With its unique blend of culture, state of the art technology, educational diversity and natural beauty Armidale offers everything. Armidale is situated half way between Sydney and Brisbane and only two hours from the coast.
Home to the Anaiwan Aboriginal people for some 10,000 years, Armidale was also a meeting place for the Dangaddi (Thungutti), Gumbainggari and Baanbai tribes and an Aboriginal painting site can be viewed on the slopes of Mount Yarrowyck 30 kilometres west of Armidale.
Armidale differs from most inland regional centres because it has a long established university, transforming it from a rural town to a sophisticated and cosmopolitan small city – it is not hard to see why Armidale is becoming the “oasis change” destination for many people.
Useful Facts
Size: 4,235 km 2
Population: 26,000
Climate: Mild summers, spectacular autumns and springs, and crisp winters. Average temperature range is 11° to 24°C in summer and -2° to 16°C in winter. The average annual rainfall is 800 mm.
Transport
Road: 567km from Sydney, 467km from Brisbane
Rail: Armidale has a daily Countrylink XPT Service to / from Sydney. The Railway Station is located on the fringe of the Armidale CBD
Airport: Armidale (60 flights per week)
Local: Buses provide urban transport within Armidale and to/from the University of New England.
Education
Employment
Armidale’s major employers are in the fields of education, retail and health.
Dining
Fortunately, much of the food grown here finds its way from ‘pasture to plate’ and onto the tables of local eateries. From casual family restaurants, cafés, clubs and pubs to fine dining rooms and cellar door establishments, there’s a diverse choice of dining options and cuisines.
Sport
The city has first class sporting facilities. For those who like the outdoors there are hobby farms on the outskirts of the city to follow rural pursuits, bushwalking in nearby world heritage national parks, trout fishing, white water rafting, sailing in Malpas Dam, Heli-fishing and abseiling.
Arts & Culture
Armidale has the best regional art gallery in NSW outside the main metropolitan cities with major collections valued at over $40 million. The city has a twin cinema which shows mainstream and art house movies. There is the New England Conservatorium of Music, a Symphony Orchestra, a Youth Orchestra, a biennial Bach Festival and several choral groups. The Armidale Playhouse Theatre, Armidale Musical Society, Stage One Theatre for Children and the University of New England Department of Theatre Studies perform regularly during the year.
Aboriginal Culture
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place houses a collection of artefacts that are the envy of other country regions as well as archival photographs and displays which open the visitor’s eyes to the lifestyles, history, art and lore of the original Australians.
