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Although a small town, Armidale in Northern New South Wales has a ton to offer. It’s a university town located in the picturesque New England region, and has a laid-back, youthful vibe. It has lots of quirky attractions, boutique stores, and charming coffee shops – it’s just my kind of town if I’m not on the coast.
There are plenty of things to do in Armidale NSW and the surrounding region that appeal to everyone’s interests; whether you’re a history buff looking to admire heritage buildings and museums, or you’re an outdoor enthusiast looking for natural sites such as waterfalls and dramatic gorges.
If you’re not sure what to do in Armidale NSW, then don’t worry, because I have listed all the best attractions in the town so you can plan your itinerary with ease.
1. Take an Armidale Heritage Tour
For a great introduction to Armidale, jump on the free guided Heritage Bus Tour, which runs for around 2.5 – 3 hours.
You’ll learn about the history of Armidale and the people from an informative guide. This guided tour operates on donations and departs from the visitor’s information centre at 10:00am, 7 days a week.
Some of the sights you’ll see include Booloominbah, a Victorian mansion situated at the University of New England, which was the summer house for the White family.
You will cruise down tree-lined streets and pass by monuments, heritage homes, churches, and cathedrals, gardens, and parks.
If you don’t like buses, you can also do a heritage walk. There are three places where you can alight from the bus and explore further – the New England Regional Art Museum, Aboriginal Cultural Centre, and the historic Booloominbah Homestead.
So if you want to combine a visit to these institutions, you can alight from the tour and rejoin the next one after visiting these places.
2. Visit Petersons Winery
Pertersons Winery is just 5 minutes’ drive out of town. This award winning winery and guesthouse features a cellar door where you can go for a wine tasting, or you can walk around the vineyards in the grounds.
The picturesque driveway leads you through the vineyards to the cellar door for tasting, which is a refurbished stable and overlooks the beautiful garden area with impressive trees to sit amongst, and importantly for our kids to run around.
We bought ourselves a bottle of vintage Shiraz, which we took home with us. There is also an onsite dining room that has a daily changing menu featuring local ingredients, and paired with the winery’s own wine.
3. Drive the New England Tourist Drive 19
Tourist Drive 19 is a lovely 86 km scenic drive which starts and ends in Armidale.
We drove anti-clockwise around the loop, and it took us roughly half a day to complete.
Our first stop was the town of Uralla, best known for the exploits of NSW’s last bushranger Captain Thunderbolt. While in Uralla, visit the New England Brewery for lunch, or grab a coffee.
From Uralla, we followed the winding road through the scenic countryside before arriving at the settlement of Gostwyck, with the highlight being the Gostwyck Chapel and the avenue of 200 elm trees.
Continuing on we drove through typical New England farming country on our way toward Dangars Gorge.
This spectacular gorge has been formed over millions of years. There are three walks on offer, but a sneak peek from the Lookout is only 100 metres from the car park.
The last stop on our drive was the before mentioned Petersons Winery.
Some other highlights on the drive are Saumarez Homestead, Dangarsleigh War Memorial, and Kellys Plains.
Be sure to pick up a map from the Visitor’s Centre, or you can see a rough map online here.
4. Enjoy the Foodie Scene in Armidale
Feeling hungry? Armidale is well known for its foodie scene and you will find several family-owned restaurants and bistros.
It’s not hard to find places serving locally grown produce that are fresh from the farm.
Below are some of our personal recommendations for places to eat in Armidale.
- Goldfish Bowl Bakery make their own wood-fired sourdough bread, pizzas, and pies, the coffee is roasted in-house, and it’s great for kids with the outdoor seating area.
- The Brasserie and Courtyard Cafe at Booloominbah is a good place for lunch or a coffee whilst taking in the historical ambiance.
We didn’t get to a pub, unfortunately, but the very friendly ladies at the Armidale visitor information centre recommend the Whitebull Hotel and The Grand Hotel.
5. Drive the Waterfall Way
To the East of Armidale is the Waterfall Way, a 191km touring route that winds its way from Armidale down to Coffs Harbour on the coast.
It’s a picturesque drive called Waterfall Way for a reason. It passes incredible nature sites, including Round Mountain – the highest mountain in the region. It also connects the Great Dividing Range and the Pacific Highway along the coast.
It passes through seven national parks, three UNESCO World Heritage sites, and through rainforests and, of course, waterfalls.
It will take 2.5 hours to drive the whole drive, but you will need to factor in time to stop at lookouts, so plan for a full day.
If you’re not heading to the coast after Armidale, two spots within reach and worth a round-trip along Waterfall Way include Wollomombi Gorge and Ebor Falls.
6. Visit Wollomombi Gorge and Falls, Armidale NSW
A 35 minute drive East of Armidale brings you to the Wollomombi Falls and Wollomombi Gorge.
Wollomombi Falls are the highest waterfalls in NSW and they plunge 220m over the cliffs into the valley.
You just have to hope there’s been decent rain, unfortunately for us, they were dry when we visited, but the Gorge is spectacular and worth a stop on its own.
There’s a range of walks on offer to go deeper into this area or you can view the falls form the lookout platforms.
7. Check out Ebor Falls, Armidale NSW
Driving one hour East of Armidale gets you to the impressive Ebor Falls.
The Guy Fawkes River plunges 100m over the upper and lower falls and there’s a kid-friendly walking track linking both falls which each have viewing decks offering top views of the falls and surrounding bush.
It makes for a great stop off heading towards Coffs Harbour, with picnic tables and wooded BBQs.
So if you’re heading in-land from Coffs or north through the NSW country region, stop in at Armidale and put our tips to good use. Yet again, it’s another town we’ll be going back for more!
8. Visit the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM)
If you’re an art lover, don’t miss a chance to check out pieces by local artists at NERAM, which features pieces by regional artists such as Arthur Streeton, Brett Whiteley and a whole collection by Howard Hinton.
As well as being a place to see art, it’s also a community center and often has yoga classes and other workshops you can take part in.
Check out the website to see what’s on during the time of your visit.
9. Check Out the Railway Museum
The Railway Museum in Armidale showcases a collection of vintage trains, carriages, and locomotives that capture the evolution of Australia’s rail industry.
It’s a unique way to witness the nostalgia and elegance of railway travel from the past, and learn about the impact of rail transportation on the development of the nation.
The Railway Museum in Armidale is owned by the council and runs by donation only and by volunteers, so as you can imagine, it’s often closed. Cross your fingers and hope that it’s open during your visit.
10. Walk through the Bicentennial Arboretum
If you’re looking for free things to do, then a walk through the arboretum is a must. There is a short 1.1km loop trail around the park which takes you past a man-made waterfall into a pond.
Pack a picnic and find a spot on the lawn, it’s the perfect picnic area to sit and relax on a hot summer’s day.
11. Pay a visit to Armidale’s Aboriginal Cultural Centre & Keeping Place
Learn about the traditional owners of the area and see aboriginal art from the native locals.
Armidale is home to around 8,000 aboriginal residents, which are made up of the Anaiwan, Banbai, Bigambul, Dainggatti, Gumbainggier, Kamilaroi, and Ngarabal tribes.
The Aboriginal Cultural center is a place where Aboriginal culture is preserved, celebrating Aboriginal arts, culture and heritage through events and art galleries and displays with artifacts.
12. Visit the nearby National Parks
Armidale is surrounded by natural beauty and national parks, so if you have time to spend, be sure to visit them.
The parks include Oxley Wild Rivers National Park (home to Dangar Falls), the New England National Park, and the Cathedral Rock National Park, among others.
Each park offers varied and diverse natural landscapes, including breathtaking waterfalls, rivers and gorges, and rugged rock formations.
If you love hiking, this is the perfect way to hit the hiking trails and see stunning views of the surrounding Tablelands landscape.
13. Check out the Saumarez Homestead
Saumarez Homestead is a beautiful Edwardian mansion that was in the late 19th century. It belonged to Henry Dumaresq, the brother-in-law of Governor Darling, and one of the Duke of Wellington’s staff members in the Battle of Waterloo.
After he died, his property was sold to the White family, and is now a heritage museum where visitors can explore more than 30 rooms and 15 farm buildings.
The Edwardian home is fully furnished with period furniture and holds a collection of early 20th-century farming equipment.
Stroll through Mary White’s Garden, admire the architecture, and see the work of the Australian Garden History Society in the rose garden.
This building is only open on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, so be sure to plan your visit accordingly.
14. Admire views from Drummond Apex Lookout
If you don’t want to drive out of the town for a nice view, then drive or walk up to Drummond Apex Lookout to see amazing panoramas of the city – it’s easily the best place for views of Armidale.
It’s particularly nice to go here in Autumn as the weather is cool and the valley is awash in shades of gold, yellow, brown and red pigments.
The trail is fairly easy and family-friendly, but note the look out closes between 9:00pm and 7:00am.
There is also a mountain bike track, Kookaburra Crest MTB, behind the viewpoint.
15. Learn about local people at Armidale Folk Museum
One of the more hidden gem landmarks in Armidale is the folk museum. Now before you think of folk singers and banjos, the Armidale Folk Museum is dedicated to the citizens of Armidale from the past to present.
It was founded in 1933 and is housed in the 1863 Armidale Literary Institute. It contains more than 10,000 objects and memorabilia that display the everyday life and work of the citizens of Armidale.
Learn how the region was settled in the 1840s, how it grew as an agricultural area, and how it transformed into a leading town of education.
It’s open every day except Tuesday, from 11:00am – 2:00pm.
Is Armidale worth visiting?
I wanted to stay in Armidale longer and two days felt a little rushed, because there are plenty of things to do. The sheer amount of attractions and the diversity of things to do easily makes it worth a visit.
Our two days exploring the Armidale region kept us fulfilled, but what’s so appealing about Armidale is that it’s not just an urban centre, but within reach are several national parks, wineries, and tourist drives that loop you back into town.
It’s a place that’s easy to like for its historical rural charm.
Where to stay in Armidale
A favorite and historic hotel in Armidale is the heritage-listed Moore Park Inn, a four-star boutique property situated in the heart of sweeping rural acres and landscaped gardens. See rates and availability here.
The Tattersalls Hotel is a beautifully restored art deco style hotel. It has a great location and on-site restaurant. See rates and availability.
Rydges Armidale is a 10-minute walk to the centre of town and has its own a wine and tapas bar and restaurant, accommodations for an affordable price, a fitness centre, and free parking. See rates and availability here.
Final thoughts
Armidale is a charming and historic town that boasts a rich history and unique cultural heritage, showcased by its stunning architecture, museums, and art galleries.
Whether you want to explore the rustic buildings, sample the mouth-watering local cuisine, or take a trip to the nearby national parks to witness the breathtaking beauty of the region – there is so much to see and do in Armidale!
I hope this guide helped you decide on a few attractions for your itinerary and inspired your trip!
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Are you planning a visit to Armidale? Let us know what you’re excited for in the comments!
