Places to visit in and around Lismore NSW

The Quadrangle – known locally as the ‘Quad’ – is Lismore’s cultural and creative heart. As a free public space nestled between the Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore Library and the Northern Rivers Conservatorium, it is also the place to see the large-scale mural that takes up the entire height of the library building.

A performance venue, a children’s play space, a creative hub and a space for community expression, the Quad is a space where you will gather with locals and visitors to get active or simply relax.

You might enjoy one of the many free activities and performances, community events and workshops, or instead meet up with friends and family and enjoy a picnic lunch. After you visit the Regional Gallery, the Library or catch a performance at the Conservatorium you can also enjoy a treat at the onsite café. Accessible amenities are also available.

Back Alley Gallery brings the back lanes of the Lismore CBD to life. This spectacular, larger-than-life gallery features local, national and international street artists.

Come along to celebrate public art in a space that has transformed Lismore’s laneways into an open air gallery. Ever-evolving, there is always something new for you to see.

Back Alley Gallery features 5 major artworks covering entire walls, 14 smaller pieces and nearly 50 ‘paste-ups’. The laneway art gallery is enlivened by small stencils and other tiny gems to catch your eye. One of these is international street artist Guido van Helten’s larger-than-life portrait of local girl, Willow Austin.

Back Alley Gallery is a free public space that you can enjoy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Located right in the heart of Lismore, Heritage Park is a free public space that has something for everyone.

The younger visitors might enjoy the rides, slides, and water play area and activities, making Heritage Park a great spot to bring the whole family.

These lovely areas are surrounded by open parkland and tranquil picnic and BBQ areas. You’ll also find a skate park nearby.

You might also want to visit the Heritage Park Miniature Railway, where miniature trains Toby and Katie take kids on two laps around the track, enjoying all the sights around Heritage Park.

Heritage Park is a free public space, with shaded picnic tables and BBQs.

Visit the Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens, just 3 kilometres from Lismore CBD. You’ll see an amazing collection of native rainforest plants and wildlife ranging from koalas, wallabies and water dragons to more than 100 species of bird life.

There’s plenty of ways to experience the gardens, including a number of self-guided walks through the rainforest and the established hoop pine forest. You’ll follow colourful signage that tells you more about the plants and you can choose from both sealed paths and bush tracks. The paths are accessible for visitors of all abilities.

You might instead take the time to relax in nature, with many shaded spots to stop, and several picnic tables.

The kids will enjoy spending time in the kids’ cubby and a solar clock in the Sensory Garden, a stony labyrinth and an old church bell – this is where you can ring the bell to mark your visit to the gardens.

The gardens are a free, family-friendly public place for all to enjoy. They are open Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am to 4pm.

Nimbin Peace Park has something for the whole family.

Located in the heart of Nimbin, the park offers plenty of seats and shade, picnic and open space areas, a playground and public amenities. You’ll also find this is a place for skaters, as it is home to the Nimbin skatepark.

Nimbin skate park offers something for all ages and skating abilities. The range of elements include bowls, snake runs and street-style areas, suitable not just for those with years of experience, but also for the youngest of skaters or scooters.

You can enjoy all the action from a viewing platform that sits just above the snake run.

Come and learn about how you can live more sustainably at Seven on Sibley, a social enterprise project at the heart of Nimbin.

Seven on Sibley is next to Nimbin Skate Park and across the road from the Nimbin Neighbourhood and Information Centre (NNIC). The centre owns and runs the site as a place for people to learn all about sustainable living. For example, you can find out more about permaculture, composting or how to forage for your own native food. It also allows people to compost and recycle waste.

As a community-run sustainable living hub, Seven on Sibley brings the community together to share ideas and connect with one another as they learn about sustainable living. You can get involved by attending weekly workshops, farm tours or a seed exchange.

The NNIC has big plans for Seven on Sibley, including a building that will further demonstrate how we can live and build more sustainably and affordably, while also promoting local producers.

Come and discover Nimbin through a sonic journey of 18 different story sites across Nimbin village.

Using the soundtrails app, you’ll start your adventure at Cullen Street, just outside the Nimbin School of Arts, also known at the Nimbin Hall. As you begin to walk towards Sibley Street, you’ll use the app to learn about Nimbin’s three waves of settlement – starting with the Wyabul people, then the farmers and the New Settlers, including those who came for the 1973 Aquarius Festival and stayed, and those who came later.

The 1973 festival changed a small dairy community to a place for students and hippies – a place with a new energy where the New Settlers aimed to eke out a life within a vibrant, innovative and sustainable community.

Learn about Australia’s first forest blockade at Terania; life on the land for the early farming community; or the many performers who came to the Aquarius Festival.

As Wilsons River weaves through Lismore, you can now learn more about the historic, cultural, artistic and recreational fabric of life in this area.

The river walkway has been designed as an outdoor museum unlike any other in the area. You’ll discover interpretive sites, public art, native landscaping and parkland facilities that are all linked together. You can visit www.visitlismore.nsw.gov.au to download the walkabout brochure.

The walk includes the Butter Churn Sculpture, which tells the stories of the dairy industry that has shaped the area. Several interpretive sites bring Lismore’s Aboriginal and European history to life, and you can even learn about local bush foods at the Aboriginal Bush Food Garden.

The Wilsons River Experience Walk is also a great place to meet up with friends and family – and there’s even an off-leash dog enclosure for your favourite furry friend.

Other facilities include BBQs, shelters and a wharf where you can set yourself up for some fishing or a boat trip on the river.

The Birdwing Butterfly Walk is one of Lismore’s most unique places. The walk leads you through rainforest, past wetlands and includes plants that attract and provide for the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly, one of Australia’s largest butterflies.

The paved walk takes you to Tucki Tucki Creek where, if you are quiet, you might spot the shy resident platypus. There are also great places along the walk to throw out a rug and enjoy a picnic lunch under a shady tree.

Nearby to the Birdwing Butterwalk Walk is Kadina Park where you can enjoy some great outdoor activities with the kids - it's the perfect place for a game of cricket or soccer.

The Birdwing Butterfly Walk is 6 km from Lismore CBD. You’ll find parking and amenities in nearby Kadina Park.

Rocky Creek Dam and Rous County Council Rainforest and Water Reserve is the perfect day trip for families and nature lovers.

Surrounded by the Whian Whian State Conservation Area and Nightcap National Park, the dam has visitor facilities, car parking and you can easily travel there on sealed roads from Lismore, Ballina or Byron Bay.

You’ll discover magical waterfalls, shaded creeks and spectacular views. You might also spot a platypus at Rocky Creek Dam, with a platypus viewing platform, elevated boardwalk and pontoon bridge. There are picnic and BBQ facilities, benches, tables and children's play equipment.

You can choose from 4 walks, ranging from 1.2 kilometres to 6 kilometres. Water Dragon Walk takes you up the hill to the lookout, while Platypus Walk goes alongside Rocky Creek and back across the dam wall. Take the Cedar Walk towards the edges of the Rous Water Rainforest Reserve or choose the Scrub Turkey Walk to pass through a variety of forest environments.

Entry is free to Rocky Creek Dam and Rous County Council Rainforest and Water Reserve.