Discover Wollongbar

Get to know Wollongbar through its specific places and themes: Wollongbar District Park, with its skatepark and art installations in the parkland; the path between Wollongbar and Alstonville; and the town’s agricultural history. The park foregrounds recreational art and community use, while the Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute offers a glimpse into agriculture and its history. A former farmhouse adds an architectural and dining dimension to this picture. When choosing where to stay, you can focus on the themes that interest you.

Park, skatepark and art at Wollongbar District Park

Wollongbar District Park includes a skatepark. The parkland is also home to two distinct art installations. Ping Pong Drive-In is a playful public art installation. Through table tennis, it transforms the site of the former drive-in theatre into a place for communal recreation and gathering. Hardwood Poles takes a different approach: this striking wooden sculpture installation includes designs by students from Alstonville High School. The designs celebrate local plant species and the natural heritage of the Northern Rivers; the work is also inspired by the Big Scrub, the region’s rainforest. The works also differ in their themes: Ping Pong Drive-In draws on the site’s history as a drive-in theatre, with communal table tennis, while Hardwood Poles focuses on wood, plants and natural heritage.

Walking and cycling between Wollongbar and Alstonville

The Alstonville to Wollongbar Village Link Path is a relaxed walking and cycling path that connects Alstonville and Wollongbar. It adds another way to plan your stay alongside the places in the District Park: in the park, the focus is on individual works and the skatepark, while the Village Link Path is about walking or cycling between the two towns. If the activity itself is one of your selection criteria, this connection offers a walking or cycling route as an alternative to visiting the art installations.

Agricultural history and public offerings

The Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute offers a tangible connection to the town’s agricultural history. In 1894, it became New South Wales’ second government agricultural college and experimental farm. Its historical context therefore includes agricultural education and practical experimentation. Today, the institute offers a range of events, visits and participation opportunities for producers and the wider public. These include community open days, when visitors can learn more about the institute’s activities and its contribution to the local region. If you are planning a visit, please check the specific dates in advance.

The Killarney farmhouse

The Killarney farmhouse, one of Wollongbar’s original homesteads, offers another historical connection. Built in 1900, the house is now known as the renovated Bellowing Bull; for many years, it was known as a steakhouse. The two historic places therefore offer different points of interest: the Primary Industries Institute represents agriculture, education and experimental farming, while the farmhouse evokes the area’s early farming history and its longstanding reputation as a steakhouse. Together with the art and the path, these options offer different ways to experience Wollongbar, without requiring every interest to lead to the same experience.

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For the main travel overview: New South Wales.