Armidale, New South Wales
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Armidale (population 22,000) is a university city in northwestern New South Wales, Australia, and is the administrative centre for the New England region. It is located approximately half way between Sydney and Brisbane on the New England Highway, national route 15. It is 1000m above mean sea level, with coordinates of Template:Coor dm.
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Geography and climate
Armidale is situated on the Northern Tablelands, a plateau atop the Great Dividing Range. To the east are heavily forested steep sandstone gorges dropping down to the eastern coastal plain. To the west are gently undulating pastures and bushland. The area contains a number of areas of outstanding natural beauty and scientific interest, and there are several World Heritage national parks in the area including the New England National Park and the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. To the west is Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve. Armidale's elevation gives it a mild climate, with pleasant warm summers, extended spring and autumn seasons, and a short cold winter. The presence of four distinct seasons, unlike most of the rest of Australia, is the reason for the 'New England' moniker and the autumn colours are a notable feature of the city. The coastal plain can be reached directly at Coffs Harbour via Dorrigo and Bellingen on the Bellinger River, a 2 hour drive. Armidale is also the terminus of the Northern Railway, with direct links to Sydney. There is also a modern airport with connections to Sydney and Brisbane, as well as local and regional connections.
History
Armidale was first settled in 1839, following the earlier exploration of the area by John Oxley. It was named after Armadale on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, but seemingly the city fathers were not good spellers. The Scottish Armadale was the ancestral home of George James McDonald who was the Commissioner for Crown Lands at the time. Oxley recommended the region for grazing, and soon early pioneers set up small farms in the locality. The town itself was established to provide a market and administration for the farms, but soon after gold was discovered at nearby Rocky River and Gara Gorges, and a gold rush ensued, enlarging the town rapidly in the 1850s. The gold mining settlement of Hillgrove, about 10km east of Armidale was the site of Australia's first hydro-electric scheme, remains of which are still visible. The nearby town of Uralla was home to the infamous Captain Thunderbolt - outlaw Fred Ward - who caused trouble in the area in the 1860s. As with Ned Kelly, the locals have adopted him as a larrikin hero and make the most of him as a tourist attraction.
University of New England
Main article: University of New England
The university was founded in 1938, at first as an outpost of the University of Sydney, but then in its own right (1954). The UNE changed Armidale from a rural market town into a city of great culture and diversity, with a much greater artistic and cultural element than might be expected for a country region. The university has strong links to the rural community, with a lot of agricultural research and learning. However there is also a high-technology presence as well as notable humanities teaching. The university is built around the old country house of Booloominbah, which is now one of the university's restaurants. UNE is one of the city's main employers.
City of Armidale
The city is laid out in a grid around the centre. The main street is called Beardy Street, named for two of the founding settlers who wore beards. The court house was built in the 1850s and is still a prominent feature of the central district. Beardy Street is pedestrianised in the centre to form a pleasant outdoor mall with many shops and cafes and leafy outdoor eating and sitting areas. It also features some notable architecture, including the Tattersalls Hotel, built in the Art Deco Moderne style in the 1930s. Much of the rest of the city is residential, with numerous attractive parks. The city is a regional centre for bushwalking, with easy access by road to the various World Heritage National Parks, and there are several outdoor and camping shops in the city. Armidale also hosts a number of excellent schools, including New England Girls School, [The Armidale School], Presbyterian Ladies College and O'Connor Catholic High as private secondary schools, and Duval High and Armidale High Schools as comprehensive public secondary schools. These attract scholars from all over Australia and internationally.
Armidale Dumaresq
The Local Government Area Armidale Dumaresq was formed from the merger in 2000 of the original City of Armidale with the surrounding Dumaresq Shire. The combined area covers the urban area of Armidale and the surrounding region, extending primarily westward from the city through farming districts to the gorges and escarpments that mark the edge of the Northern Tablelands. Villages located in the LGA include Kelly's Plains, Dangarsleigh, Wollomombi, Hillgrove and Ebor.
Attractions
- Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
- Dangars Falls and Gorge
- Gara Gorge (site of early hydro-electric scheme)
- Samaurez Homestead - National Trust listed early farmstead
- Ebor Falls
- Cathedral Rock National Park
- Wollomombi Falls
- Mt Yarrowyck Aboriginal Rock Art site
- Gostwyck Chapel (1834)
- Gemstone fossicking
- Waterfall Track Network - Bushwalking (http://www.waterfalltrack.com)
External links
- Armidale Tourism (http://www.armidaletourism.com/)
- Thrive in Armidale - Information Portal (http://www.armidaleregion.com/)
- Waterfall Track - bushwalking (http://www.waterfalltrack.com/)
- Armidale Dumaresq Council (http://www.armidale.nsw.gov.au/)
- University of New England (http://www.une.edu.au/campus/une/armidale/armidale.html)
- The Armidale School (http://www.as.edu.au/)
- Tourism Info (http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/NSWArmidale.shtml)
- Presbyterian Ladies College (http://www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au/)
- Duval High School (http://www.duval.nsw.edu.au/)
- Armidale High School (http://www.armidale-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/)
This is about the town of Armidale in New South Wales. This is the only town that has this spelling, but for other places named Armadale see also: