Time management is a bit of an art-form in Casino during May, as the town manages to stretch a week to a whole twelve days. Beef Week is the longest week of the year in the town, with the fun and festivities centering on the area’s most important industry. Events range from Breakfast with the Butchers to fashion parades, talent quests, bus tours, hoe downs and rodeos, a street parade attracting crowds of 20,000 and the crowning of the Beef Week Queen at a special ball.
Casino developed from a safe crossing over the Richmond River, discovered by the early settlers who travelled overland from the Clarence and established a huge cattle station named “Cassino.” A mis-spelling by an early surveyor left the town with its current name.
As one of Australia’s leading country centres, Casino offers a range of services to the rural population, and also host the huge Primex Agricultural Expo each June, which attracts exhibitors from around Australia and visitors from all over the region and into rural Queensland. The Agricultural Show in October is another popular event with residents and visitors alike.
Situated at the junction of the Lismore-Murwillumbah line and central to rail freight routes, Casino also offers daily passenger services to Murwillumbah, Brisbane and Sydney. Daily return fights to Sydney are also available from the local airport. The town is also the hub of major east/west and north/south transport routes, as the Bruxner Highway passes through to link the Northern Tablelands with Lismore, while the Summerland Way connects Casino with Brisbane and Grafton.
The Richmond River is popular for picnics and sightseeing, and the Platypus Pool, below Irving Bridge, sometimes offers a glimpse of these rare creatures. There are also many parks with picnic facilities and sporting venues, and adjacent the golf club is the Jabiru Geneebinga Wetlands, a sanctuary for native birds and wildlife, which has a mini railway which has regular running days and provides a link with Casino’s past as a major railhead.
There is a wide range of accommodation available to visitors to the town, with restaurants and clubs offering food and entertainment.
INFORMATION
- Population – 11,000
- Transport Services – Bus, Rail, Air
- Council – Richmond Valley Council