Fishing and oyster industries were established in the 1880s, with prawn trawling pioneered in the 1940s. Sugar cane farming is now the major cropping industry in the region following full mechanisation of the cane cutting process in 1978. Riverboats and steamers that plied between Grafton and Sydney were gradually replaced by rail and better road connections from the 1970s. There are two theories as to the meaning of Yamba, one being that it is the local Aboriginal word for "headland". However, J.S. Ryan, following R.L. Dawson's early "Recollections and Records of the Clarence Aborigines", believes the most likely derivation is an Aboriginal word "yumbah" meaning a rough edible shellfish the size of a man's hand that clings to rocks and is similar to an oyster. Since 1 December 2011, the Port of Yamba has been managed by the Sydney Ports Corporation, which on 1 July 2014 became the Port Authority of New South Wales, a corporation owned by the Government of New South Wales. The major export from the port is timber. There are regular general cargo services from Yamba to Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, and New Zealand. In year ended 30 June 2012, the port handled approximately of cargo and vessels up to in length. In addition to the Port wharf, Yamba has privately owned slipway and repair wharves. Yamba is surrounded by Yuraygir National Park, the Clarence River, Pacific Ocean and rural land. The town is within reach of Ballina, Lismore and Grafton. Yamba is only an hour from Byron Bay, two hours from Coffs Harbour and the Gold Coast and three hours from Brisbane. It is also a two-hour flight from Sydney. Yamba boasts eleven beaches within the 2464 postcode: Whiting, Turners, Yamba (Main), Convent/McKittricks, Pippi, Flat Rock (Barri Point), and Barri (known locally as Dump Beach). Nearby beaches to the north include Woody Head, Iluka Bluff, Back Beach (Iluka), and to the south Green Point, Spooky, Angourie Bay, Angourie Point, Back Beach (Angourie), Shelley, Caves, and Plumbago. Yamba has a humid subtropical climate ("Cfa" according to the Köppen climate classification system). The town has a relaxed lifestyle with access to two pubs and two clubs, The Pacific Hotel and Yamba Shores Tavern, a golf Club and a bowling club all with regular live performances.