NATIONAL PARKS RILEYS HILL

Broadwater National Park is a great place to visit with friends and family, especially if you enjoy birdwatching. The swamps and marshlands of Broadwater are home to many waders such as ibis, herons and brolgas. The rare jabiru, which is a large stork originally from the Americas, is occasionally sighted around Salty Lagoon. There's also a great diversity of ... Visit website for more info

Ready to take a break from the road and need a good picnic area? Broadwater Beach picnic area couldn't feel further from the highway despite being only a short diversion. Perhaps you're a local or staying in the area for a while and have time to relax over a leisurely picnic lunch before exploring the park or taking advantage ... Visit website for more info

Celebrate the area's rich history of Italian settlement at the Carnivale Italiano, a celebration of all things Italian. The descendants of New Italy will celebrate the anniversary of fifty Italian families who immigrated to Australia in April 1881. The knowledge that has passed down through the generations has seeped into the Australian psyche - the love of fresh Italian food, Italian wine and Italian music. Carnivale Italiano is a day to immerse in this culture. The day commemorates the original immigrants who settled at New Italy. These Venetians, mostly contadini - tillers of the soil - fulfilled a desire to escape the harshness of their homeland to sail to paradise. What took place was anything but that and this story is now part of the historical makeup of the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Come celebrate!...

Sandalwood Van and Leisure Park is a pet friendly travellers park set on 21 acres of pasture and bushland 12 kilometres south of Ballina on the Pacific Highway. They are minutes to a pet friendly beach, and a one kilometre stroll to the river town of Wardell. There are large, spacious, level powered sites, cabins, a swimming pool and well presented amenities. Just a short drive to Patches Beach and plenty of fishing spots. A lovely quiet park....

Wardell is the home of Footgolf in the Northern Rivers and is a great family friendly activity. FootGolf is a precision sport, a combination of the popular sport of soccer and golf, being more closely related to golf. The rules largely respond to the rules of Golf and the object of the game is to score the least number of kicks at the end of a round of nine holes....

Situated between the villages of Evans Head and Broadwater, Broadwater National Park is a great place for hiking, picnicking, birdwatching, surfing and whale watching. Broadwater National Park is a great place to visit with friends and family, especially if you enjoy birdwatching. The swamps and marshlands of Broadwater are home to many waders such as ibis, herons and brolgas. The rare jabiru, which is a large stork originally from the Americas, is occasionally sighted around Salty Lagoon. There’s also a great diversity of animals in Broadwater so keep an eye out for swamp wallabies, red-necked wallabies, echidnas, bandicoots, bush rats, blossom bats and ringtail possums. Early mornings and early evenings are the times when you’re most likely to see these creatures when they’re feeding or hunting. There are some short walking tracks in Broadwater that lead to beaches where you’ll be able to see examples of the large sand dunes and swale gullies that were formed between the ice ages some 60,000 years ago. In spring and winter, take a look out to sea while you have a picnic and enjoy some whale watching....

In the 1850s, Wardell was a cedar getter settlement known as 'Blackwall' where two saw mills operated and the river trade flourished. As the availability of cedar wood diminished, so the opportunity arose for the planting of sugar cane and this now remains the main industry of Wardell. Wardell is a great fishing spot and the 'Wardell Walkabout' is a tour of the historic buildings of a bygone era. A brochure is available at the Ballina Visitor Information Centre. While visiting Wardell make sure you pick up a delicious Wardell pie and take the family for a round of foot golf!...

The town of Broadwater is the site of one of the earliest settlements on the Richmond River. It is a quaint friendly place whose sugar mill is the heart of town. For many months of the year the mill is a vibrant part of the town with the crushing season commencing in early June and continuing until the end of the year. Broadwater is adjacent to the Broadwater National Park, home to hectares of flat heath country which, in spring, features vast areas of bright wildflowers including Pink Boronia, Wax flowers, Heath, Wedding Bush and many different species of Banksia....