It's not easy being green on the Northern Rivers

EVERYTHING looks green on the Northern Rivers

EVERYTHING looks green on the Northern Rivers, but it's a region full of extremes and contrasts in more ways than one.

Less than six months ago the place was flooded.

Now you can't really remember when rain last fell and everyone relying on tank water is running out.

Late last week it was 31 degrees and yet on Saturday night it was as freezing as they have come on the Northern Rivers this winter

Visitors come and go, and all they see is the green rolling hills and the views to die for.

But making a living on the Northern Rivers, or simply existing, is not as easy as it looks.

We have low vaccination rates, so that every disease that blows through here takes hold.

Hands up who has caught the Splendour flu in the past few weeks?

We had four people off sick with it yesterday and it shows no signs of disappearing any time soon.

But still people come. People want to move here.

Blinded by the beauty of the region there are more and more people wanting to make a 'go' of it in our region.

Our front page today, shows there has been a massive growth in 'micro-businesses' and these are typically employing anywhere from between one and four people. So whatever we have got, plenty of people want a piece of it.

That's only going to accelerate with the NBN.

The growth in those green rolling hills is behind a desk or a computer, not necessarily behind a tractor and plough.