Armidale NSW: Hitting the heights

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This was published 9 years ago

Armidale NSW: Hitting the heights

Places of beauty: Gostwyck Church in Uralla.

Places of beauty: Gostwyck Church in Uralla.

Natural and man-made artistic themes run through New England, writes Mal Chenu.

New England might evoke images of landed gentry, thickset woolly sheep, and CWA airings with cream-laden scones, but the region is also a sensory and scenic delight.

The city of Armidale and its surrounds are an artistic portrayal of natural beauty, artisanal food and the art of relaxation.

The Wollomombi Falls.

The Wollomombi Falls.

Seasonal transformations are rendered by chameleonic trees, sugary frosts and soft sunshine, especially in spring and autumn, when the cyclical deciduous carnival daubs this pretty natural canvas in the north-east of NSW.

You will find more colour at the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), where you can participate in painting classes and peruse one of the finest regional collections in the country. The Howard Hinton Collection and Tom Roberts' Mosman Bay from 1894 are the signature items and you can take a one-hour tour of the storeroom for $11.

Also worth a look is the Armidale Art Gallery in the mall, which has permanent and rotating exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, pottery, textiles and jewellery.

The New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale.

The New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale.

In the same building as the art museum is NERAMharvest, where the intriguing Rowan Tihema flaunts his culinary arts. Tihema, who is some sort of mathematics genius in his spare time, did a three-year stint at a restaurant in Norway above the Arctic Circle and tells us he received supplies from 800 kilometres away and it was cheaper to buy lamb from New Zealand than from Norwegian suppliers. He resented the food miles and decided his next Aussie venture would source locally and organically. The result is a creative gourmet adventure at a bargain price. There is no menu as such, as Tihema says fine dining is about trusting the experts and lingering.

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Dinner at NERAMharvest takes about two hours and consists of a tasting menu designed to be shared for just $45 a head. (Dinner Thursday to Saturday; lunch Wednesday to Sunday; booking essential, 02 6771 2907; neramharvest.com.au.)

Picture-perfect old-style accommodation can be found at Petersons Armidale Winery and Guesthouse (formerly Palmerston) on the outskirts of Armidale.

The pencil pine-lined entrance, wall creepers and more than 8000 square metres of manicured, heritage-listed gardens look like a period landscape painting, and the scent of wood smoke and creaky floorboards promise country comfort. Any building that has a "great hall" demands respect and the restoration of the 1911 manor is faithful to the original architecture. The set-menu dinner in the formal dining room is a distinguished affair, showcasing the local produce and cold-climate wines superbly. I feel like retiring to the drawing room with a cigar and port to discuss sheep and other weighty matters.

The New England Highway is already highlighted on any self-respecting grey nomad's map. The region is famous for its autumnal tints, architecture, homesteads and museums, and Tourism Armidale comes to the party with free city heritage tours every day.

Just down the road in Uralla is the must-see McCrossin's Mill - an arty, clever and quirky volunteer-built-and-run museum with the inspirational motto: "Why not?" The museum is a self-proclaimed "treasury of emotion" and features the death of Captain Thunderbolt, a goldfields Chinese joss house, World War I artefacts and letters from a local Digger and a tribute to Australia's first sports champion, Ned Trickett, who won a single-scull race on the Thames in 1876. (Open daily. Adults $6, children $3. See uhs.org.au.)

At an altitude of about a kilometre, Armidale is Australia's highest city and the region is blessed with natural installations including towering gorges, chasms and spectacular waterfalls, and World Heritage-listed rainforests.

The Wollomombi Falls lookout is mesmeric, more event than scenery. It has taken millennia for the Chandler and Wollomombi rivers to carve out the yawning gorge and white spouts pour down the rock face into the chasm.

Cameras click furiously, but none will adequately capture the moment. The stunning outdoor vista also invites canyoning, mountain biking, bird watching, trout fishing and bush walking.

Not far from Armidale in the rugged New England wilderness is the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. We wander the Threlfall Track, a sunlight-dappled 5.5-kilometre loop trail that in part takes the route of the 1894 hydro-electric scheme.

We pass ancient granite monoliths, see koalas, rosellas, lyrebirds and king parrots, stalk rock wallabies for close-up photos and nearly step on a sleeping echidna and her puggle.

We pause at the many vantage points, including Gara Gorge lookout, but, again, photos cannot convey the tranquillity of the brook, which babbles like a crystal-clear cliche far below.

The art of relaxation is exemplified at East Kunderang Homestead, 40-odd kilometres from Armidale. Accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicle and set among mountains and valleys, the secluded 1890s homestead sleeps 14 and has open fires, a huge kitchen and barbecues, making it an ideal multi-family retreat. You can swim, paddle or fish in the nearby river, wander the easy walking tracks, check out the wildlife or just soak up the calm.

The writer was a guest of Armidale Dumaresq Council and Destination NSW.

TRIP NOTES

GETTING THERE

Qantas flies from Sydney to Armidale daily from about $320 return. Melbourne visitors must fly via Sydney. By car, Armidale is on the New England Highway, 567 kilometres north of Sydney (or 480 kilometres via Thunderbolt's Way, through Gloucester).

STAYING THERE

Petersons Armidale Winery and Guesthouse, 345 Dangarsleigh Road, Armidale. Four classes of suite, $200 to $300 a night, includes a la carte breakfast. See petersonsguesthouse.com.au.

East Kunderang Homestead. Peak (NSW public holidays and school holidays): $990 for three nights (Friday to Monday); $1320 for four nights; $2060 a week. Off-peak: $935 for three nights (Friday to Monday); $1100 for four nights; $1785 a week. Bookings essential. See nationalparks.nsw.gov.au.

MORE INFORMATION

armidaletourism.com.au.

FIVE MORE THINGS TO DO AT ARMIDALE

HERITAGE GEM

Saumarez Homestead is a picture-perfect, superbly maintained Edwardian mansion complete with original furnishings. Guided tours: adults $12, concessions $8. Open at weekends and on public holidays from August 31 to June 15. See nationaltrust.org.au/nsw/SaumarezHomestead.

GET HIGH

The gorges are even more breathtaking by air. Fleet Helicopters can take you aloft for tours of the gorges, wilderness areas and even heli-fishing from November to April. From $300 for a half-hour gorge flight. See fleethelicopters.com.au/scenic-flights.

HOW IS THE SERENITY?

Set up camp at West Kunderang at one of the nine campsites along the Macleay River and enjoy secluded fishing, canoeing, bushwalking and four-wheel-drive trips. See westkunderang.com.au.

ELEVATED CULTURE

Culture vultures are well served with a regular program of concerts and performing arts. Start at the New England Conservatorium of Music. See necom.une.edu.au.

COOL-CLIMATE WINES

Sample the region's distinctive wines at more than 20 cellar doors, many of which feature bucolic, lunch-worthy settings.

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