Casino ( Bundjalungic: ''Djanangmum'') is a town in the

Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most northeasterly Regions of New South Wales, 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 Ri ...

area of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia, with a population of 12,298 people at the . It lies on the banks of the

Richmond River The Richmond River is a river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may ...

and is situated at the junction of the

Bruxner Highway Bruxner Highway, and its former western alignment as Bruxner Way, are a state highway and rural road respectively, located in New South Wales, Australia. The route forms an east–west link across the Northern Tablelands in northern New South ...

and the

Summerland Way Summerland Way is a 199–kilometre state route, designated B91, in New South Wales. It runs generally north from Grafton to the state border with Queensland just west of Mount Lindesay, and continues from there into Queensland as Mount Linde ...

. It is located north of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and south of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Overview

Casino is the seat of the

Richmond Valley Council Richmond Valley Council (RVC) is a local government area on the Northern Rivers region of north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. RVC services an area of and draws its name from the Richmond River, which flows through most of the council are ...

, a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

. 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 Cassino () is a ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone at the southern end of the region of Lazio. It's the last city of the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. It is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari (river), Gari and ...

(near

Monte Cassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...

) 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 inte ...

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, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

industry and positions itself as the "Beef Capital" of Australia, although the city of

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

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 exception of 2020. The 2024 event took place from 18 to 26 May. The Richmond River runs through the town separating South Casino from the rest of the town.

Climate

Casino experiences a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

( Köppen: ''Cfa'', Trewartha: ''Cfal''), with hot, humid summers and mild, relatively dry winters.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census of Population, there were 9,968 people in Casino. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 11.5% of the population. * 84.2% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 1.5%. * 87.5% of people spoke only English at home. * The most common responses for religion were No Religion 32.6%, Catholic 20.9% and Anglican 17.8%.

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. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 Ap ...

is situated on the main North Coast railway line between

and

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

Murwillumbah Murwillumbah ( ) is a town in the Northern Rivers region of 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&nbs ...

; 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 and it is the regional centre of Kyogle and it sits within the Kyogle Council local government area. The traditional owners of th ...

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 2.5 km stretch of track, with a museum at the end. A round trip is usually 25 minutes however on busier days it can vary. Casino was serviced by Lismore Airport with several daily flights to Sydney until Rex Airlines discontinued its service between Sydney and Lismore, ending its longstanding operation with the final flight operating in June 2022. Air travel is now served by

Ballina Byron Gateway Airport Ballina Byron Gateway Airport is a regional airport located at Ballina, New South Wales, Australia. It is owned and operated by Ballina Shire Council. It opened in October 1986. The airport serves Ballina, Lismore, Byron Bay, and the Northe ...

which is located approximately 66 km east of Casino. 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.

Media

Radio stations that cover the town are

ABC North Coast ABC North Coast is an ABC Local Radio station based in Lismore and broadcasting to the Northern Rivers region in New South Wales. This includes the towns and cities of Grafton, Ballina, Byron Bay, Casino and Murwillumbah. Even though Tweed ...

, River FM, Triple Z FM, and Radio 97, a community based station. Casino receives TV channels from SBS and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

and the regional affiliates of

Seven 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...

Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

and

WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...

’s 10 Northern NSW. Local newspaper is served by ''

The Northern Star ''The Northern Star'' is a daily newspaper serving Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. The newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia. ''The Northern Star'' is circulated to Lismore and surrounding communities, from Tweed Heads to the no ...

''.

Education

*Casino High School *Casino Public School *Casino West Public School *St. Mary's Primary School *St. Mary's Catholic College School *Casino Christian Community School

Heritage listings

Casino has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 102 Barker Street:

Casino Post Office Casino Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 102 Barker Street, Casino, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the NSW Colonial Architect's Office and built from 1879. The property is owned by ...

* Casino-Murwillumbah railway:

Old Casino railway station Old Casino railway station is a heritage-listed former railway station and now museum on the Murwillumbah railway line at Casino, New South Wales, Casino, Richmond Valley Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1903. The proper ...

* North Coast railway:

Location for filming

The 2014 drama series ''

The Gods of Wheat Street ''The Gods of Wheat Street'' is an Australian television drama series that screened on ABC TV from 12 April 2014. The six-part series tells the stories of the Freeburn clan, an Australian Aboriginal family. Synopsis Odin Freeburn, head of the ...

'' was set and partly filmed in Casino. A 2018

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

television advertisement was filmed at the Richmond Dairies factory on Dyraaba Street and a general store on the corner of Colches Street and Barker Street.

Notable people

Ian Callinan Ian David Francis Callinan (born 1 September 1937) is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. Education Born in Casino, New South Wales, Callinan was raised in Brisbane, Queenslan ...

(born 1937), High Court judge *

Stan Coster Stan Coster (27 May 193025 March 1997) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter. His songs were regularly performed by Slim Dusty and other singers. He is the father of country music singer Tracy Coster. Early life Stan Coster was bo ...

(1930−1997), singer-songwriter * Guy Creighton (born 1949), equestrian *

Pat Darling Pat Darling (31 August 1913 in Casino, New South Wales, Australia – 2 December 2007) was an Australian servicewoman and nursing sister with the 2/10th Australian General Hospital. Early life Born as Janet Patteson Gunther, her great grandfathe ...

(1913−2007), nurse and author * John Elford (1947−2024), rugby league player * Keith Ellis (1927−1989), rugby union player *

Jeff Fatt Jeffrey Wayne Fatt (born 21 July 1953) is an Australian musician and actor. He was a member of the children's group The Wiggles from its founding in 1991 to 2012, and was also in the 1980s and 1990s pop band The Cockroaches with fellow Wiggle ...

(born 1953), musician and actor, one of

The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. As of 2022, the group members are Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce, Tsehay Hawkins, Evie Ferris, John Pearce (entertainer), John Pearce, Caterina Mete ...

* Eric Ferguson (born 1955), rugby league player *

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2018. He represents the Toronto rid ...

(born 1945), musician * Thomas George (born 1949), politician *

Tony Glynn Anthony Joachim Glynn (1926–1994) was an Australian Catholic missionary priest in Japan whose work for post-war reconciliation between Australia and Japan earned him imperial and national honors from both countries. Early life Glynn was ...

(1926−1994), missionary priest * Neil Hancock (born 1976) , cricketer *

Paul Henderson Paul Garnet Henderson (born January 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flame ...

(born 1971), sprinter * Clark Irving (1808−1865), early settler (pastoralist) and politician * Ben Kennedy (born 1974), rugby league player * Matt King (born 1980), rugby league player * Katie Kelly (born 1975), paratriathlete *

Tess Mallos Tess Mallos (née Anastasia Calopades) (25 January 1933 – 31 July 2012) was an Australian food and cooking writer, journalist, author, and Pundit (expert), commentator. She wrote a number of books on Greek cuisine, Greek and Middle Eastern ...

(1933−2012), food journalist and author * Jordan Martin (born 2000), rugby league player *

Mark McGowan Mark McGowan (born 13 July 1967) is an Australian former politician and naval officer who served as the 30th premier of Western Australia from 2017 until his retirement in 2023. He was the leader of the Western Australian branch of the Austr ...

(born 1967), politician *

Chris Munce Chris Munce (born 17 May 1969) is a successful Thoroughbred horse racing jockey, having won both the Melbourne Cup and the Cox Plate. He is now a trainer of horses in Brisbane, Queensland, heading up a family-based operation with his son Corey ...

(born 1969), horse racing

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

* Mark Pearson (born 1959), politician * Brian Pezzutti (born 1947), politician and army officer * Beverley Raphael (1934−2018) , psychiatrist *

Michael Robotham Michael Robotham (born 9 November 1960) is an Australian crime fiction writer who has twice won the CWA Gold Dagger award for best novel and twice been shortlisted for the Edgar Award for best novel. His eldest child is Alexandra Hope Robotham, ...

(born 1960), crime novelist *

Justin Rowsell Justin Rowsell (born 22 December 1971) is an Australian boxer. He competed in the men's lightweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded a ...

(born 1971), boxer * David Russell, (born 1982), racing driver *

Doug Shedden Douglas Arthur Shedden (born April 29, 1961) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He played in the National Hockey League between 1981 and 1991. After his playing career he became a coach, and worked in the minor leagues for severa ...

(1937−2020), politician *

Paul Stenhouse Paul Francis Lester Stenhouse (9 December 1935 – 19 November 2019) was an Australian Catholic priest and editor. A member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, he was a scholar, linguist, expert on Samaritan studies, writer, historian, and ...

, (1935−2019), priest * Douglas G. Stuart (1931−2019), neuroscientist * Albert Torrens (born 1976), rugby league player * Cody Walker (born 1990), rugby league player * Henry Wallace Browning (born 1928), lawn bowler, IBD World Champion 2007 Guinness World Record 2008 * Damien Wright (born 1975), cricket player *

Clive Andrew Williams Clive Andrew Williams (1915–1980) was an Aboriginal Australian political activist. Early life As a child he was one of the very few aboriginal people to be accepted into Casino Intermediate High School. Political activism. During the 1960 ...

(1915−1980), Aboriginal activist * Richard Zann (1944−2009), ornithologist

References

External links

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