Prices in store and specials can differ.
News in numbers
Facts from the sources named, side by side. No opinions: make up your own mind.
Big tech watch
Figures from June 2026
Figures from March 2026
Figures from June 2026
Life and death
Figures from December 2023
National Coronial Information System, via ScienceAlert · CDC data, via Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Figures from December 2021
Figures from December 2021
AI for good, AI for bad
A recent AI story of each kind from the news, so you see both sides.
AI for good
Decluttering your online life: how to get your digital house in order and protect your data from AIThe Guardian · 16 Oct · boosts productivity
AI for bad
Why Britain should reject the lure of cheap – and scary – Chinese AIThe Guardian · 17 Oct · fear from Chinese AI
Headlines from The Guardian and Google News, sorted into good and bad by AI, so check the full story. See every story we've logged.
Learn how AI can help in your everyday life, from your local experts at Maverick Digital →
Beer watch
The cheapest price for your beer at local bottle shops, posted by the shops themselves. No big chains, local only.
Own a local bottle shop? Post your price free
Prices posted by local shops, with the date they posted. Shown for 30 days. Please drink responsibly.
Wine watch
The cheapest price for your wine at local bottle shops, posted by the shops themselves. No big chains, local only.
Own a local bottle shop? Post your price free
Prices posted by local shops, with the date they posted. Shown for 30 days. Please drink responsibly.
Banks and the RBA
Home loan rates at the big four, and how quickly each passed on the Reserve Bank's (RBA) rate changes. Numbers only.
Cash rate: 4.60% since 29 Sept 2026
How fast they passed on RBA changes
| CommBank | Westpac | NAB | ANZ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average days to pass on a rise | 10.0 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Average days to pass on a cut | 10.0 | 14.0 | 11.0 | 10.0 |
| Rises passed on in full | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 |
| Cuts passed on in full | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
Days from the RBA's decision to the date the bank's new variable rate took effect, for the 7 RBA moves since February 2025.
Every RBA move and what each bank did
| RBA decision | CommBank | Westpac | NAB | ANZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sept 2026 ▲ +0.25 to 4.60% | +0.25 9 Oct 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 9 Oct 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 9 Oct 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 9 Oct 2026 · 10 days |
| 5 May 2026 ▲ +0.25 to 4.35% | +0.25 15 May 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 15 May 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 15 May 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 15 May 2026 · 10 days |
| 17 Mar 2026 ▲ +0.25 to 4.10% | +0.25 27 Mar 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 31 Mar 2026 · 14 days | +0.25 27 Mar 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 27 Mar 2026 · 10 days |
| 3 Feb 2026 ▲ +0.25 to 3.85% | +0.25 13 Feb 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 17 Feb 2026 · 14 days | +0.25 13 Feb 2026 · 10 days | +0.25 13 Feb 2026 · 10 days |
| 12 Aug 2025 ▼ -0.25 to 3.60% | -0.25 22 Aug 2025 · 10 days | -0.25 26 Aug 2025 · 14 days | -0.25 25 Aug 2025 · 13 days | -0.25 22 Aug 2025 · 10 days |
| 20 May 2025 ▼ -0.25 to 3.85% | -0.25 30 May 2025 · 10 days | -0.25 3 June 2025 · 14 days | -0.25 30 May 2025 · 10 days | -0.25 30 May 2025 · 10 days |
| 18 Feb 2025 ▼ -0.25 to 4.10% | -0.25 28 Feb 2025 · 10 days | -0.25 4 Mar 2025 · 14 days | -0.25 28 Feb 2025 · 10 days | -0.25 28 Feb 2025 · 10 days |
Integrated Finance Group · Mortgage Professional Australia · Savings.com.au · Canstar · Finder · Savings.com.au · The Motley Fool. Cash rate from the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Tides & fishing
Loading…
Tide times are modelled estimates. Not for navigation; check the Bureau of Meteorology before boating.
What's biting in October
- Snapper peak
- Pearl perch
- Tailor, whiting & flathead
Seasons: Source: NSW DPIRD GoFishing guide (Coffs Coast) and Coffs Coast tourism.
Where to fish within 20 km
- Urunga Boardwalk (breakwall end) Breakwall
Known for: mulloway, bream, luderick
Directions - Lido breakwall, Urunga Breakwall
Known for: bream, luderick
Directions - Kalang River rock wall Breakwall
Known for: bream, luderick
Directions - Newry Island bridge (Kalang River) Estuary
Known for: flathead, bream, mulloway, mangrove jack
Directions - Hungry Head Rocks
Known for: bream, snapper, whiting
Rock fishing: watch the swell
Directions - Wenonah Headland Rocks
Known for: bream, snapper, drummer, tailor, mulloway
Dirt road can wash out
Directions - North Beach, Mylestom Beach
Known for: bream, tailor, mulloway, whiting
4WD permit needed
Directions - Bellinger River River
Known for: sand whiting, luderick, mulloway; Aussie bass upstream
Bass and estuary perch: catch and release only, May to August
Directions
No listed shore spots within 20 km of you.
Further than 20 km
Before you cast: licence, limits and no-fishing zones
- You need a NSW fishing licence (from $7 for 3 days). Get one
- Bag and size limits, or carry them in the free FishSmart app (it shows marine park zones too)
- Rock fishing? A lifejacket is strongly recommended. NSW rock fishing safety
Know your 2454
The handy stuff, all in one place. Every item is sourced and shown as the source has it. We don’t edit it. We tell you where it’s from and how well the owner keeps it up to date.
Who runs the place
- Mayor: Cr Steve Allan · Deputy Mayor: Cr Graeme Shephard
- Councillors: Jo Brotherton, Linda Coomber, Jennie Fenton, Dominic King, Andrew O'Keeffe. Contact them
- Council meetings: see what's being decided
Source: Bellingen Shire Council, Our Mayor and Councillors. Council doesn’t say when they last updated it. We’ve watched it since 16 Oct 2026: last change spotted 17 Oct 2026.
Bins & rubbish
- Which bin this week? Get the free Coffs Coast Waste Services app, or call the hotline on 1800 265 495
- Tip: Raleigh Waste Management Station, Short Cut Road, Raleigh (with a Community Recycling Centre for paint, batteries and oil)
- Seen illegal dumping? Report it online
Source: Recycling Near You, Bellingen Shire. Recycling Near You doesn’t say when they last updated it. We’ve watched it since 16 Oct 2026: no changes spotted yet.
Got a problem?
- Pothole, broken footpath, streetlight, overgrown block: tell council on 02 6655 7300 or council@bellingen.nsw.gov.au
- Not happy with how council handled it? NSW Ombudsman
Contact council
- 02 6655 7300
- council@bellingen.nsw.gov.au
- 33 Hyde Street, Bellingen
Source: Bellingen Shire Council website. Council doesn’t say when they last updated it. We’ve watched it since 16 Oct 2026: last change spotted 17 Oct 2026.
Bellingen in numbers
Figures for the whole Bellingen Shire Council area, from the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics): population is the ABS estimate for 30 June 2025; ages, incomes, rent and households are from the 2021 Census. Shown as the ABS publishes them.
Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
Renting
Looking for a place in Bellingen? Every rental site, already searched for you.
- Rentals in Bellingen on realestate.com.au: Australia's biggest property site.
- Rentals in Bellingen on Domain: The other big one. Includes Allhomes listings.
- Rentals in Bellingen on Rent.com.au: Rentals only, with a free renter résumé to send agents.
- Rentals in Bellingen on Homely: Rentals plus honest local reviews of each street.
Jobs
Looking for work in Bellingen? Every job site, already searched for you.
- Jobs in Bellingen on SEEK: Australia's biggest job site.
- Jobs in Bellingen on Indeed: Pulls jobs from employers' own websites too.
- Jobs in Bellingen on Jora: Searches lots of job sites at once.
- Jobs in Bellingen on LinkedIn: Professional and office roles.
Local radio
Community radio from around the shire, run by locals, mostly volunteers. Tune in or listen live online.
- 2BBB (2 Triple B) 107.3 FM, Bellingen. Listen live
Tap ☆ to make a station yours: it sits at the top of your page, one tap to listen.
Source: Community Broadcasting Association of Australia list of community stations and each station's own website. Missed a local station? Tell us.
Council watch
Keeping an eye on Bellingen Shire Council, with every item linked to its source.
Meeting dates are on the council's meetings page.
Is council doing what it said?
Every three months Bellingen Shire Council reports on its own plan. We'll show its latest report here, in its own words. For now: council's progress reports.
Have your say or make a complaint
- Report a problem or make a request: Bellingen Shire Council on 02 6655 7300 or their website.
- Not happy with how council handled it? NSW Ombudsman.
- Concerns about a councillor's conduct: Office of Local Government.
- Suspect corruption: NSW ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption).
- Have your say at a meeting: ask the council about speaking at public forum before the next meeting.
Mini Maverick Encouragement Award
Every month one local kid gets the Mini Maverick Encouragement Award: $50 to spend wherever they like at a local Bellingen business. Bookshop, surf shop, bakery, the footy club canteen. Anywhere local, except fast food.
The award must be spent at a local Bellingen business. No multinationals, no chains, no fast food.
Kindness, courage, trying hard, helping out. Anything worth encouraging. Grown-ups nominate; kids don’t sign up themselves.
🌳 Get outside this weekend
Things for kids and families to do outdoors, free or under $50 a kid. This weekend: Sat, 17 Oct and Sun, 18 Oct.
No kids' events listed for this weekend yet. Running one? Add it free and tick "Good for kids".
Always-good local favourites
- Dorrigo Rainforest Centre & Skywalk Free
Walk out over the World Heritage rainforest canopy. - Urunga boardwalk Free
Walk out to where the rivers meet the sea. - Bellingen markets Free entry
Local food, crafts and music. Check dates before you go. - Dangar Falls Free
Short walk to the falls just outside Dorrigo.
Outdoor and affordable, picked by locals. Check times and prices before you go · Suggest one
Sport & field closures
Team Smarketing is on it.
Field closures and local sport. Clubs can post games and closures free via Add an event.
We're building it right, not fast.
Flights at Coffs Harbour Airport
See everything coming and going at Coffs Harbour Airport (live board on FlightAware).
Holidays
Next NSW public holidays
- Fri, 25 Dec: Christmas Day in 68 days
- Mon, 28 Dec: Boxing Day in 71 days
- Fri, 1 Jan: New Year's Day in 75 days
- Tue, 26 Jan: Australia Day in 100 days
Source: Nager.Date public holidays. Updated Sat, 17 Oct, 5:30 pm.
In the sky, next 14 days
- Wed, 21 Oct: Orionid meteor shower peaks (look north-east after midnight) in 3 days
Dates are the usual peaks; meteor showers are best away from town lights. Source: timeanddate.com.
Asteroids passing by
- Sun, 18 Oct: 2026 TS, about the size of a jumbo jet (roughly 41 to 92 m), passes 2.4 times as far away as the Moon at 10.3 km a second today
- Thu, 22 Oct: 2026 TV8, about the size of a bus (roughly 19 to 43 m), passes 4.8 times as far away as the Moon at 9.2 km a second in 4 days
- Tue, 27 Oct: 2026 TB94, about the size of a bus (roughly 20 to 45 m), passes 5.1 times as far away as the Moon at 11.6 km a second in 9 days
- Sun, 25 Oct: 2026 UE, about the size of a bus (roughly 18 to 40 m), passes 5.3 times as far away as the Moon at 15.8 km a second in 7 days
Source: NASA JPL Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. Updated Sun, 18 Oct, 3:30 am. None of these will hit Earth. Most are too faint to see without a big telescope
Next school holidays
- Summer school holidays: Fri, 18 Dec to Wed, 27 Jan in 61 days
- Autumn school holidays: Mon, 12 Apr to Fri, 23 Apr in 176 days
Public schools in the Bellingen Shire. Source: NSW Department of Education · Private schools may differ
🧩 Crossword
Today’s Bello crossword in three levels: 🟢 Easy, 🟡 Medium and 🔴 Hard. Sign in free to keep your streak and best times. Play today’s →
✨ Horoscopes
Your stars for Sunday 18 October. The first-quarter moon says take action. This is the Year of the Fire Horse 🐎.
🎂 Add your birthday and we'll set your Western and Vedic signs:
Beach, surf & surf cams
Surf cams
Coastalwatch charges for its live surf cam feed, so we can’t show it here. Nobody pays to be on this site, and we don’t pay to show other people’s paid content either. Have a look on their site: Coastalwatch.
Swim between the red and yellow flags. Patrol times and beach-by-beach info: Beachsafe.
Source: Open-Meteo (modelled, updated hourly). Not for navigation. Which swell and wind suit each beach: surf-forecast.com break guides; patrols from council.
More in Money
Help a brother out
2454 is free for everyone, forever. We're aiming for 15,000 locals, about a third of the shire. At that point a few clearly labelled local ads cover the costs. Nobody ever pays to be listed.
Sign up for one short email a week with what's on, plus a free Maverick Digital guide to using AI in everyday life.
By signing up you agree to get the weekly email from The Daily Maverick (Maverick Digital). Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Founding Members
$50 a year, for life
The first 15,000 locals to sign up lock in $50 a year, for life, if they ever choose Every Cool Thing. No obligation, ever.