The long inland route from Melbourne to Lismore has become a ritual, especially during Christmas when coastal routes transform into parking lots of misguided hedonists. Boxing Day found us at the Star Lodge in Narrandera, a grand railway hotel constructed in 1916. The two-storied red brick building dominates its corner site with substantial double-storey verandahs adorned with cast iron columns, balustrades, and frieze panels. The building, designed by local architect JH Robertson, exemplifies the period’s large, well-built railway hotels. Since closing as a hotel in 1973, it has become a heritage-listed B&B, even featured as a watermark in Australian passports in 2009. During our two-day stay, we explored Narrandera, a town of 4,500 nestled on the Murrumbidgee River. The town’s rich history stretches back thousands of years, with the Wiradjuri people being the traditional owners – in fact, the name comes from the Narrungdera clan.
Pushing north, we reached Bingara, a quiet historic town in the Gwydir River Valley, where we checked into the Imperial Hotel. The city, surrounded by cypress-covered mountains, tells a fascinating story of Australia’s gold rush era. Originally established around 1840, Bingara’s history is deeply intertwined with gold, diamonds, and pastoral development. The discovery of gold in 1851 brought the first wave of prosperity, but the discovery of diamonds in 1872 truly put Bingara on the map (or at least a map). By the 1890s, Bingara’s diamond field was Australia’s most significant.
Lismore greeted us with visible scars from the devastating floods of two years ago. Many flood-ruined, large, Queensland-style houses were ready to be demolished or moved to higher ground. We stayed in a lush riverside house that had weathered the deluge before heading to the Tropical Fruits party on New Year’s Eve. This LGBTIQ+ community celebration has grown from humble beginnings to one of the Northern Rivers’ major festivals, attracting around 5,000 participants and generating millions for the local economy.
From Lismore, we drove to Newcastle along the coast. Since my last visit during the early This is Not Art festivals, Newcastle has undergone a remarkable transformation. The NSW Government has invested large sums in revitalising the city centre, strengthening connections between the city and the waterfront and delivering attractive public spaces. The former Newcastle Railway Station, a state heritage-listed building, has been extensively restored and transformed into a vibrant community hub.
Our final stop was Beechworth, where we spent the night in the Old Priory, a former Brigidine Convent and School established by four Irish nuns in 1886. The grand establishment operated as both a girls’ boarding and day school and later as a co-educational Secondary School until 1978. We had dinner at Tanswell’s Commercial Hotel, a lively country pub. The town’s rich history is evident in every corner, from its heritage-listed buildings to the grand architecture that tells stories of the Gold Rush era. The following day, we made the final push back to Fitzroy, carrying with us the spirits and stories of these diverse towns that remain steadfast in the face of homogenising change.
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