What to do with a half day in Goondiwindi Region
Published on 28 October 2024
When you’re short on time but long on quality experiences, Goondiwindi has you covered.
Five major highways intersect at Goondiwindi – our largest centre, that’s home to over 6,000 people and services over 10,000 – and with this comes an incredible art and community culture, good coffee, pubs aplenty and several natural wonders that will leave you exhaling deeply.
Read on for what to do with half a day in Goondiwindi.
Stop 1: River Walk
Start at the Old Border Bridge with an early morning stroll along our 3 km River Walk, taking in the Macintyre River, gumtrees and the art murals and sculptures dotted along the banks. When you arrive at the boat ramp, enjoy a barista-made coffee at Sip by Sculpt while you watch the locals launch their boats overseen by the giant pelican and cod fossil sculptures.
Stop 2: Bakery breakfast and brochure stop
Loop back into town for a café or bakery breakfast and then visit our Civic Centre to view a free art exhibition in the Art Space and visit the Gunsynd Museum display. While you’re there, pick up a brochure in the Visitor Information Centre, or ask the volunteers for their tips on what to see and do. Goondiwindi is the home of niche interests – from twitching to racehorses, historical sites to meandering art trails, and our Visitor Centre has a brochure to guide your next adventure.
Stop 3: Take the Art Trail
Follow the Art Trail along Bowen Lane to see the public art commissioned by local art group, Lanescape. The trail includes installations and murals created by artists, both local and well-known, local school students and the community. Since 2018, Lanescape has unveiled and celebrated a large public work annually alongside their vibrant festival and night market. Held each October, it’s well worth planning your stay and sticking around for the annual event that paints the town all sorts of vibrant colours. Learn more and save the date for the next festival here.
Stop 4: BNTAC Office
You can learn about the traditional owners of much of this region, the Bigambul people, by visiting the BNTAC office on our main street for local Indigenous art, photographs, culture and a display of recently returned artefacts.
While on the main street, you might as well do a spot of shopping – following our shopping guide.
Stop 5: Pub lunch
If you have time, stop for a pub lunch and cool beverage at the iconic Victoria Hotel or the locally-owned Royal Hotel. Or if you need to hit the road, pop into a café or bakery for a fresh sandwich or pie for grab and go options to suit any palette. Pro tip: Kitsch in Marshall Street has fantastic grab and go gluten free options and Gunsynd bakery the softest salad rolls around.
Got more time?
Book a Goondiwindi Cotton ‘Farm and Town Tour’ to explore a working cotton farm and learn how cotton goes from the field to fabric. Tours leave at 8.30am and include morning tea, entry to the Customs House Museum and a final stop at the Goondiwindi Cotton store. Tours are seasonal and online bookings are essential as these tours book out regularly.
And if you love Goondiwindi…
Many visitors fall in love with our little town just like we have, so if you’ve got itchy feet but want to keep exploring all our region has to offer, keep going - our small towns are BIG on personality. You can check out what Texas, Inglewood and our tiny towns have to offer too.