Richmond Valley Council

About

Richmond Valley Council was formed in February 2000 as a result of the amalgamation of the former Casino Council and Richmond River Shire Council. The area of around 3050 square kilometres has a total population of 23,000 and is growing at a rate of 0.4% per year (State average 1.2%). The traditional custodians of the land of the Casino area, or Djanangmum as it is known to Aboriginal people, are Galibal. The wider area known today as the Northern Rivers was occupied by the Bundjalung-speaking peoples, made up of an estimated 20 different language groups. Pastoral settlement in the Richmond Valley began in the 1840s, more than a decade after the Richmond River had first been entered from the sea by Captain Henry Rous. By the end of the 1840s, most of the valley had been occupied by large pastoral holdings under government leases. The town of Casino was the main entry point into the Richmond Valley for overland travellers; it was the district’s front door.