Armidale.

(Thunderbolt’s Way is a spectacular tourist drive from Port Stephens, north of Newcastle to Goondiwindi in Queensland, passing through Stroud, Gloucester, Nowendoc, Walcha and Uralla on its way to Armidale.)

At an elevation of almost 1,000 metres above sea level high on the northern tablelands, Armidale is Australia’s highest city and Armidale’s atmosphere is clear, clean and invigorating.

The region’s mild summers and splendid autumns will captivate you.

Spring, with it’s wonderful burst of brilliant colour will enthrall you and crisp Armidale winters with occasional snowfalls will invite you to snuggle up with someone special in front of that log fire.

A delightful combination of natural heritage buildings and historic landmarks await the visitor to Armidale and surrounding districts.

A university town and a centre for the arts, Armidale with its galleries, cinema and live entertainment will provide many diversions for those spending time in this historic city.

Winter in Armidale is a great time for walking and Armidale is an ideal base for exploring the natural attractions of the New England region.

Within 90 minutes drive of the city are three World Heritage Listed National Parks - The Oxley Wild Rivers, New England and Dorrigo National Parks. The closest national park is Oxley Wild Rivers where you can see some of the most spectacular gorges and waterfalls in Australia.

Dangars Gorge is just 20 minutes drive from Armidale and Wollomombi Gorge, with the second highest waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere, is only 30 minutes from town along the Waterfall Way.

An hour's drive east of Armidale is Cathedral Rock National Park, which offers great walks and nearby is wild and rugged New England National Park, where you can walk amidst Snowgums, Banksia or Antarctic Beech forest and where the views on a clear day are simply breathtaking.

Explore world heritage national parks, wander through beautiful gardens or stroll along streets of yesteryear.

Linger at alfresco cafes or marvel at works of great artistry, take day trips to towns like Walcha, Uralla and Guyra and see the natural wonders and historic treasures that this region has to offer.

For the adventurous, opportunities for horse trekking, white water rafting, bushwalking and 4WD exploring are plentiful.

Buy a fishing license and try your luck for trout in one of the many streams and rivers in the area, fossick for gemstones or that special something at an antique shop or take day trips and visit places such as Uralla and Ebor, your options are endless........enjoy,

John.

PS. While you're visiting Armidale you'll need somewhere to rest your head won't you?

Well, lucky for you the task of finding accommodation in Armidale just became a whole lot easier! That little box on the right is not the usual link to a hotel booking site...

It is a search tool. It searches the 30 biggest booking sites on the web and brings back all the prices for you, so you can make sure you get the best deal available.

•click the "Go" button...

•...and you get taken to a page that lists what Armidale accommodation is currently available for those dates and the best price for each. (Page opens in new window.)

Click on any individual hotel and you can see all the results for that hotel. If you want a bigger or better located room than the cheapest one available, you can still see with one glance who has the best deal for that particular room.

On top of the best prices you also get information about the individual hotels and resorts, pictures, maps, reviews from travellers, all neatly presented and very user friendly.

Once you click "Select" on the best price, THEN you get taken to a booking site where you can find out more details about the offer.

I played with this myself before I put it here. I compared it to the prices that the hotels offer on their own websites: this tool brought back the same or a better offer. (Up to 20% cheaper!)

I compared it to what Flight Centre had to offer: Flight Centre was either sold out or more expensive.

Needless to say, I was impressed.

Try it out for yourself and, as always......enjoy,

John

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