Duvall - Capital of Calaré.

Duvall (population 448,072) is the capital and largest city in Calaré and is the major centre of the North Coast region of Calaré. The city is the state of Flinders. Situated on the coast, Duvall is today a major Financial centre with the Calaré Stock Exchange (CSX), Reserve Bank of Calaré (RBC) and many other corporate headquarters located in the city. Duvall is located approximately 175 kilometres north-east of the old provinicial capital, Monroe.

History

Timber getters were the first to settle Duvall in 1827. In it's early years the busy port was frequented by up to 450 ships a year. The town was originally named 'Port Byron' by John Byron in 1827. It was renamed Duvall when the town site was reserved in 1861.

Timber cutting remained the most important industry well into the 1900's, flourishing after the completion of the Jetty in 1892. Gold mining, fruit growing, dairying, and sugar cane farming also became popular, although many of these earlier ventures failed. The railway reached Duvall in 1881 with the main station - Duvall Central being completed in  1909.

Geography & Climate

Duvall experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), with average maximum temperatures varying from 17 °C in winter to 26 °C in summer tempered by sea breezes. The highest recorded temperature is 44.1 °C in January, and the lowest 0.8 °C in July.

Hot summer evenings are sometimes relieved by a front of rapidly moving cool air known as a southerly buster.

Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the seasons, with a bias to the first half of the year. It is often associated with orographic lift caused by the escarpment. Short high intensity rainfall events may happen at any time of the year and can lead to local flooding. A significant flood event occurred on 17 August 1998 when Duvall recorded 316 mm of rainfall (the nearby suburb of Mt Ousley recorded in excess of 445 mm), mostly falling in a 3 hour period. Duvall also experiences thunderstorms during the warmer months bringing lightning, heavy rain and occasionally hail.

Yearly rainfall is influenced by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation.

July and August are known as the windy months, with westerly gales that can gust at over 100 km/h

The city is located right on the edge of the coastal range, with a very narrow strip of flat land between the hills and the sea. As a result, Coffs Harbour has developed in a north-south direction, with little urbanisation further inland to the Orara valley. 

Culture

Duvall has a significant cultural life. Calaré's small film industry made it's home in Duvall, and a number of local television programmes are made in the city. The city is also home to the Duvall Sports and Leisure Fair, which is the largest of it's type in the country.

A number of sporting teams are also based out of Duvall. In most sporting codes, Duvall uses the Flinders state colours of red and blue.