New England High Country, home of amazing road trips
In NEW ENGLAND HIGH COUNTRY, every road is a road trip to remember. And no matter which route you choose to take, they are all SPECTACULAR.
1. Thunderbolts Way: Walcha to Inverell, 160km
A road trip along Thunderbolts Way is the ultimate great escape. Named after bushranger Captain Thunderbolt, the drive starts in the foothills of the BARRINGTON TOPS at GLOUCESTER then winds along the Great Dividing Range between WALCHA and INVERELL. There are superb views at every turn, but it’s the village stops along the way – like Walcha, with cafes full of motorbike memorabilia, the distillery KENTUCKY at and platypus spotting at BUNDARRA – that make this trip memorable.
Walcha: Stretch your legs in one of the largest open air art galleries in the country. There are more than 55 sculptures around town and on the path beside the Apsley River.
Uralla: There’s no escaping Thunderbolt in Uralla. His grave is in the cemetery, there’s a statue of the outlaw in the main street and his rocky lookout is on the outskirts of town. Pop into MCCROSSIN’S MILL MUSEUM to learn more about his exploits.
Inverell: Sapphire capital of the country, Inverell is the perfect place to unearth a treasure. Try your luck fossicking or pop into a local jeweller for a ready-to-wear gem. Go back in time at INVERELL PIONEER VILLAGE and admire vintage motors at the NATIONAL TRANSPORT MUSEUM.
2. NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY: TENTERFIELD TO URALLA, 211KM
This trip along the New England Highway south from Tenterfield to Uralla is a journey of discovery. An Aussie version of Route 66, the friendly country towns along the way are a highlight. Explore TENTERFIELD’s museums, galleries and national parks, then travel south to find DEEPWATER, seemingly frozen in time. The Celtic heritage of GLEN INNES makes it feel like Scotland but with much better weather – Stonehenge and Ben Lomond
are just down the road – then there’s GUYRA, famous for its potatoes, ARMIDALE, with its leafy parks that erupt with colour in autumn, and URALLA, with its intriguing bushranging connections.
Armidale: Australia’s highest city is full of surprises, including one of the greatest collections of Australian art ever given away to strangers at the NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL ART MUSEUM (NERAM). Take a guided tour of SAUMAREZ HOMESTEAD, where nothing has changed in more than 100 years, treat yourself to a glass of bubbles at PETERSONS WINES and take a helicopter flight over the gorges.
Glen Innes: Enjoy a highland fling with kilted tours, the AUSTRALIAN CELTIC FESTIVAL, haggis and Australia’s only circle of standing stones – the first to be erected outside the British Isles in the past 3000 years – or visit the HISTORY HOUSE MUSEUM to find out why they called this place the Land of the Beardies.
Tenterfield: Birthplace of Federation, the SIR HENRY PARK ES MEMORIAL SCHOOL OF ARTS tells how Australia became a nation, and the round the TENTERFIELD SADDLE R corner – yep, the one in Peter Allen’s song – is a genuine living museum. The best-kept secret is one you can’t miss because climbing ROCK, BALD Australia’s largest granite rock, is a guaranteed way to get a natural high.
3. Waterfall Way: Bellingen to Armidale, 156km
This classic touring route from Bellingen to Armidale is famous for its waterfalls, including WOLLOMOMBI FALLS, the state’s tallest, but also has some of the most beautiful cool temperate rainforest in NSW. Don’t miss the short walk to POINTLOOKOUT, where on a clear day you can see all the way to the coast, some 70 kilometres away; it’s not far from the spectacular EBOR FALLS. The stacks of granite boulders in CATHEDRAL ROCK NATIONAL PARK seem to defy gravity, and DANGARS FALLS in OX LEY WILD RIVERS NATIONAL PARK is particularly impressive after rain. 4. GWYDIR HIGHWAY: GRAFTON TO INVERELL, 70KM If you like the road less travelled, you’ll love the Gwydir. Rolling along the top of the Great Dividing Range, this road, built in 1867, flies under the radar for many road-trippers, so it’s relatively traffic free. Follow the road west from the rainforest of WASHPOOL NATIONAL PARK and the forest lookouts and riverside walks of GIBRALTAR RANGE NATIONAL PARK to go deep into gemstone country between GLEN INNES and INVERELL. Continue to WARIALDA or BINGARA or take a side trip to TINGHA for authentic small-town Australiana. Wherever you go, enjoy the sweeping highland views, because this is road-tripping at its finest.
Get a natural high in New England High Country: newenglandhighcountry.com.au/adventure/ drives-touring