Casino, New South Wales
Casino is a town in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 10,914 people at the . It lies on the banks of the Richmond River and is situated at the junction of the Bruxner Highway and the Summerland Way. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. 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) in Italy. The town now has a sister city agreement with the Italian village. Casino is among Australia's largest beef centres. It is the regional hub of a very large cattle 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. Population. According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 10,914 people in Casino. Transport. Casino railway station is situated on the main North Coast railway line between Sydney and Brisbane, north of Grafton. A branch line ran via Lismore to Murwillumbah; 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 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 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: Location for filming. The 2014 drama series "The Gods of Wheat Street" was set and partly filmed  in Casino.