A roadmap for the future of Yamba could deliver a seafood festival and large-scale fishing competition if the ideas coming out of the “Imagine Yamba 2030” forum are anything to go by.
Last month’s gathering of the minds Business Yamba initiative drew more than 30 residents and business owners to the Yamba Golf and Country Club, where they were asked to share their vision for the next 5 to 10 years.
“Initially, we thought Business Yamba may have been eligible for $350,000 worth of Community Improved Development (CID) funding, and part of that process required community consultation,” Business Yamba committee member Kelly Harrison said.
“Unfortunately, a week before the February 17 event, we found out we were not eligible for the funding. Although disappointing, the committee thought we needed to be engaging with the community anyway, and the forum was a good chance to discuss Yamba’s future, so we went ahead with it.”
Forum participants, who included members of the local Rotary and Lions clubs, Clarence Valley Council representatives, and local business owners, agreed that Yamba continued to be a popular place to live and for tourists to visit.
“Yamba is regularly listed as one of the most beautiful holiday destinations, and it’s considered one of the most beautiful coastal towns in New South Wales,” Ms Harrison said.
Being named a finalist in the NSW Top Tourism Town Awards 2025 reaffirmed this, and just last week new research revealed holidaymakers were more likely to swap trips to tourist hotspots like Byron Bay for the likes of Yamba and Ballina.
To further leverage its appeal, the gathering, led by Ms Harrison, the business owner of Languages Roadshow, and Business Yamba Executive Officer, Sue Hughes, also proposed hosting an annual seafood festival or “Tim the Bream” style fishing competition.
Yamba Fisheries’ proprietor Troy Billin has lived in Yamba for more than 30 years. The third-generation resident, who was awarded National Seafood Industry Primary Producer in 2024, said he was supportive of both proposals.
“A seafood festival would be great if done right, and by that, I mean it needs to have entertainment and other things, apart from seafood, to draw people in, like good live music and some of the local breweries involved,” Mr Billin said.
“The community could also benefit from a big recreational fishing competition, like ‘Tim the Bream’ was in Townsville back in the 1950s. It would need to offer up some big prize money to really make it work, though. Perhaps a festival and a fishing event, six months apart or combined, whichever worked best and was well planned for.”
Done well, Mr Billin said these types of events would bring people to Yamba in their droves, all of them lifting the local economy by booking accommodation and buying meals.
“We’ve got the facilities, the caravan parks, the boat ramps, the river, and of course, plenty of places to fish – not to mention some of the best seafood in Australia.”
A long-term local, Mr Billin is one of the town’s most passionate residents and business owners. While he’s content with exporting his seafood to the Sydney Fish Market, he’s got no plans to go anywhere else anytime soon.
“The lifestyle here is just quiet and scenic … there’s water everywhere. You’ve got the river, the ocean, there’s deep water, shallow water, and the beaches are all close. What more could you want?”
With a few solid ideas on the drawing board for Yamba’s future, Ms Harrison said she and her Business Yamba colleagues had a bit of work to bring them to fruition. She said that with the AGM scheduled for August, recruiting new committee members was top of mind, and plans were already underway to ensure Business Yamba continued to provide value to its members.
“Considering we’ve got very limited funds, we’re trying to come up with ways that we can be of service to the community in a way that’s tangible to the businesses,” said Ms Harrison.
“One of the most popular ideas is to offer confidential appraisals of local businesses. What that means is providing those businesses who wanted to opt in a fresh set of eyes across their business [to identify any gaps].”
In the immediate future though, the committee is preparing to host a free International Women’s Day (IWD) event at the Yamba Golf Club on 18 March, in partnership with the Clarence Valley Council.
For more information on Business Yamba, or to enquire about joining the committee or the upcoming IWD event, visit www.yambansw.com.au
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