Welcome to our fantastic 5-day tour taking in the spectacular Armidale Region. Our first stop will be Stanthorpe for morning tea at the Storm King Dam. We continue through to Tenterfield, often referred to as the birthplace of the nation.

It was where Sir Henry Parkes made his famous speech which set the federation of Australia in motion. Before we have lunch, we will visit the School of the Arts, where the famous federation speech took place. We continue over the NSW border arriving mid-afternoon in Armidale. Passing through various country towns.

We are stopping at the Makers Shed, which is an artisanal Galler and bookshop in Deepwater before we arrive in Glen Innes, known fondly as the ‘Land of the Beardies. The town was settled by Scots and regards itself as the Celtic capital of New England. Our first stop will be the. Our next stop will be at the Australian

Standing Stones, pay tribute to the Celtic Heritage of the early European settlers to the district, visiting the Martins Lookout and The Croft Celtic Cultural Centre. Arriving mid-afternoon in Armidale. For the next 4 nights, we will be staying in Armidale. Meeting in the evening for our welcome dinner at the Accommodation.

Uncovering the sights of Armidale today we have a guided Heritage Tour, where we will be taken on a historical journey through Armidale with a lively and personal commentary from our local tour guide. Visiting the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place on Kentucky Street, which houses a fine collection of local Aboriginal artifacts and historical material.

The New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM). The University of New England and the heritage-listed homestead “Booloominbah”, has a rich history telling the story of the White family in New England. The home was completed in 1888, Australia’s centenary year. Its most spectacular feature is the “Gordon Window” – a large stainedglass window above the main staircase. In between these stops, you will be given the descriptions and history of many of the old and beautiful buildings that grace the City of Armidale.

After lunch we make our way to Ebor, stopping along the way at some great waterfalls and the Dutton Trout Hatchery, the hatchery offers a self-guided tour and hand feeding of the fish. We continue to the New England National Park, which covers over 3000 000 hectares of wilderness. We will stop at Point Lookout which offers a spectacular panoramic view of the Bellinger Valley.

Our next stop is the Ebor Waterfalls, plunging 100 metres over two waterfalls. On our way back we will be visiting the Wollomombi Gorge and Gara Dam before heading back to Armidale. Meeting for dinner.

After a leisurely Breakfast, we will explore the two-storey Edwardian mansion – the jewel of Saumarez – which has many outbuildings around and exquisite gardens. After our tour, we make our way for lunch and wine tasting. In the afternoon we will visit the Gara Gorge with an option to do a loop walk. Later in the afternoon, we will return to the Accommodation before meeting for dinner.

This morning, we hit the road to explore the Armidale Region. Our first stop is the Gostwyck Chapel and Deeargee Woolshed. Our second stop is the McCrossin’s Mill, built in 1870, the three-storey McCrossin’s Mill is now a highly regarded, award-winning museum. The Mill holds a diverse and unique collection of exhibits, including a fascinating display of Captain Thunderbolt artefacts.

A short stroll around town offers the opportunity to browse the antiquarian bookshop, antique stores, art galleries and specialty stores – or just sit and enjoy one of the many cafes, or friendly pubs. We are continuing to Walcha exploring the open-air Gallery and enjoying a lovely Lunch. Leaving Walcha via Oxley Highway to Woolbrook, a tiny hamlet nestled amongst shady trees. Woolbrook has some great old houses and sandstone block architecture, which fits aptly with the ambience of the Town.

Continuing onto Kentucky, which is a small village of peace, trees, chooks and a vegetable patch lifestyle. Visting Dobson’s Distillery, as grain-to-glass artisan distillers, they pride themselves on making all their spirits in-house, we have the chance to taste their products. We arrive late afternoon at our Accommodation, and we have dinner at the Accommodation.

Sadly, our tour must come to an end! Departing Armidale we travel west along Bundarra Road, cross part of the Great Dividing Range. We stop for morning Tea in Inverell, known as gemstone country, because of its beautiful sapphires, quartz crystals and gemstones.

We cross the border to Queensland for our next stop, which is Texas for a farewell Lunch and visit at the restored Texas Rabbit Works, believed to be the only rabbit processing works remaining in Australia. We arrive home mid-late afternoon with some fond memories of our fabulous getaway.