Things to do in New England
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Tudor Hotel
Elegantly decorated with a romantic '80s record oozing from the restaurant. Garlic prawns and avocado taste good whether you are downstairs or up as it is the same menu on both levels.
reviewed
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Café Africa
Herbivores stay away, you will be confused by the Kalahari Bushman Skewers, and distraught by the Game of the Day. But carnivores are you ready for the Massal Challenge? Eat two Massai 1kg rumps and get the third one free.
reviewed
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Australian Country Music Foundation
If the names Tex Morton, Buddy Williams and Smoky Dawson mean anything to you, then this will too. This is a country-music great Hall of Fame (in the making) with photographs, historic video and film footage, music and souvenirs.
reviewed
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White Bull
Armidale’s telltale blue-grey bricks are still in place but the White Bull hasn’t been shy giving the interior a makeover. This is a pub worthy of a bit of lippy, with couches for chilling, a bar with boutique beers and a bistro menu that rises above the usual pub grub.
reviewed
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D
Motorcycle Museum
Containing three million bucks worth of bikes, Motorcycle Museum memorabilia has been collected by none other than the owner of the Quality Powerhouse Hotel next door. Three cheers for capitalism. There's not much floor space left, not even for the humble Norton 500.
reviewed
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Kwiambal National Park
Further northwest, Kwiambal National Park, pronounced kigh- am -bal, sits at the junction of the Macintyre and Severn Rivers. Largely undiscovered, it is an important conservation area for the tumbledown gum and Caley’s ironbark.
reviewed
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Bottega Café & Delicatezza
A haunt not just for foodies, but for hungries too. This cafe has tables and shelves stocked with gourmet produce and a deli full of charcuterie and cheese. Breakfast doesn't get much better.
reviewed
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Red Grapevine Restaurant & Bar
It arrives hot, it's hearty, rich and filling. Chorizo, tomato and cannellini bean, it is the way soup was always meant to be. This restaurant is not trying to be anything other than a fantastic Italian dining experience. BYO bottled wine only.
reviewed
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F
Calala Cottage
Calala Cottage is where you may get a hand-held tour but gee it's informative. The slab hut, coach house and blacksmiths were all built just before the Manor in 1875. Coffee freaks will love the old wrought-iron coffee-grinder.
reviewed
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Oxley Scenic Lookout
Grab a bottle of wine and follow jacaranda-lined White St to the very top, where you'll reach this viewpoint. It is the best seat in the house as the sun goes down over Tamworth and the surrounding Liverpool Ranges.
reviewed
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Tamworth Hotel
This place says country club and so does the slightly conservative crowd that drink here. There is a brasserie but no loud bands, just the faint sizzle of steaks and subtle hint of pretension wafting throughout the hotel.
reviewed
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Leconfield Jackaroo & Jillaroo School
Keen on mustering, milking, shearing and shoeing? This school will have you sorting the cowboys from the girls' blouses in no time.
reviewed
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Immrama
If the couches and coffee tables in this cafe don’t help you kick back and relax then the long list of ‘well-being’ and ‘relaxation’ teas might. It also serves organic coffee, cake and a seasonal lunch menu.
reviewed
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Central Hotel
More of a laid-back affair, the Central Hotel, with its old-school, art deco exterior, pulls an older crowd and bands or a DJ on weekends. You’ll make friends here whether you like it or not.
reviewed
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Aboriginal Cultural Centre & Keeping Place
Next door, this place will broaden your perception of Indigenous art, and enable the kids to make their own with the help of a resident artist.
reviewed
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Filling Groovy
With an emphasis on healthy and filling, this bright little cafe runs the gamut of salad-stuffed baguettes, wraps and sandwiches that go down a treat with smoothies and fresh juices.
reviewed
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Surfing Cow Café
Established in 2008 ‘and still going strong’ this cruisy cafe serves high-tin cakes, frittatas, gourmet pies ($5) and souvlaki lamb wraps ($9). The chai latte is quality, too.
reviewed
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Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre
This info hub has a cafe and a shop where you can stock up on all-important golden-guitar snow cones. When you've finished, check out the Wax Museum.
reviewed
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New England Regional Art Museum
At the southern edge of town, 'Neram' has a sizeable permanent collection and good contemporary exhibitions in pleasant grounds. It also houses the Museum of Printing, a cafe and souvenir shop.
reviewed
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Grass-Roots Eco-Store
This store is full to the brim with produce to bring out the inner greenie: fair-trade toys, organic beauty products, sustainable clothing and other guilt-free goods.
reviewed
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Goldfish Bowl
So-called because caffeine-fiends queue up along Dangar St staring in at the baristas who make this well- executed little drinkery tick. (That’s our take on it.)
reviewed
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Caffiends
Basic through to gourmet sandwiches, salads, pizzas, laksa, nachos and even steak! A real mixed bag to suit every tastebud but not every wallet, bring cash only.
reviewed
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Gibraltar Range National Park
Dramatic, forested and wild, Gibraltar Range National Park lies south of the Gwydir Hwy, about 80km east of Glen Innes on the road to Grafton.
reviewed
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Oxley Marsupial Park
Overfriendly cockatoos and other native animals live here alongside barbecues and picnic shelters. The park joins the Kamilaroi walking track.
reviewed
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Old Vic Café
An earthy country feel in terms of cheesecloth and Betty Crocker rather than tassels and bow legs. Get anything from a sandwich to a rump steak.
reviewed
