Warialda - Places to See

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Warialda - Places to See


Tourist Information
The Heritage Centre in Hope St is the local information centre and museum. It houses Well's Gem and Mineral Colection, Aboriginal artefacts, shells and a bottle display. Admission is free. It is open every day but Sunday, tel: (02) 6729 0046. The shire offices at 62 Hope St can also be of assistance, tel: (02) 6729 1016.

Heritage Buildings
The heritage centre and council offices have a sheet outlining the town's heritage buildings and their whereabouts. Unfortunately there is no information about the buildings, such as their year of origin. They are concentrated almost exclusively on Hope and Stephen Sts. The red-brick courthouse (1882) and the post office (1880) are located by the intersection of these two. Carinda House (1889) is a little further south on Stephen St. It is now an arts and crafts centre. Surprisingly it does not mention the particularly attractive St Patrick's Roman Catholic church and the gracious timber convent which was built in 1902.

Nature Walk
The Koorilgur Nature Walk (3.6 km) extends from Apex Park eastwards to Rotary Park, passing through pleasant bushland where wildflowers bloom in spring. The whole walk takes about an hour, although there are three clearly-marked exits for those who wish to shorten the walk. The leaflet is available from the Heritage Centre or the Hope St council offices.

Pioneer Cemetery Park
Pioneer Cemetery Park features graves dating back to the 1850s situated in a bushland setting. It is located at the southern (top) end of Stephen Street at the Queen St T-intersection. There is a memorial wall with the names of those buried in the 19th century listed on plaques for the interest of those investigating their family history.

Cranky Rock Reserve
8 km east is Cranky Rock Reserve where there is an agglomeration of boulders by Reedy Creek which have settled into some interesting arrangements. Cranky Rock is a tall striped rock with a series of boulders perched on the top. The origins of the name are strange. It is claimed that during the goldrush era a Chinese man who was 'cranky' because he had been falsely accused of some crime jumped from the highest rock. Turn off the highway and follow the gravel road to the picnic-barbecue-toilet area from where there is a walking trail which leads over the suspension bridge to an animal enclosure where there are emus, kangaroos and other wildlife, and on to a viewing platform on top of the boulders. Fossicking hereabouts has been known to turn up agate, jasper, opalised and petrified wood, and quartz. Bush camping is permissible.

Fossicking
Fossicking maps are available from the shire offices or the Heritage Centre in Hope St. The Tiger's gap area, 5 km east via the Gwydir Highway, is known for its opalised wood. The gravel quarries turn up agate, jasper, chalcedony and petrified wood.

Fishing and Gravesend
Fishing is popular along the Gwydir River, about 12 km west via the Gwydir Highway on the Warialda side of the Gwydir River Bridge. 4 km further west along the highway is the village of Gravesend which began as a railway fettlers' camp. There is a store, a hotel, an arts-and-crafts shop and a second-hand shop. 11 km further west is the low-level bridge at Yagobie, another fishing spot.

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