5 Day - Northern Rivers Easter Escape
Departure Date: Tour Completed
Tour Cost: from $1249 per person twin share
Casino in the delightful NSW Northern Rivers will be your base for four nights and five days of surprising Easter sightseeing for Easter 2009! Your Easter includes many wonders. The quaint “hippy village” of Nimbin with its many interesting attractions; the Rainbow Power Company, Djanbung Gardens and The Nimbin Candle Factory to name a few! At Alphadale visit “Christmas All Year Round” and at Alstonville visit Summerland House. Be totally absorbed in the history of Casino with a guided tour of the “Beef Capital of Australia” including visits to the Casino Folk Museum, a ride on the Casino Mini Railway, a visit to the Jabiru Genee Wetlands, the Old Casino Station Railway Museum, Windara Nursery and a scenic drive to Cambridge Plateau. To round off our Northern Rivers sightseeing time is spent exploring Ballina with a delightful Richmond River Cruise. Country hospitality and diverse attractions abound leaving lasting memories of your Easter Escape for 2009.
DAY 1 HERVEY BAY—CASINO D
Friday 10th April 2009: An early start for travelling companions joining between Hervey Bay and Caloundra. Brisbane passengers join at Roma Street Transit Centre at 10.00am and Gold Coast passengers join enroute. Travel through Beaudesert and head southward to cross the border at Woodenbong in the heart of World Heritage National Parks territory. The scenery is of lush rainforests with spectacular mountain scenery including picturesque waterfalls. Late afternoon pass through Kyogle situated at the head waters of the Richmond River, then on to Casino for a relaxing four night stay at the Casino Motor Inn. (Note: As today is Good Friday please advise our reservation staff if fish is your preferred meal option for tonight).
DAY 2 LISMORE & NIMBIN SIGHTSEEING BD
Saturday 11th April 2009: An interesting and varied day lies ahead of us as we tour through Lismore and up to Nimbin, renowned as the sister city to Woodstock, the iconic hippy town famous as the site of the Woodstock Folk Festival. Nimbin is filled with unusual craft shops and the colourful street facades are an attraction in themselves. We visit the Rainbow Power Company, located at “Alternative Way” for an interesting tour of their alternative energy factory. We may even pick up a few hints about how to reduce our power bills!
Time for a morning tea break at Djanbung Gardens where our host Robyn will guide us through this model permaculture farm and teaching centre and provide us with a welcome cuppa. At the nearby Old Butter Factory we visit the oldest form of artificial lighting at the Nimbin Candle Factory. Spend time watching candle wicks being dipped and other processes. This ingenious cottage business sells to over 200 specialist shops around Australia and you have the chance to make your own emergency lighting purchases before we leave. Free time to enjoy lunch in the quaint village of Nimbin and to explore the town.
This afternoon we return through Lismore and call in at “Christmas All Year Round”, a beautifully restored church in Alphadale, where we learn all about the local macadamia nut industry. Travel on a short distance to the pretty little town of Alstonville to visit Summerland House, a wonderful facility run for and by disabled people. Enjoy a catered afternoon tea and an escorted tour before we return to our accommodation in Casino with time to relax before dinner.
DAY 3 CASINO HIGHLIGHTS BLD
Sunday 12th April 2009: Happy Easter to all! Before breakfast time to go searching for Easter eggs, did the Easter Bunny find us? After our country breakfast meet our guide for a short familiarisation tour of Casino including the town highlights. Casino is promoted as the "Beef Capital of Australia", an indication of the strength and success of the industry in the area and our guide will no doubt defend this claim as he shows us around. We call in at the Casino Folk Museum, which showcases the local history of the Casino district. The friendly volunteers will provide us with morning tea before we meet the dedicated train buffs of the Casino Mini Railway.
All aboard for a fun ride through Richmond Park and the Jabiru Genee Wetlands before arriving at the Old Casino Station, which has been developed into a railway museum. Get a glimpse of Casino’s ‘rail roading’ past before our return trip. Lunch today has been arranged just out of town at the Windara Nursery and Tea Rooms. The Nursery offers employment for local people with intellectual disabilities and has beautifully landscaped gardens as well as a maze you ‘can get lost in’. This afternoon, if road conditions allow, our coach captain and intrepid leader will take us west of Casino for a Cambridge Plateau scenic drive to enjoy the rainforest scenery. The Cambridge Plateau Picnic Area is a good spot for short strolls before we make an early return to Casino in readiness for a good dinner.
DAY 4 BALLINA TOURING & RIVER CRUISE BLD
Monday 13th April 2009: This morning tour down to Ballina on the banks of the Richmond River and then tour north the short distance to Knockrow and Macadamia Castle. This popular attraction offers a wide range of gourmet macadamia products and tastings of hot, roasted nuts. Indulge and stock up on some goodies to take home. On our way back to Ballina we make a quick call into the Thursday Plantation to discover the numerous healing properties associated with tea tree oil.
Return to Ballina and board the MV Richmond Princess for a delightful cruise along the Richmond River; the lifeblood of this region from the days of the first settlement until the 1950’s. Relax and enjoy the environment while the crew dispense old fashioned table service and the skipper relates a light hearted commentary that brings to life the vibrant history of the river. Back on shore call in at the Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum displaying the marine history of the North Coast. It also houses the Las Balsas raft, one of three that made the epic journey from Ecuador to Australia in 1973. We return to Casino with time to relax before our last dinner together on tour.
DAY 5 CASINO—HERVEY BAY B
Tuesday 14th April 2009: Time to farewell our Casino hosts and say goodbye to the NSW Northern Rivers area that has surprised us with some wonderful and unique sightseeing over the Easter Break. Follow the Pacific Highway to the border at Tweed Heads for a morning break (passenger drops off as required). Back in sunny Queensland we travel up to Brisbane with passenger drops off as required. Passengers staying on board the coach enjoy a lunch stop at Spinnakers Restaurant at Woody Point. Drops offs enroute through Caloundra, Gympie, Maryborough and Hervey Bay as required. Thank you for sharing Easter with us in 2009!