Tour Guide
Outdoor Activities & Tours
Click to select - Scenic Tours, Historic Tours

Scenic Tours & Drives back to top
If you are looking for a little more excitement in your holiday then Armidale is an ideal base for exploring the natural attractions of the New England region. Within 90 minutes drive of Armidale are three World Heritage-listed national parks, Oxley Wild Rivers, New England and Dorrigo.
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 falls 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

Armidale's latest tourism venture is Local Scenic Flights. This is the perfect way to view Armidale and Surrounds. With a choice of 4 different flight options ranging from the "Armidale City Scenic" that takes approximately 12 minutes to the "New England National Park" flight which takes 1hour 10minutes.

If you are interested in one of these flights please talk to the staff at the Armidale Visitor Information Centre or contact Aircrew Check and Training Australia
on 6771 5582.

Fleet Helicopters is another locally based tour company offering fantastic opportunities for visitors to view the countryside from a different perspective. Helicopter Joy Flights give the chance to see the Gorge Country like you've never seen it before.

If you would like to discover the wild and rugged beauty of New England's national parks and experience the wonders of the Australian bush but you aren't sure where to start, we suggest you contact one or more of the following companies;
Waterfall Way Tours is a locally owned tour company. Our visitors and locals can take an interpretive tour with Ross Stephens to any of the National Parks or even travel the Waterfall Way to the Coffs Harbour.

Alternatively if you have lots of energy to burn, contact Matt Graham of Matt's Sports Safaris. Matt's tours offer extreme fishing and hunting in amazing locations in the New England high country. You can try a Heli - fishing tour, hiking or canoeing through wilderness rivers.

The rugged and spectacular gorge country holds a fascination for many but none more so than Max Brennan, whose family has spent all their lives running cattle in the gorges south east of Armidale. Max was first taken down into the gorges on the front of his mother's saddle at 18 months of age and since then, he has made hundreds of trips on horseback. These days Max shares his passion for the country by providing three-day rides into the gorges on horseback with sure-footed packhorses. Riders begin their Wilderness Ride travelling through rolling hills before commencing the 500-metre ride down narrow zigzagging tracks into the gorge. It's a unique experience camping under the stars, swimming in rock pools and just appreciating the timelessness of this ancient continent away from the noise of televisions and mobile phones.

History Tours back to top
Known for its rich history from the early days of European settlement, Armidale has many fine heritage buildings, English-style schools, elegant cathedrals and grand pastoral homesteads. Armidale's free Heritage Tour is an excellent way of enjoying a leisurely guided tour of the city taking in the major historic and architectural landmarks.
As a University City with a sophisticated lifestyle, Armidale really celebrates arts and culture. There are many museums and the New England Regional Art Museum permanently houses the Hinton and Coventry Collections, two significant collections that are the envy of major cultural institutions.

Folk Museum - open daily from 1.00pm- 4.00pm.
NERAM and the Café - open daily from 10.30am - 5pm
Museum of Antiquities at UNE - open Monday - Friday from 9.00am - 4.30pm
Zoology Museum at UNE - open Monday - Friday from 9.00am - 4.30pm
Railway Museum - outside exhibits open daily. Interior viewing is open for the Heritage Tour only.

Armidale Heritage Tour
Armidale is one of the few cities in Australia to offer a free guided tour of the local attractions. The Armidale Heritage Tour leaves the Visitor Information Centre daily at 10.00am Monday - Friday and 10.30am on weekends and public holidays. It takes visitors on a leisurely two-hour guided tour that includes stops at the New England Regional Art Museum, (NERAM) the Railway Museum and the Booloominbah at the University of New England. It's a great way for visitors and locals to get to know the City and learn a little of the early history from our informative and entertaining guides.