Riverland Travel survives fire and rain to celebrate 40 years

Travel agents have faced plenty of existential threats over the past few decades, but few businesses have come as close to physical annihilation as Riverland Travel. 

The company, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary, had an inauspicious start to life when Judy Castle set up a bus and train ticketing service in the front window of her family’s second-hand furniture store in Maclean, a small town of around 8,000 residents set alongside the Clarence River in NSW’s Northern Rivers region.

A long-time member of Travellers Choice, Riverland Travel grew to become Maclean’s sole travel agency, serving a clientele that now extends well beyond an affluent region renowned for its cane farms and river-prawn trawlers. 

Back in 2006, however, the business almost burned to the ground when a fire broke out in a residential unit above the shop next door. The blaze destroyed three shops, but miraculously left the travel agency only partially damaged, forcing a short relocation to the Castle family home.

Current owner Zoe Eagleton, who bought the business back in 2016, says it was an event the whole town remembers, but none quite as vividly as her husband Alwyn, who as a local fireman helped battle the blaze. Today he serves as the deputy captain of the Maclean Fire and Rescue NSW station, while also escorting Riverland Travel's day tours and managing its back office.

Two years ago, the agency had to relocate once again when rising flood waters threatened the town. 

“We were forced to evacuate, which meant we couldn’t operate whatsoever for almost two weeks. In response, Travellers Choice offices around the country came to our aid, helping reschedule flights and managing our customers’ travel arrangements.

"We've had other close calls, and whenever we’ve faced difficulties, the Travellers Choice family has always been there.”

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Eagleton recently hosted an afternoon function at the local bowls club, inviting around 70 “dignitaries”, most of whom were loyal clients and former staff members.

“There were lots of stories to tell and we decorated the room with memorabilia, including old boarding passes, pictures of former consultants, old images of the agency and even a photo of the building next door on fire,” says Eagleton. 

“Riverland Travel has earned an enormous amount of trust and loyalty since it first opened its doors. We’re just so privileged and grateful to have had the opportunity to continue the vision and values that have made this business a cornerstone of the community for the past 40 years.”