Hippie haven with an eclectic flair

The best places to eat and drink, and the best things to do in NSW's Lismore.

We need you. After major floods in February and March, the city is struggling to recover and could use a shot in the arm.

Just like the movement after the recent drought where tourists were asked to bring an esky and fill it with some produce, you'd be welcomed warmly if you hopped in your car and spent a little time and money to help residents recoup some of what they lost.

Little known to the rest of Australia is that Lismore is home to the "Big Log", a nod to the region's timber cutting past and history as an inland port. The log is adjacent to the former city hall, which has now been converted as the home of the innovative theatre company Norpa.

Lismore and surrounds are home to the hippie, and protest, movement and its population is truly eclectic. Drive out to Nimbin, which hosted the Aquarius Festival in 1973. Many students that descended on the rural town back then dropped out and never went home. The town has the prettiest of settings and a classic main street but also the Hemp Embassy and the annual MardiGrass, devoted to cannabis legalisation issues.

Other must-do's include a visit to Protesters Falls in Nightcap National Park and, if you're here on the first or third Sunday of the month, check out the Car Boot Market, where more than 100 local artisans and traders gather in a CBD car park, with live music from 9am to 1pm.

Lismore's reputation for gastronomic pubs was gathering pace just before the floods hit. Check out the Metropole on Keen Street and Sherwood on Molesworth Street. Also make a beeline for the Lismore Pie Cart in the centre of the CBD. This moveable feast has been around since 1954 and flavours are beyond compare including roast chicken and gravy, and duck and mushroom.

For a quirky overnighter, head along the train tracks to the town of Eltham. There you will find the ultimate off-the-beaten-track pub, the Eltham Hotel, where the rooms have been renovated to a high standard and themed around five bohemian women who lived in the region.

Some of the neighbouring waterholes and waterfalls are to die for. But an interesting swim can be had at the Bexhill quarry. The turquoise coloured water is an Insta addict's delight. visitlismore.com.au