The majority of the major towns inland on the New South Wales midnorth coast lie on the New England Highway, an alternative routebetween Sydney and Brisbane with far less traffic. This section ofthe highway passes over the Great Dividing Range and through some of the highest towns in the state. It's the perfect area to get some insightinto the Australian lifestyle without the hype, and the great scenery and roads linking the New England Hwy to the coast make it an easy andworthwhile diversion.
The New England regional centre, Armidale is an attractivetown which is a popular tourist stopping point. There are many historicaland architecturally significant buildings (more than thirty are NationalTrust classified) spread throughout the hillystreets, as well as a number of museums and galleries. Armidale also supports the New England University campus and the students help perpetuate the towns energetic atmosphere. This influence accounts forthe healthy ammount of lively pubs and places to eat. There's also a goodvariety of accommodation making Armidale an ideal exploration base forthe spectacular surrounding wilderness and national parks.
The Armidale area is renowned for the deep gorges and cascades which litter the countryside. The most impressive are Dangar's Falls and Wollomombi Falls, both located on the northern fringes of the enormousOxley Wild Rivers National Park. The town of Walcha, sixty threekilometres south of Armidale, allows the best access to the southernstretches of the park which contains more magnificant gorges, forests,bushwalks and the Aspley and Tia Falls. Walcha itself is a small timbertown on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range. First settledin 1832, there are a number of historical buildings as well as otherexhibitions and museums which follow the colonial theme.
The incredibly scenic coastal link road (route#78) which runs from Armidale through Dorrigo to the ocean, passes by three morespectacular national parks. Cathederal Rock National Park featuresmagnificent granite tors with 360 degree views from the accessiblepeaks. Further on, the more remote Guy Fawkes River National Park isgorge country with good walking tracks and excellent canoeing. The southern finger of the park is not far from the highway and is wherethe Guy Fawkes River takes its first breathtaking plunge off the tablelands creating the Ebor Falls.
Closer to Dorrigo, the New England National Park is a smaller park with a range of different enviroments and eco-systems. It's densely vegetatedgorges and cliffs formed by the extinct Ebor volcano make for some fabulous walking tracksoften shrouded by mist and water spray from the numourous waterfalls.
The timber town of Dorrigo makes another ideal base from which todiscover the abounding natural wonders of the region. It's a pleasantplace in a gorgeous setting with a balooning reputation for tasty country cooking and interesting art and craft shops and exhibitions.
Back on the New England Highway and 97 kilometres north of Armidaleis bushranger country. The highland town of Glen Innes was thescene of many bushranging exploits and the colonial museums, buildingsand attractions in town portray an interesting account of the times. Nowthe lush farming district has a large sapphire mining industry, andfossicking for sapphires, topaz, and quartz is just one of the things to do in the area.
