Petersons Armidale Winery and GuesthouseCredit: Destination NSW
Armidale has something special for nature lovers, culture vultures and foodies alike.
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Armidale, in the New South Wales Northern Tablelands, is Australia’s highest city. A six-hour drive, or an 85-minute direct flight, from Sydney, this regional hub and university town has something special for nature lovers, culture vultures and foodies alike.
Have an Art Deco moment
After an extensive refurbishment, Armidale’s Tattersalls Hotel is now a picture of Art Deco glamour. If you miss out on a room, you can always admire the architecture and design with a visit to the bar or restaurant. French chef Jean-Luc Morcellet previously worked at the Savoy in London and the Shangri-La in Doha before taking over the Tattersalls’s kitchen. Treat yourself to a meal in the restaurant or, if you’re after something casual, take a seat in the pizza garden or grab a bite from the bar menu.
Chase waterfalls
Visit the highest waterfall in NSW. Wollomombi Falls in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park are more than 220m high and just 42km (or a 30-minute drive) east of Armidale, making this the perfect spot to start or end a Waterfall Way road trip.
Take to the skies
Feel your jaw drop as you fly over the dramatic gorges of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. See waterfalls and maybe also brumbies (wild horses) and eagles aboard a Fleet Adventures helicopter, or opt for one of its ‘Warbird’ adventures — aerobatic twists and turns optional.
Get an art fix
Armidale’s New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) is home to more than 5,000 works of art, including the Howard Hinton Collection, one of the nation’s most important collections of 20th-century Australian art. See works by major Australian artists Arthur Streeton, Margaret Preston, Norman Lindsay and Tom Roberts among the 132 pieces on permanent display.
Museum hop
Just next door to NERAM, the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place has an art gallery with contemporary and traditional Aboriginal art and offers workshops for groups of 10 or more. Continue your museum tour with a visit to the Bicentennial Railway Museum, where you can step inside an old stationmaster’s residence. Meanwhile, the Armidale Folk Museum shares a glimpse of life in the area during the 19th century, when parrot pie and kangaroo-tail soup had their day.
Tattersalls Hotel, Armidale Credit: Destination NSW
The historical facade of the Tattersalls Hotel in Armidale.
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Tattersalls Hotel, Armidale Credit: Destination NSW
The historical facade of the Tattersalls Hotel in Armidale.
New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), Armidale Credit: Destination NSW
Explore NERAM.
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New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), Armidale Credit: Destination NSW
Explore NERAM.
Smell the roses
Take a tour of the Saumarez Homestead, a two-storey, 30-room Edwardian mansion dating back to 1888. The original furnishings make it easy to imagine living a rather stylish 19th-century pastoral life, and when you’re finished inside you can stroll through the heritage rose garden, where more than 600 rose bushes are waiting to be admired.
Learn some local history
You can simply admire Armidale’s heritage-listed buildings, including its impressive cathedral and beautiful old post office, as you stroll the streets. Or you can join the Armidale City Heritage Bus Tour and hear the entertaining stories that go with them. The 2.5-hour tour has four stops around the city, including the Booloominbah mansion, where you can have lunch, a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
Taste local
Get a taste for local craft beers at Great Hops Brewing Co. and The Welder's Dog, where your tasting paddle can also include pink pea-blossom lemonades and traditionally brewed farmhouse ginger beer. Try award-winning wine at Petersons Armidale Winery’s cellar door in the homestead’s old stables, a 10-minute drive out of town. Or if a good cup of tea is more your thing, head to Daily Ritual in Armidale Plaza, where the collection of 200 leaf teas includes the New England Breakfast, which won bronze at the 2017 International Tea Expo.
Shop local
Discover local artisans, including jewellery designers, ceramicists and candle makers, at The New England Collective in the open-air Beardy Street Mall. Meanwhile, Harry Potter and Dr Who fans need to add a visit to Granny Fi’s Toy Cupboard, also on Beardy Street, to their list. Here you can see handmade dragons, goblins, mandrakes and more being created, and when things go wrong it’s also a toy hospital.
See the autumn colours
Sitting almost 1,000m above sea level, Armidale experiences four distinct seasons and is famous for its autumn colours. Time your visit right and you’ll be able to see bright red, orange and gold trees in the city streets and parks. A 30-minute drive south of town, the Gostwyck Chapel is a photographer’s favourite when the elm trees are gold and the Virginia creeper covering the chapel turns red.
Armidale also celebrates an annual Autumn Festival featuring a grand parade, live music, amusement rides and twilight markets. But whatever the season, Armidale is a picturesque country getaway waiting to be discovered.
Saumarez Homestead, Armidale Credit: Destination NSW
Admire Armidale’s beautiful heritage buildings, including Saumarez Homestead.
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Saumarez Homestead, Armidale Credit: Destination NSW
Admire Armidale’s beautiful heritage buildings, including Saumarez Homestead.
The Welder's Dog, Armidale Credit: Destination NSW
Enjoy a beer at The Welder's Dog in Armidale.
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The Welder's Dog, Armidale Credit: Destination NSW
Enjoy a beer at The Welder's Dog in Armidale.
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Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, CorowaCredit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa.
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Feast on the riches of one of Australia’s most important food bowls on a road trip through the Murray, named after the mighty river that flows through this southwest area of New South Wales. Float down the river on a historic paddlesteamer wine cruise, stop by farm gates to sample incredible fresh produce, and dine at chic restaurants and bars in this unique culinary playground.
Take the back roads for gourmet treats
Head off the beaten path along The Backroads Trail, a 250km driving route that passes through the small pastoral towns of Barham, Moama, Mathoura and Deniliquin on the upper reaches of the Murray River. Sink your teeth into fresh olives, avocados, free-range pork, honey and citrus fruit from farm gates along its loops and trails, and taste the region’s wines at vineyards such as Restdown Wines. While you’re at this winery, venture out along the Restdown Wetland Walk to encounter Aboriginal cooking hearths and an old sheep camp.
Cruise along to The Old School Winery & Meadery in Womboota to pick up wine, pottery and honey mead. Or seek out Ivy Joyce in Barham to indulge in a warm space, offering local produce from farms for a truly paddock to plate experience in the heart of Murray River country. For more snacks and meaty fare such as British-style pork pies and sausages, head to Pacdon Park’s factory shop in Moama.
You can work up an appetite as you build your own itinerary on the theme of food, paddocks and produce, and find suggested routes and maps to Murray River farm gates, at the Echuca Moama Visitor Centre.
Wine and dine along the river
Embark on a wine tour by water in Moama, where the first steamboats made their way up the Murray in 1853. Take a Murray River Paddlesteamers Wharf to Winery Cruise from the town to Morrisons Riverview Winery for a leisurely lunch. Or drive along the river, stopping in at Three Black Sheep for risotto and woodfired pizzas, and tasting crisp dry whites and full-flavoured reds at St Anne’s Vineyards, where you can nibble on a cheese platter overlooking a scenic lake.
Head east along the riverside roads to rest and recharge in the town of Tocumwal, known for its riverside beaches, golf courses, glider flying and iconic Big Murray Cod statue. Start the following day with a solid foundation of breakfast pizza (topped with bacon, eggs and a hash brown) at The Old Bank and indulge in a scoop of ice-cream or sorbet from Tocumwal Ice Creamery – flavours include rocky road, green apple or macadamia. If you’re in town on a Saturday, pick up honey, fruit, vegetables, olive oil, dressings and other condiments made by local producers at the Tocumwal Foreshore Markets.
Continue your odyssey along the river to Corowa, the birthplace of Australian Federation. Immerse in the town’s rich turn-of-the-20th-century colonial heritage as you make your way to the former 1920s flour mill housing Corowa Distilling Co. Here you can book a whisky tasting and behind-the-scenes tour and buy locally made chocolates and sweets from sister shop Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory. Work off an indulgent afternoon with a walk along the river before settling into the stylish Circa 1936 hotel, which is housed in an Art Deco former bank on the main street of Corowa.
Celebrate regional ingredients in Albury
From Corowa, follow the Riverina Highway eastward to the city of Albury, a food, wine and culture hub. Taste how seasonality and locality are expressed at The Proprietor, a former butcher shop turned cafe offering brunch treats such as fruit toast with Beechworth honey and whipped ricotta, and banana waffles with Gundowring vanilla ice-cream. Or try the all-day breakfast offering at Mr Benedict, from cheesy bacon waffle with popcorn chicken to one of its signature eggs benedicts, including one with cider-braised ham hock.
At The River Deck restaurant, local ingredients are celebrated alongside stunning river views, and dishes may include chicken Caesar salad with Milawa eggs or beef brisket braised in coffee by Albury roaster The Brothers Cup. At tiny and elegant Bistro Selle, complement warm Gooramadda olives with a buttery Australian chardonnay and fresh market fish. Yardbird offers a bold-flavoured menu featuring dishes like scorched Albacore tuna, along with meats grilled in a Spanish woodfired oven.
In between meals, stroll along the Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk and take in the contemporary artworks by Aboriginal artists that line the Wagirra Trail. Meander through the Murray Art Museum Albury’s contemporary photographic collection, Aboriginal art and works by renowned Australian artist Sir Russell Drysdale. Afterwards, order lunch or dinner at the museum’s excellent Canvas Eatery – try the saltbush lamb rump or one of their Neapolitan-style pizzas.
The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
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The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
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Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
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Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.
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Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.