the town in times of high erosion. The aerodrome hosts one of the few retired F-111 aircraft in Australia and a museum with a number of authentic aircraft on display. Transport The town's airport, the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome, formerly a RAAF base is heritage listed. Northern Rivers Buslines operates two routes from Lismore, the 690 and 695, where the 695 also continues to Grafton from Evans Head. Ballina Buslines operates one route to Ballina via Woodburn, the 660. NSW Trainlink operates a daily coach between Grafton and Byron Bay via Evans Head. Sport The town has a bowling club and surf club. Evans Head Bombers rugby league club was established in 1999 and draws players from Broadwater, Woodburn and Coraki. The club fields junior and senior teams in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League competition. Golf is played at the Woodburn-Evans Head course with 11 holes and 18 tees. Industry The main industry today is tourism with sugar cane growing just inland from the town. The town has a small industrial estate near the airport. The town was traditionally a fishing village, with snapper fishing and prawning forming the basis of the town's local economy. The voyage of the Friendship R From the 1950s Evans Head has been distinguished as the first dedicated base of the oftentimes perilous prawn trawling industry in Australia. There was a prawn fishing fleet permanently moored in the estuary. Messenger recalls that many fisherman lost their lives. One instance in the 1960s was the trawler Wyowna was lost at sea with all hands on board. At ca. March 1963 the Fisherman’s Cooperative of Evans Head was the base starting point of the journey of the Friendship-R, the first fishing trawler to circumnavigate Australia. It was built in nearby Ballina by K.F. Barlow for Rex Montford, an experienced seaman and fisherman. With crewman Ken Messenger, a grandson of Dally Messenger, the rugby league superstar of the early 20th century, Montford set out on his epic journey. The Friendship R was originally contracted by the CSIRO to teach the fishermen at Shark Bay near Carnarvon WA , the art of trawling for prawns. Leaving Evans Head the trawler journeyed south, stopping at Coffs Harbour, Broken Bay, Sydney, Eden and on to Port Fairy in Victoria. They then headed West to Port Lincoln and then across the Great Australian Bight to Western Australia aided only with a