Casino is a town in the

Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most north-easterly region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence, Richmond, and Tweed rivers. ...

area of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, with a population of 10,914 people at the . It lies on the banks of the

Richmond River The Richmond River is a river situated in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The river rises at the northern end of the Richmond Range, near its junction with the McPherson Range, on the Queensl ...

and is situated at the junction of the Bruxner Highway and the Summerland Way. It is located north of Sydney and south of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Overview

Casino is the seat of the Richmond Valley Council, a local government area. Settlement of the area began in 1840 when pastoral squatters George Robert Stapleton and his business partner, Mr. Clay, set up a cattle station which they initially called Cassino after Cassino (near

Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...

) in Italy. The town now has a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

agreement with the Italian village. Casino is among Australia's largest beef centres. It is the regional hub of a very large

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

industry and positions itself as the "Beef Capital" of Australia, although the city of Rockhampton also claims this title. In addition it is the service centre for a rich agricultural area. Each year the town celebrates Casino Beef Week. It was not held in 2007 but since that year, has continued to be held and celebrated with the 2019 one being held from 18 to 28 May. The Richmond River runs through the town separating South Casino from the rest of the town.

Climate

Casino experiences a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen: ''Cfa'', Trewartha: ''Cfal''), with hot, humid summers and mild, comfortably dry winters.

Population

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 10,914 people in Casino. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 10.5% of the population. * 86.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 1.2%. * 90.9% of people spoke only English at home. * The most common responses for religion were Catholic 25.2%, Anglican 22.8% and No Religion 22.0%.

Transport

Casino railway station Casino railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the North Coast line in New South Wales, Australia. Opening on 22 September 1930, it serves the town of Casino in the Richmond Valley Shire. It was added to the New South Wales S ...

is situated on the main North Coast railway line between Sydney and

, north of Grafton. A branch line ran via Lismore to

Murwillumbah Murwillumbah ( ) is a town in far north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River. Sitting on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley, Murwillumbah is 848 km north-e ...

; that line has since been closed, although lobbying is taking place to re-open it. Casino railway station is the terminus of the daily Casino XPT from Sydney and there is a daily service to and from Brisbane via the Brisbane XPT. In the 1920s, a never completed railway branch line to

Bonalbo Bonalbo, a rural village in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, is located north of Sydney central business district, Sydney. In the , Bonalbo and the surrounding area had a population of 371. The town's name derives from ...

was started. A line was also proposed from Casino via Tabulam and even a line all the way to Tenterfield, A Miniature Railway is situated next to the Casino Golf Club. The railway operates on Sundays between 10am and 4pm on a 2.5km stretch of track, with a museum at the end. A round trip is usually 25 minutes however on busier days it can vary. Casino is serviced by

Lismore Airport Lismore Airport is a regional airport located south of Lismore, New South Wales, Lismore in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It features a modern terminal building, with some secure parking facilities. The airport sus ...

with several daily flights to Sydney. Northern Rivers Buslines operates rural services to Lismore (670) and Kyogle (675) each weekday, with one return service to Tenterfield available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Casino Bus Service operates local town loops, including a loop service to Gays Hill. Among its many schools are the main ones: Casino High School, Casino Public School, Casino West Public School, St. Mary's Primary School, St. Mary's Catholic College School and Casino Christian Community School.

Heritage listings

Casino has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 102 Barker Street: Casino Post Office * Casino-Murwillumbah railway: Old Casino railway station * North Coast railway:

Location for filming

The 2014 drama series '' The Gods of Wheat Street'' was set and partly filmed in Casino.

Notable people

* Ian Callinan (born 1937), High Court judge * Pat Darling (1913–2007), nurse and author * John Elford (born 1946),

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

player * Jeff Fatt (born 1953), musician and actor, one of

The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, ...

* Thomas George (born 1949), politician * Clark Irving (born 1808), early settler (pastoralist) and politician * Ben Kennedy (born 1974), rugby league player * Matt King (born 1980), rugby league player * Tess Mallos (1933–2012), food journalist and author * Chris Munce (born 1969), horse racing jockey * Michael Robotham (born 1960), crime novelist * David Russell, (born 1982), racing driver * Brian Smith (born 1954), rugby league player and coach (attended Casino High School) * Tony Smith (born 1967),

coach, brother of Brian Smith, grew up in Casino attending Casino High School * Albert Torrens (born 1976), rugby league player * Cody Walker (born 1990), rugby league player *

Henry Wallace Browning Henry Wallace "Wal" Browning Order of Australia, OAM (born 9 May 1928) is an Australian bowls, lawn bowls sportsman. Wal holds the record for the "Oldest Outdoor Bowls IBD World Champion (Male)" with Guinness World Records. Wal retired from IBD ...

O.A.M. (born Casino 1928), lawn bowler, IBD World Champion 2007 Guinness World Record 2008 Hall of Fame Bankstown Casino High School 1940 to 1943 * Damien Wright (born 1975),

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

player

References

External links

General travel information on Casino from ''The Sydney Morning Herald''Casino – Visit NSW
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Northern Rivers Richmond Valley Council