The majority of the major towns inland on the New South Wales mid North Coast lie on the New England Highway, an alternative route between Sydney and Brisbane with far less traffic. This section of the highway passes over the Great Dividing Range and through some of the highest towns in the state. It's the perfect area to get some insight into the Australian lifestyle without the hype, and the great scenery and roads linking the New England Hwy to the coast make it an easy and worthwhile diversion.

The New England regional centre, Armidale is an attractive town which is a popular tourist stopping point. There are many historical and architecturally significant buildings (more than thirty are National Trust classified) spread throughout the hilly streets, as well as a number of museums and galleries. Armidale also supports the New England University campus and the students help perpetuate the towns energetic atmosphere. This influence accounts for the healthy ammount of lively pubs and places to eat. There's also a good variety of accommodation making Armidale an ideal exploration base for the spectacular surrounding wilderness and national parks.

The Armidale area is renowned for the deep gorges and cascades which litter the countryside. The most impressive are Dangar's Falls and Wollomombi Falls, both located on the northern fringes of the enormous Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. The town of Walcha, sixty three kilometres south of Armidale, allows the best access to the southern stretches of the park which contains more magnificant gorges, forests, bushwalks and the Aspley and Tia Falls. Walcha itself is a small timber town on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range. First settled in 1832, there are a number of historical buildings as well as other exhibitions and museums which follow the colonial theme.

The incredibly scenic coastal link road (route#78) which runs from Armidale through Dorrigo to the ocean, passes by three more spectacular national parks. Cathederal Rock National Park features magnificent granite tors with 360 degree views from the accessible peaks. Further on, the more remote Guy Fawkes River National Park is gorge country with good walking tracks and excellent canoeing. The southern finger of the park is not far from the highway and is where the Guy Fawkes River takes its first breathtaking plunge off the tablelands creating the Ebor Falls.

Closer to Dorrigo, the New England National Park is a smaller park with a range of different enviroments and eco-systems. It's densely vegetated gorges and cliffs formed by the extinct Ebor volcano make for some fabulous walking tracks often shrouded by mist and water spray from the numourous waterfalls.

The timber town of Dorrigo makes another ideal base from which to discover the abounding natural wonders of the region. It's a pleasant place in a gorgeous setting with a balooning reputation for tasty country cooking and interesting art and craft shops and exhibitions.

Back on the New England Highway and 97 kilometres north of Armidale is bushranger country. The highland town of Glen Innes was the scene of many bushranging exploits and the colonial museums, buildings and attractions in town portray an interesting account of the times. Now the lush farming district has a large sapphire mining industry, and fossicking for sapphires, topaz, and quartz is just one of the things to do in the area.