Typically, when I’m in home Lismore, I don’t venture far from town itself, so today’s road trip was a bit out of the ordinary. My friend Jackie and I, who went to school together in Lismore, are both back in Lismore for a mini-break. Since many of us from our high school year are turning 60 this year, we’re having a collective birthday party tonight!
But today, we went on a fairly unplanned road trip around the area. We had only one main goal for the day: to buy some delicious cheese from Nimbin Valley Dairy. This wonderful dairy is owned by our old school friend, Paul and his partner, Kerry. Paul, who comes from a dairy farming family, makes all the cheese for Nimbin Valley. He even earned a scholarship for his cheese training a few years ago and studied in France, and now they run a very successful cheese-making business. They also supply milk to the local dairy co-operative, NORCO.
Unfortunately, Paul and Kerry are currently in Melbourne for the Mould (cheese) Festival, so we couldn’t buy directly from their farm. However, Paul mentioned they had someone looking after a stall at the Bangalow Markets today. So, we decided to make the 20-25 minute drive from Lismore to Bangalow, which is conveniently located on the way to Byron Bay.
We set out around 10:15 this morning and arrived at the markets with plenty of time to spare. Our first priority was the cheese, of course! But we also took the opportunity to explore the markets, soaking in the vibrant atmosphere. We even enjoyed some locally made coffee – the beans are grown and roasted right here, and it was absolutely delicious.
After our market visit, we debated where to go next. Since we were already halfway there, Byron Bay seemed like the natural choice. Jackie used to live there many years ago, when it was a much smaller and quieter place.
We enjoyed the drive to Byron, then decided to head towards Brunswick Heads.
However, we only made it as far as Mullumbimby, which looked like the perfect spot for lunch. We stopped at the Middle Pub in Mullumbimby, a fantastic little pub. The food was excellent, and we had a lovely, relaxing lunch.
For our return journey, we took the scenic route, coming back via Goonengerry (where my uncle had a mixed farm many years ago). Driving through the narrow, winding roads of the rainforest country was absolutely wonderful. It made me realize I should explore more of the hinterland when I’m home – stop along the road, take in the views, and just enjoy the beauty of it all. We definitely need to do more of that!
On the way back into Lismore, I gave Jacki a bit of a flood tour. Initially, we visited our old school, Richmond River High which was damaged to the point of closure in the 2022 catastrohpic floods and then tragically burnt down in a fire a few months ago.
I also showed her around various parts of South Lismore where I grew up, giving her a sense of the changes and challenges the area has faced.
