About Us
Ballina Coast Vets is a privately owned veterinary hospital in Ballina. We’ve been caring for animals and their people in the Northern Rivers for more than 20 years and have grown into a team of seven vets and nine nurses. Originally established as Racecourse Road Veterinary Hospital in 2000, the practice entered its next chapter in 2022 when ownership passed to husband-and-wife veterinarians Dr Tonje Brinchmann and Dr JJ Debenham.
We’re an ambitious practice, but we want Ballina Coast Vets to remain somewhere people genuinely enjoy coming to work. We take patient care and good veterinary medicine seriously, while keeping the atmosphere friendly, down-to-earth and supportive. We value people who are comfortable sharing ideas, asking for another opinion when they need one and helping the people around them become better at what they do.
Our caseload keeps the team busy and provides plenty of variety. The hospital provides general medicine and surgery, dentistry, diagnostic imaging, emergency care and hospital treatment, along with care for a range of companion and exotic species. Our veterinary team brings experience and interests across areas including medicine, soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery, ultrasonography, behaviour, dentistry, exotic animal medicine and wildlife care.
Veterinary nurses are an important part of how the hospital operates. We value experienced nurses who are confident across medical and surgical cases, can think independently and enjoy sharing their knowledge with developing team members. There’s a strong emphasis on teamwork, continuing to learn and creating an environment where people can ask questions, contribute ideas and support one another when the day becomes busy.
We’re also continuing to invest in the future of the practice. A new hospital is due to open at the end of 2026, with eight consultation rooms, two surgical theatres and a dedicated dental suite. The expansion reflects our aim to keep improving the clinical environment for both the team and our patients, with ongoing investment in equipment, technology and the way our hospital works.
Professional development is encouraged, and we want our team members to keep building their skills throughout their careers. Just as importantly, we believe a good workplace should be one where people enjoy working together. There’s plenty of hard work involved in veterinary medicine, but there’s also room for laughter, birthday cake, coffee and a team that will back each other up when it matters.