Gems of the New England High Country

I’d say there are no two ways about it, except that there are: a road trip to Armidale is ridiculously scenic. The first time we travel there is along Thunderbolts Way. Named in honour of the ‘gentleman bushranger’ who once roamed these parts, it twists, turns and careens through a scenic landscape marked strikingly by the unreal landscape of the Barrington Tops and invitingly by pretty, historic towns. In Walcha we look out for sculptures that comprise its open-air gallery and in Uralla we stop at The Alternate Root cafe, admiring the original pressed-metal ceiling, deliberating over the inventive menu and perusing the wares made by local creative types. There are diversions along the way: to the eclectic Dobson’s Distillery, with its cinematic speakeasy vibes in the sleepy village of Kentucky, and to the pure air, walking trails and waterfalls of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park – a rugged gorge country that falls away dramatically from the gentler swathes of the tableland, the Great Dividing Range’s highest.

Another time, we travel to Armidale from the quirky riverside town of Bellingen along true-to-its-name Waterfall Way: ascending up into the mist-shrouded rainforest and stopping to go back in time at Dorrigo National Park, part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.

Our destination, the lofty city at the heart of NSW’s New England High Country always packs a punch on arrival: with its wealth of cultural experiences, from the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) to historic Saumarez Homestead; and its cool but unpretentious pubs, cocktail bars and cafes including The Welder’s Dog, Charlie’s Last Stand and Goldfish Bowl. Combined with a stay in one of the country’s finest restored Art Deco hotels, Tattersalls, it’s well worth the journey to get here. Even if that journey is reward in itself. DISTANCE: 474 kilometres (Sydney to Armidale via Thunderbolts Way); 156 kilometres (Bellingen to Armidale via Waterfall Way).