6 hours ago
1
December 25, 2025 — 5:00am
A cow glances up as I ride along the smooth gravel path at the edge of the paddock where it is grazing. It looks at me nonchalantly for a few seconds while it slowly chews a mouthful of grass, before sticking its head back down into the long green blades. Not so long ago, a cyclist would have been an unusual sight, but it’s clearly become accustomed to the presence of strange rolling creatures passing by at regular intervals.
I’m pedalling the newest section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, a 30-kilometre stretch between Casino and Lismore that will one day be the start of a 132-kilometre route that follows the former railway line through beef country in northern NSW to Murwillumbah via Byron Bay. Or the end, depending on which way you want to look at it.
After much deliberation over the weather forecast, my companions and I begin our ride in the morning with the aim of making it to Two Mates Brewing, just a couple of hundred metres from Lismore Railway Station, in time for a late lunch. Campbell Shepherd, from hire company Better by Bike, happily drops us at our starting point and runs through the features of the French-designed e-bikes we have rented, offering such tips as “thumb it to the summit”, which essentially means to lower gears when going uphill.
Recognising the popularity of experiences such as the Otago Central Rail Trail in his homeland, New Zealand-born Shepherd moved to the area in 2022 because he saw the potential of the Rail Trail.
With the runaway success of the Tweed section, which opened the following year, he’s been flat chat at his store at Murwillumbah Railway Station but is champing at the bit for the middle section to be completed so he can sell multi-day packages to tourists looking for everything from gourmet food to wellness experiences along the way.
Before setting off, we take a peek inside the dusty Old Casino Station Museum to get a bit of insight into the history of the railway, which has transported everything including mail and bananas from long-gone plantations, Sydney markets in the early 1900s, and hippies bound for the Aquarius Festival at nearby Nimbin in the 1970s. Its collection of memorabilia includes historic black-and-white photographs and original station equipment such as wall “party line” telephones.
Not long after passing a large shed that houses the Norco dairy store, near the start of the trail, we find ourselves in the midst of farmland. Cockatoos squawk in the paperbark trees above, dragonflies and butterflies flit across the track as we ride past cattle snoozing under sprawling fig trees, silky chestnut horses standing beside windmills that flick flies with their tails, and rusty old homesteads with corrugated iron roofs and bullnose verandahs.
The journey takes us beneath the heritage-listed Back Creek Bridge at Leycester and through a scenic area known as the Disputed Plains, which was the subject of a lawsuit that made it all the way to a court in London in the 1840s. There is only one steep hill, just after Naughtons Gap Tunnel, which the trail bypasses. Remembering Shepherd’s advice, I switch the bike to turbo mode and “thumb it to the summit”, conquering it with ease.
As we come to the outskirts of Lismore, the surroundings become decidedly more industrial. It’s here that we notice the first signs of the 2022 floods that devastated the city, with some dilapidated Queenslander-style weatherboard houses still fenced off. Others display red heart banners in the window – a symbol of resilience inspired by Lismore City Council’s “Come to the Heart” campaign that began after the 2017 floods and gained momentum after the 2022 deluge.
While its recovery has taken a while, the city has well and truly bounced back. With our thighs burning, the large shed that houses Two Mates Brewing right beside the track at South Lismore is a welcome sight. It will surprise no one that the brewery was founded by two mates, who were so excited about this section of the rail trail opening in late 2024 that they concocted a limited release Rail Trale Pale Ale to celebrate. We sit on an old lounge outside, under signs warning to “Look for Trains” and “Give Way” that hang on palettes, sipping a well-earned brew.
After a couple of hours relaxing and regrouping under the palm trees by the pool at Lismore Gateway Motel, which reopened after a stylish post-floods refurbishment in late 2024, it’s time to hit the town. For a regional city, Lismore has some surprisingly cool food and drink offerings. We start with a cocktail at the Levee Lounge and Bar, a dimly lit Melbourne-style establishment with pressed metal walls, handcrafted tables made of wine barrels and cosy Chesterfield lounges.
While Stockpot Kitchen’s offerings of smoked beef brisket, southern-style chicken and tempura-friend cauliflower are extremely tempting, we instead opt for a large plate of “dirty fries” – topped with delights such as cheese, jalapenos and guacamole – and tostadas at Mexican eatery 187 Cantina. With its curved bar, pink neon signs and striking patterned tiles, it’s little wonder Joel Jensen Constructions won an award for its fitout in the 2024 Master Builders Association’s Northern Region’s Excellence in Building Awards. We finish the evening with a nightcap under the festoon lights at Hotel Metropole’s rooftop bar, which overlooks one of the city’s main streets.
With more and more creatives moving inland as the housing crisis bites, Lismore also has a thriving arts scene. Many of its laneways are decorated with vibrant street art, while acclaimed theatre company NORPA (Northern Rivers Performing Arts) has bold plans to create a contemporary, flood-resistant hub in a former timber factory, The Joinery. After losing more than a third of its collection in the floods, Lismore Regional Gallery also underwent a $5 million restoration, with exhibitions showcasing the work of artists from throughout the region and beyond.
Lismore’s calendar is peppered with reasons to visit, with festivals that celebrate everything from culture to country life. Winter brings the enchanting Lismore Lantern Parade in June, lighting up the streets around the solstice, followed by the LisAmore! Italian Festival in July – a joyous salute to food, family and la dolce vita. Come October, the Love Lismore Show rolls into town, delivering a classic agricultural showcase that’s as authentic as they come.
In an age of overtourism, there’s quiet optimism that the Northern Rivers Rail Trail will tempt travellers off the crowded coast and into the hinterland. And with Lismore offering so many other reasons to linger, it feels less like a hopeful idea and more like an inevitability.
THE DETAILS
FLY
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia fly to Ballina Byron Gateway Airport from Sydney, while Jetstar flies from Melbourne. It’s about a 40-minute drive from there and car hire is available at the airport.
STAY
Lismore Gateway Motel, which has been renovated after being damaged in the 2022 floods, is close to restaurants and bars at Girards Hill. The 34-room motel has a tropical feel, with a pool, rooms with flat-screen TVs, ceiling fans and air-conditioning, plus a communal kitchen with an air fryer and washing machines. From $200 a night. See lismoregatewaymotel.com.au
Blue Fattoria Farmstay houses up to 10 guests in converted stables with a pool and fire pit. It’s located on a 485-hectare working cattle farm that fronts three kilometres of the rail trail and includes a rustic slab hut at Disputed Plains, 15 kilometres west of Lismore, which the owner hopes to restore. From $950 a night. See bluefattoria.com.au
The writer was a guest of Lismore City Council.
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