Armidale is a city in the
Northern Tablelands
The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England regio ...
,
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia. Armidale had a population of 23,967 as of the 2021 census.
[ Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.] It is the administrative centre for the
Northern Tablelands
The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England regio ...
region. It is approximately halfway between
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
and
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
at the junction of the
New England Highway
New England Highway is an long highway in Australia running from Yarraman, Queensland, Yarraman, north of Toowoomba, Queensland, at its northern end to Hexham, New South Wales, Hexham at Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, New South Wales, ...
and
Waterfall Way
Waterfall Way is a country road in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia, linking Raleigh on the state's North Coast to Armidale. The route passes through some of New South Wales' most scenic countryside and has become we ...
.
Armidale is a rural
university town
A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...
, home to the
University of New England University of New England may refer to:
* University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 26,000 students
* University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 6,000 students
See also
* New England Coll ...
(UNE). Armidale is located within the New England
Renewable Energy Zone, which is expected to bring significant renewable energy development to the area.
History

Before the British colonial settlement of New South Wales, the
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
Anaiwan tribe occupied the area that encompasses current day Armidale.
British pastoralists first entered the region in the early 1830s, following the earlier exploration of the area by
John Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an English List of explorers, explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps bes ...
. Oxley recommended the region for grazing, and soon squatters established large leaseholds in the locality. Armidale was initially founded in 1839 by
George James MacDonald who was the
Commissioner of Crown Lands and head of the local
Border Police
A border guard of a country is a national security agency that ensures border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Federal Police (Germany), Germany, Guardia di Finanza, Italy or State Border Guar ...
detachment in the
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
district. MacDonald established his barracks on the site and named it after
Armadale on the
Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...
in Scotland which was the ancestral home of the MacDonald clan.
The
James Barnet
James Johnstone Barnet, (1827 in Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland – 16 December 1904 in Forest Lodge, Sydney, New South Wales) was the Colonial Architect for Colonial New South Wales, serving from 1862 to 1890.
Early life
Barnet was born ...
-designed
heritage-listed
This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...
Armidale Post Office opened on 1 April 1843.
The town, which was surveyed in 1848 and gazetted in 1849, was established to provide a market and administration for the farms, but soon after gold was discovered at nearby
Rocky River Rocky River may refer to:
Localities
*Rocky River, Ohio, USA
* Rocky River, New South Wales near Uralla, Australia
Electorates
*Electoral district of Rocky River (South Australia)
Streams
In Australia:
* Rocky River (New South Wales)
* ...
and Gara Gorges, and a gold rush ensued, enlarging the town rapidly in the 1850s. The gold mining settlement of
Hillgrove about 40 km east of Armidale was supplied by electricity from Australia's first
hydro-electric scheme, the
Gara River Hydro-Electric Scheme
Gara River Hydro-Electric Scheme is a heritage-listed former hydroelectric power station located at Castle Doyle in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Richard Threlfall and built from 1893 to 1895 by Crom ...
, remains of which are still visible on the
Gara River below the Blue Hole at
Castle Doyle. The nearby town of
Uralla
Uralla is a town on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. It is located at the intersection of the New England Highway and Thunderbolts Way, north of Sydney and about south-west of the city of Armidale. At the , the township of ...
holds the grave of the famous
Captain Thunderbolt
Frederick Wordsworth Ward (c. 1835 – 25 May 1870), better known by the Style (manner of address)#Self-styled, self-styled pseudonym of Captain Thunderbolt, was an Australian bushranger renowned for escaping from Cockatoo Island, New South Wal ...
– outlaw Fred Ward – who caused trouble in the area in the 1860s. As with
Ned Kelly
Edward Kelly (December 185411 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader, bank robber and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing armour of the Kelly gang, a suit of bulletproof ...
, the locals have adopted him as a
larrikin
Larrikin is an Australian English term meaning "a mischievous young person, an uncultivated, rowdy but good-hearted person", or "a person who acts with apparent disregard for social or political conventions".
In the 19th and early 20th centurie ...
hero and make the most of him as a tourist attraction.
Armidale became a municipality in 1863
and was proclaimed a
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in 1885.
Although it does not lie between the two major cities of Sydney and Melbourne, a site just to the south of Armidale was, in the early 1900s, considered as a potential site for Australia's federal capital. Some saw its northerly location as better suited to all three eastern mainland states, including Queensland. Later, particularly in the 1920s and 1930s, Armidale was one of the centres of
separatist
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...
agitation by the
New England New State Movement
The New England New State Movement was an Australian political movement in the twentieth century. Founded as the Northern Separation Movement, the aim of the movement was to seek the secession of the New England region and surrounding areas fro ...
. Local politician,
David Drummond, a strong supporter of the movement, successfully lobbied for Armidale to have the second teachers' college in New South Wales, and later a
university
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
, positioning the town as a potential state capital.
Geography
Armidale is on the banks of Dumaresq Creek, in the Northern Tablelands in the
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
region about midway between Sydney and Brisbane at an altitude (980 m
AHD) ranging from 970 metres at the valley's floor to 1,110 metres above sea level at the crests of the hills. A short distance to the east of Armidale are heavily forested steep
gorge
A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...
s dropping down to the eastern coastal plain. Large parts of the highlands are covered by
Palaeozoic
The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma at the start of ...
aged
metamorphosed
Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causi ...
sedimentary rocks
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock formed by the cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or deposited at Earth's surface. Sedim ...
. Intruding into these meta-sediments are
granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
plutons
In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...
which decompose to form sandy soil, slightly deficient in nutrients. There are also basalt flows which are more fertile for the soil substrates. Those areas away from the deep gorge country tend to display gently undulating terrain mainly used for
pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing.
Types of pasture
Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...
s and where granites occur the areas are usually covered in bushland.
The area contains a number of places of outstanding natural beauty and scientific interest as well as several
World Heritage
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
national parks including the
New England National Park
The New England National Park is a protected national park located on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The park was created in May 1935 and is situated approximately north of Sydney, and south ...
and the
Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia in the Port Macquarie-Hastings City Council and Walcha Shire councils. The park is situated nort ...
. To the west is
Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve. The critically endangered
New England Peppermint Grassy Woodland
The New England Peppermint Grassy Woodland is a grassy-woodland community primarily situated in the New England and Northern Tablelands regions in northern New South Wales, Australia. Named after the Eucalyptus nova-anglica, it is listed as a ...
is the main vegetation community in the region.
The coastal plain can be reached directly at
Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...
via
Waterfall Way
Waterfall Way is a country road in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia, linking Raleigh on the state's North Coast to Armidale. The route passes through some of New South Wales' most scenic countryside and has become we ...
to
Dorrigo and
Bellingen on the
Bellinger River
Bellinger River, an open and Breakwater (structure), trained mature wind wave, wave dominated, estuary#Lagoon-type or bar-built, barrier estuary, is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
Belli ...
, a two-hour drive.

During winter there is a problem with some air quality reduction caused by the use of solid fuel domestic wood heaters. A peer-reviewed study carried out by the University of New England in 2007 found winter woodsmoke causes 8.8 additional visits per day to GPs in Armidale for respiratory complaints, i.e., about 750 additional visits per year. Another peer-reviewed study estimated the use of wood heaters in Armidale was responsible for about 11.5 premature deaths per year with estimated annual health cost of $14.95 million – about $4720 per year for every woodheater in the city.
Climate
Armidale has a
subtropical highland climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Cfb''). Armidale's elevation gives it a milder climate than most of northern New South Wales, but the summers are still very warm. Winters are long and cool, with many frosty nights. Snowfall is somewhat rare, on average only one day in every three years.

In Armidale, the presence of four distinct seasons makes it climatically unlike much of inland Australia; hence, the "New England" moniker and the
autumn colours are notable features of the city. Summers are characterised by warm to very warm days followed almost always by cool, sometimes cold, nights. Thunderstorms often produce heavy falls of rain and occasionally hail in the afternoons and early evenings, also bringing a sudden drop in temperature. Unlike nearby coastal areas, Armidale does not usually experience high humidity levels making most of the summer days quite comfortable. Temperatures exceed on an average of 13 afternoons per year, but rarely reach higher than .
The highest temperature recorded at Armidale Airport was , recorded in February 2017.
As the leaves turn yellow and fall, day temperatures are mostly still warm, particularly in March and April. Days are sunny, the thunderstorm season is over, and rain becomes more sporadic. Nights become colder, and residents often awake to a thick fog blanketing the Armidale valley, but by 9 am fogs have cleared to be followed by a bright sunny day. The year's first frosts usually occur in April, but they are not severe.
Winters are cold; overnight temperatures drop below with
frost
Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
on the ground; at the Tree Group Nursery station a reading as low as was record on 30 June 2010, whilst the older station at Radio 2AD recorded on 15 July 1970. These cold frosty mornings are usually followed by sunny days. Day temperatures may make it as high as , but sometimes may not climb beyond .
These are typical Northern Tablelands winter days with westerly winds, bleak grey clouds, and showers of rain and very occasionally snow. Rainfall during the winter months is not infrequent but is usually light.
In spring temperatures are warmer, although occasional morning frosts still can continue well into October. September is usually a pleasantly mild but windy month, and by late October with increasing heat and humidity the thunderstorm season is starting with increasing rainfalls. The spring months produce the most variable weather of the year. A week of very warm sunny weather can be followed by several milder days with temperatures right back at winter levels before gradually warming up again. This cycle often repeats itself many times until the start of summer.
Weather

Armidale has been prone to severe hailstorms and experienced three such storms over the ten-year period from 1996 to 2006.
On 29 September 1996
hail
Hail is a form of solid Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailsto ...
of up to in
diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the centre of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest Chord (geometry), chord of the circle. Both definitions a ...
and southerly
wind
Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
s of up to were reported at the airport weather station. The area was declared a disaster zone and
State Emergency Service
The State Emergency Service (SES) is the name used by a number of separate civil defence organisations in Australia that provide assistance during and after major incidents. Specifically, the services deal with floods, storms and tsunamis, b ...
crews were brought in from across the state. Damage was estimated to be in excess of
A$200 million.
On 1 January 2000 many homes were damaged by extreme weather conditions which brought large hail stones, strong
wind
Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
s and
flash flooding
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash flo ...
.
On 21 December 2006 hail stones, high winds and flash flooding damaged more than 1,000 homes and destroyed the Armidale Livestock Exhibition Centre which collapsed entirely under the weight of accumulated hail. The city was declared a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
by
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma (; born 21 July 1961) is an Australian former politician who was the 40th Premier of New South Wales, serving from 3 August 2005 to 5 September 2008.
From Sydney, Iemma attended the University of Sydney and the University of Techn ...
the following day.
On the night of 14 October 2021 at 10pm, an intense storm produced a tornado causing extensive damage. It tore away roofs and turned vehicles upside down.
City of Armidale
Armidale is a cathedral city, being the seat of the
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
and
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
s of Armidale. St Peter's Anglican Cathedral, which replaced the original St Peter's Church, was designed by the Canadian architect
John Horbury Hunt
John Horbury Hunt (1838 – 30 December 1904), often referred to as Horbury Hunt, was a Canadian-born Australian architect who worked in Sydney and rural New South Wales from 1863.
Life and career
Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of ...
, who also designed Booloominbah at the
University of New England University of New England may refer to:
* University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 26,000 students
* University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 6,000 students
See also
* New England Coll ...
. St Peter's Cathedral opened for worship in 1875 and the tower was added in 1938. The Catholic Cathedral of St Mary and St Joseph was dedicated on 12 December 1919.
The city centre is laid out in a grid of streets. The main street is called Beardy Street, named for two of the founding settlers who had beards. The court house was built in the 1850s and is still a prominent feature of the central district. Much of the rest of the city is residential.
The Australian
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...
Fashion Awards, which showcases the use of
Merino
The Merino is a list of sheep breeds, breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monop ...
wool by fashion designers, are hosted by Armidale in March each year. The Autumn
Festival
A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
is a popular annual event of April in Armidale. The festival features a street parade, stalls and celebrations throughout the city. It is a regular part of the city's attractions, often promoting Armidale's diverse culture (for instance, posters set up by council attempt to attract tourists with the motto "Foodies Thrive in Armidale") and autumn colours. During May the annual New England Wool Expo is staged to display wool fashions, handicrafts, demonstrations, shearing competitions, yard dog trials and demonstrations, a wool bale rolling competition and other activities.
File:Armidale Court House - panoramio.jpg, The former Armidale Courthouse
File:Armidale Town Hall - panoramio.jpg, Armidale Town Hall
File:Armidale St Peters.JPG, St Peter's Cathedral
File:Post Office Armidale.jpg, Armidale Post Office
Demographics

According to the
2021 census, there were 23,967 people in the Armidale significant urban area.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 7.9% of the population.
* 74.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were Iraq 2.4%, England 2.0%, India 1.1%, Nepal 1.1%, and New Zealand 1.0%.
* 78.6% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Kurdish 1.1%, Nepali 1.1% and Mandarin 0.7%.
* The most common responses for religion were No Religion 36.1%, Catholic 16.7% and Anglican 16.1%.
Armidale is home to a
Êzidî community of approximately 650.
Suburbs
* Acacia Park
* East Armidale
* West Armidale
* Ben Venue
* Bona Vista
* Commissioners Waters
* Dumaresq
* Duval
* Madgwick
* North Hill
* Newling
* Soudan Heights
* South Hill
* St. Patrick's
* The Mission
Transport
The
Armidale railway station
Armidale railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at 240 Brown Street, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1882 to 1883 by Edmund Lonsdale and Henry Sheldon Hoddard, and was opened on 3 February 1883 when the l ...
is on the
Main North railway line
The Main North Line (also known as the Great Northern Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia, running from Strathfield in Sydney to Armidale.
The 1980s saw the line closed progressively north of Armidale; passenger services ...
and is served by daily passenger trains to and from Sydney. Armidale's airport has five daily scheduled flights to and from Sydney with
Qantas
Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...
link.
Link Airways operates scheduled services between Armidale and Brisbane.
[}] Armidale Airport
Armidale Regional Airport is an airport serving Armidale, a city in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located southwest of the town centre, on the New England Highway. The airport is operated by the Armidale Regional Council.
Fa ...
, at 1,084 metres (3,556 ft), is the highest licensed airport in New South Wales.
The city is linked further north by daily
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
to
Tenterfield
Tenterfield is a regional town in New South Wales, Australia, situated at the junction of the New England and Bruxner highways, along the Northern Tablelands, within the New England, New South Wales, New England region. At the , Tenterfield ha ...
provided by
NSW TrainLink
NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...
. Other bus companies such as
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets.
Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...
also provide numerous daily services. Local city services are provided on six different routes by Edwards Coaches and Armidale is serviced by 16
taxis
A taxis (; : taxes ) is the motility, movement of an organism in response to a Stimulus (physiology), stimulus such as light or the presence of food. Taxes are innate behavioural responses. A taxis differs from a tropism (turning response, often ...
.
Although the hills to the north and the south can be a challenge, cycling is an option to get around Armidale. A
cycleway exists from the University of New England through the city to the residential areas on the eastern side of city. This cycleway snakes back towards
Ben Venue School. The passage through the city provides easy access for cyclists to the shopping centres. Bicycle racks are in strategic locations around the city centre, including at The Armidale Food Emporium, The Armidale Plaza, and Centro Armidale. Places are also provided outside the Armidale Dumeresq War Memorial Library, and at either end of the Mall. A maze of marked cycleways on the shoulder of the roads in the city's southern residential areas allows cyclists to safely ride on the roads. There are also separate cycleways from the Armidale Arboretum along Kellys Plains Road to the south and from the north of the city along Rockvale Road to the
Armidale State Forest (known as the Pine Forest by locals).
Education
The city is home to a large number of education facilities, including
The Armidale School
The Armidale School (abbreviated as TAS) is an independent Anglican co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school, located in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. Administration of the schools is formalised as a ...
(1894),
New England Girls' School
New England Girls' School (NEGS) is an independent Anglican school. Located in Armidale, Northern NSW, NEGS provides an educational experience for both boys and girls in Junior School and a tailored learning environment for young women in Senio ...
(1895),
Presbyterian Ladies' College (PLC Armidale) (1887), and the Armidale
Waldorf School (1985), schools of the Australian
independent education sector.
O'Connor Catholic College
O'Connor Catholic College, formerly O'Connor Catholic High School, is an independent Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. It was created by an amalgamation of St Ursula's College and De ...
(1975) and St Mary's Primary School are systemic
Catholic schools
Catholic schools are parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school system. In 201 ...
.
Armidale High School
Armidale High School was a Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded Mixed-sex school, co-educational Comprehensive education, comprehensive secondary school, secondary day school, located in Armidale, a College town, universi ...
(1911) and
Duval High School
Duval High School was a government-funded co-educational bi-modal partially academically selective and comprehensive secondary day school, located in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
Founded in 1974, the school enrolled approximately ...
(1972) were government-funded secondary schools until their closing at the end of 2018. In 2019, the two schools were combined into one in the form of
Armidale Secondary College
Armidale Secondary College (abbreviated as ASC) is a government-funded co-educational dual modality partially academically selective and comprehensive secondary day school, located in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
History
The schoo ...
, which is located on what was the Armidale High School campus. It was previously located on the Duval High School campus as a placeholder while the Armidale High campus was partially demolished. Approximately 27% of Armidale's total population is in the 10–24-year age group, compared with an equivalent NSW figure of 18%.
University of New England

The university was founded in 1938, at first as a college of the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
, but then in its own right in 1954. The UNE contributes to Armidale's position as a city of culture and diversity, with a vibrant artistic and cultural element. The university has strong links to the rural community, and undertakes a lot of agricultural research. There is also a high-technology presence, as well as notable humanities teaching. UNE hosts a wide range of courses, and introduced a number of new courses in 2008, including a five-year Bachelor of Medical Science and
Doctor of Medicine
A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...
program as part of a joint medical program with the
University of Newcastle. The university is built around the historic mansion
Booloominbah
Booloominbah is a heritage-listed mansion at 60 Madgwick Drive, Armidale, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Horbury Hunt in the Federation Arts and Crafts style and built from 1884 to 1888 by Will ...
, which is now used for administration and houses a restaurant. UNE is one of the city's main employers.
Retail
Armidale is a major regional retail centre, housing three
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
s:
* Central Armidale. A
A$49 million development
anchored by a
Woolworths,
Kmart
Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...
and 32 speciality stores. It began trading under the name 'Centro' in late November 2007, and was rebranded 'Central' in 2014.
* Armidale Plaza, a
A$70 million venture,
officially opened an extension, refurbishment and rebranding (formerly Kmart Plaza) in August 2007. Armidale Plaza is anchored by and 50 specialty stores.
Bi-Lo was one of the anchor stores until it closed on 28 February 2010. IGA became an anchor store where it opened there on 8 November 2011.
Target Country closed its store in the centre in March 2021.
IGA IGA or IgA may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* IGA (supermarkets) (initially Independent Grocers Alliance), a name used by many independent supermarkets throughout the world
** IGA (Australian supermarket group), the local Australian v ...
closed its store in this centre in 2018 and was replaced with an
Anytime Fitness
Anytime Fitness Franchisor, LLC, doing business as Anytime Fitness, is an American franchise of 24 hour health and fitness clubs that is based in Woodbury, Minnesota, United States. The company operates over 5,000 franchised locations in 50 cou ...
, itself later replaced with a cheap as chips
* The East Mall was constructed in 2002 and houses
Coles Supermarket
Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty. Ltd., doing business as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in the suburb of Collingwood by Sir George ...
and 15 speciality stores.
Mall
Armidale has a
pedestrian mall
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...
which stretches over three blocks of Beardy Street in the centre of city. It features many shops and cafés with outdoor eating areas along with some notable architecture, including Tattersalls Hotel, built in the
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
style during the 1930s; Armidale
Courthouse
A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...
; the
city's main post office; the former
Commonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), also known as Commonwealth Bank or simply CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of fi ...
and the New England Hotel. The mall was opened in 1973 and was the first of its kind in regional Australia.
Armidale Dumaresq Council has been undertaking major upgrades to the mall since 2003 as part of th
Armidale CBD Streetscape Design Projectwhich aims at easing
traffic
Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes.
Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...
in the
city centre
A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...
by creating an emphasis on the "ring road" around the CBD with the assistance of
signage
Signage is the design or use of signs and symbols to communicate a message. Signage also means signs ''collectively'' or being considered as a group. The term ''signage'' is documented to have been popularized in 1975 to 1980.
Signs are any ki ...
, elevation of roads using
paving and the creation of
one-way streets.
Sport
The most popular sport in Armidale is
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
. The city has four teams in the
New England Rugby Union: Armidale Blues, Barbarians, Robb College, St. Albert's College, the latter two of which are made up of primarily university students staying on residence at the respective colleges.
A close second in popularity in the city is
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
. Armidale has two teams competing in
Group 19, the Armidale Rams RLFC, and the Narwan Eels, a club with a distinct Indigenous influence. The Rams are based at Rugby League Park on Dumaresq St in Central Armidale, whilst the Eels are based at Newling Oval on the southern outskirts of the city.
Other sports teams include the UNE New England Nomads (University AFL team) and various soccer teams in the local SportUNE League.
Media
The city is serviced by one local newspaper, many radio stations including four local outlets, and all major television stations.
Local press
* ''
Armidale Express
The ''Armidale Express'' is a newspaper published in Armidale, a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales.
Its frequency is weekly. The Express is read by approximately 5,000 readers in Armidale, Uralla, Guyra and Walcha areas.
Hi ...
''
* ''Armidale Express Extra''
* ''Armidale Independent'', closed November 2014
Local radio
*
TUNE! FM, one of Australia's oldest
community radio
Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting.
Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...
stations aimed at a youth audience.
* 2AD/FM100.3, a commercial broadcaster owned by the
SuperNetwork
A supernetwork, or supernet, is an Internet Protocol (IP) network that is formed by aggregation of multiple networks (or subnets) into a larger network. The new routing prefix for the aggregate network represents the constituent networks in a s ...
.
*
2ARM 92.1 FM, a
community radio
Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting.
Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...
station staffed by volunteers and operating from premises in Kentucky Street with a Permanent Community Broadcasting Licence. See program guide at http://2arm.net.au
* 88.0 is a narrowcast tourist radio station.
*87.6
Raw FM Australia (Dance Floor Radio Network)
National radio
*
Triple J
Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...
* ABC
Radio National
ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2.
...
*
ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. I ...
*
2KY National Racing Service
*
ABC New England North West
ABC New England North West is an ABC Local Radio station based in Tamworth and broadcasting to the regions of New England, the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes in New South Wales. This includes the towns and cities of Armidale, Mor ...
Television stations
*
Seven
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...
(formerly branded as
Prime7
Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as ''CBN (Australian TV station), CBN-8'' in Orange, New South Wales, Ora ...
),
7two,
7mate
7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...
,
7flix
7flix is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 28 February 2016.
7flix targets a variety of viewers and offers drama, comedy, reality, docusoap, and movies.
History
On 18 Decembe ...
,
7Bravo
7Bravo is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network under license from NBCUniversal International Networks on 15 January 2023. The channel contains programming from NBCUniversal's Americ ...
–
Seven Network
Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
owned and operated channels.
*
Nine
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit
Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
(
NBN),
9Go!
9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, anima ...
,
9Gem
9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived.
History
The la ...
,
9Life
9Life is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Nine Entertainment. The channel airs mostly foreign lifestyle and reality programs, with the channel having a licensing agreement with Discovery Inc. (previously Scr ...
–
Nine Network
Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
owned and operated channels.
*
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...
,
10 Bold Drama
10 Bold Drama (set to rebrand as 10 Drama in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and eve ...
,
10 Peach Comedy
10 Peach Comedy (set to rebrand as 10 Comedy in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air television channel operated by Network 10. It was launched on 11 January 2011 as Eleven. It is owned by ElevenCo, which was established as a joint venture betwee ...
–
Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...
affiliated channels.
*
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
,
ABC Family
American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
,
ABC Kids,
ABC Entertains
ABC Entertains is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was launched on 4 December 2009 as a children's channel called ABC3. It was rebranded on 19 September 2016 to ABC ME. It rebra ...
and
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to:
* ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
* ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company
ABC News may a ...
, part of the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
.
*
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...
,
SBS,
SBS Viceland
SBS Viceland (stylised as SBS VICELAND) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It began as SBS TWO on 1 June 2009, and was branded as SBS 2 between 2013 and 2016. On 8 April 2017, SBS V ...
,
SBS Food
SBS Food (formerly Food Network) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world.
History
SBS first ...
,
SBS WorldWatch
SBS WorldWatch is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel shows multilingual international news bulletins in more than 30 languages, as well as two local bulletins ...
,
SBS World Movies
SBS World Movies is an Australian free-to-air television channel showing international movies. The channel features foreign language films, documentaries, independent, annual films, art films and mainstream cinema and interviews with intern ...
and
NITV
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the six-day-a-week ''NITV News Updat ...
.
Subscription Television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, b ...
services are provided by
Foxtel
NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...
.
Attractions
* Armidale and Region Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place
*
Oxley Wild Rivers National Park
The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia in the Port Macquarie-Hastings City Council and Walcha Shire councils. The park is situated nort ...
, which includes
Dangar Falls and Gorge
The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is a state park, protected national park that is located in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, Port Macqu ...
and
Gara Gorge
*
Saumarez Homestead
Saumarez Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead located at 230 Saumarez Road, Armidale in the Armidale Regional Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The homestead was designed by J. W. Pender in the Federation Edwardia ...
New England Regional Art Museum*
Cathedral Rock National Park
Cathedral Rock is a national park west of Waterfall Way in New South Wales, Australia, east of Armidale and about north of Sydney.
This park is lying between the Guy Fawkes River and Macleay Range, and is about six kilometres west of Ebor ...
*
Waterfall Way
Waterfall Way is a country road in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia, linking Raleigh on the state's North Coast to Armidale. The route passes through some of New South Wales' most scenic countryside and has become we ...
and
Wollomombi Falls
The Wollomombi Falls is a plunge waterfall on the Wollomombi River in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia.
Location and features
In the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park approximately due east of Armidale and off the Waterf ...
* Mount
Yarrowyck Aboriginal Rock Art site
*
Gemstone
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewellery, jewelry or other adornments. Certain Rock (geology), rocks (such ...
fossicking
In Australia, New Zealand and Cornwall, fossicking is prospecting, especially when carried out as a recreational activity. This can be for gold, precious stones, fossils, etc. by sifting through a prospective area. In Australian English and New Z ...
Heritage listings

Armidale has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* 158 Beardy Street:
Armidale Post Office
* 164 Beardy Street:
Commercial Bank of Australia Building
* 216 Brown Street:
Armidale railway station turntable
Armidale railway station turntable is a heritage-listed railway turntable at 216 Brown Street, Armidale, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The property is owned by the Transport Asset Holding Entity (State Government). It ...
* 234 Brown Street:
Armidale railway station
Armidale railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at 240 Brown Street, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1882 to 1883 by Edmund Lonsdale and Henry Sheldon Hoddard, and was opened on 3 February 1883 when the l ...
* 125 Dangar Street:
Central Park, Armidale
* 132 Dangar Street:
Saints Mary and Joseph Catholic Cathedral
Saints Mary and Joseph Catholic Cathedral is a heritage-listed cathedral at 132 Dangar Street, Armidale, Armidale Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. It is the diocesan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Armidale and the seat ...
* 108 Faulkner Street:
Lands Board Office
* 60 Madgwick Drive:
Booloominbah
Booloominbah is a heritage-listed mansion at 60 Madgwick Drive, Armidale, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Horbury Hunt in the Federation Arts and Crafts style and built from 1884 to 1888 by Will ...
* 122–132 Mossman Street:
Old Teachers' College
* 36 Roseneath Lane:
Roseneath
* 122 Rusden Street:
St Peter's Cathedral
* 230 Saumarez Road:
Saumarez Homestead
Saumarez Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead located at 230 Saumarez Road, Armidale in the Armidale Regional Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The homestead was designed by J. W. Pender in the Federation Edwardia ...
* Allingham Street:
Hunter River Lancers Training Depot
Notable people
The following notable people were either born in, currently live in or previously resided in Armidale
*
Peter Allen, singer and stage performer
* Charles Badham (1884–1943), medical practitioner and public health officer
*
Jillian Banfield
Jillian Fiona Banfield (born Armidale, Australia) is professor at the University of California, Berkeley with appointments in the Earth Science, Ecosystem Science and Materials Science and Engineering departments. She is the director of microbi ...
, Geomicrobiologist
*
Archie Barwick
Archie Albert Barwick (7 March 1890 – 28 January 1966) was an Australian farmer and soldier known for his diaries of World War I. His set of diaries are recognised as one of the most extensive and well written first hand accounts of military ...
, farmer and WWI sergeant
*
Jack Bedson, children's author and poet
*
Kate Bell, actress
*
Anya Beyersdorf
Anya Beyersdorf is an Australian actress and screenwriter.
Early life and education
Anya Beyersdorf was born in Armidale, New South Wales. She attended Armidale High School in her high school years. However, she studied drama and communicatio ...
, actress
*
Leigh Blackmore
Leigh (David) Blackmore (born 1959) is an Australian horror writer, critic, editor, occultist, musician and proponent of post-left anarchy. He was the Australian representative for the Horror Writers of America (1994–95) and served as the ...
, writer and editor
*
Florence Turner Blake (1873–1959), artist and benefactor
*
Michele Bullock
Michele Bullock (born 1962/1963) is an Australian economist who is currently governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). She commenced as governor on 18 September 2023, and is the first woman to hold the role.
Early life, personal life an ...
, economist
*
Zihni Buzo, engineer
*
Alex Buzo
Alexander John Buzo (23 July 194416 August 2006) was an Australian playwright and author who wrote 88 works. His literary works recorded Australian culture through wit, humour and extensive use of colloquial Australian English.
Biography
Ear ...
, playwright
* Gilbert Ernest Cory (1906–1977), solicitor and army officer
*
Zelman Cowen
Sir Zelman Cowen, (7 October 1919 – 8 December 2011) was an Australian legal scholar and university administrator who served as the 19th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1977 to 1982.
Cowen was born in Melbourne, and attended ...
, 19th
Governor General of Australia, in office from 1977 to 1982, vice-chancellor of the University of New England (1966–1970)
*
Bruce Devlin
Bruce William Devlin (born 10 October 1937) is an Australian professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer.
Early life
Devlin was born in 1937 in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. His parents, Jess and Artie, moved to Gou ...
, professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer
*
Edward Doody, Catholic bishop
*
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along with ...
, professional
cyclist
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
*
Hugh Gordon, veterinary
parasitologist
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it f ...
*
Bill Hirschberg
William Adolphus Hirschberg (1 December 1881 – 30 July 1963) was an Australian international rugby union player.
Hirschberg, a flanker, was born in Armidale, New South Wales and claimed one international rugby cap for Australia, playing agains ...
(1881–1963), rugby union player
*
Fergus James
Fergus James Lupton (born ), who performs as Fergus James is an Australian singer-songwriter-guitarist. He is known for his singles "Golden Age" and "What Are We Waiting For" as well as opening for Ed Sheeran on his ÷ Tour in 2018. "Golden Age" r ...
, singer-songwriter
*
Anthony Kelly, martial artist
*
Mary Kirkpatrick
Mary Kirkpatrick (; November –16 February 1943) was a pioneer of women's healthcare and the first trained midwife on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. She established the first private maternity hospital, eventually establishing three m ...
, first trained midwife on the
Mid North Coast
The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region, situated 416km north of Sydney, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at Hawks Nest to as far ...
of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
* Sir
Frank Kitto
Sir Frank Walters Kitto, (30 July 1903 – 15 February 1994), Australian judge, was a Justice of the High Court of Australia.
Early life and education
Kitto was born in Melbourne in 1903, but his family moved to Sydney, when his father, Ja ...
, former High Court Judge, former Chancellor of the University of New England
*
John McIntosh, Australian politician, member of the
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. Along with the New South Wales Legislative As ...
*
John Monckton (1938–2017), Olympic backstroke silver medallist
*
Anne Plunkett, Australian Ambassador to Ireland; Portugal
*
Gayla Reid
Gayla Reid (born 12 May 1945) is an Australian-born Canadian writer.
Biography
Born and raised in Armidale, New South Wales, Reid was educated at the University of New England, Australian National University and the University of British Colu ...
, writer
*
Steven Conte, writer
* Nich Richardson, television presenter and producer
*
Frank Roberts, boxer
*
Joe Roff
Joseph Ward Roff (born 20 September 1975) is an Australian former professional rugby union footballer who played on the Wing (rugby union), wing or at Fullback (rugby union), fullback for ACT Brumbies and Australia national rugby union team, A ...
,
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
player
*
Caroline Ann Rowland (in religion Mother Mary Cadula), founder of
St Ursula's College, Armidale
* Sir Mark Sheldon (1871–1956), Businessman
* Angelina Sondaq, Miss Indonesia 2001 and politician, was born and educated in Armidale.
*
Elzear Torreggiani
Elzear Torreggiani D.D., O.S.F.C, (28 May 1830 – 28 January 1904)
was a Catholic Bishop of Armidale, New South Wales.
Torregiani was born in Porto Recanati, Loreto district, Papal States, Italy and consecrated bishop on 25 March 1879. Prior t ...
, Catholic bishop
*
Peter Turnbull, WW2 fighter ace
*
Margaret Vyner
Margaret Leila Vyner, also known by her married name Margaret Williams (3 December 1914 in Armidale, New South Wales – 30 October 1993 in Reading, England) was an Australian-born model and actress who appeared in British films. She collabora ...
, model and actress
*
Don Walker, keyboardist for
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel are an Australian Pub rock (Australia), pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums, Les Kaczmarek on bass and Don Walker (musician), Don Walker on pia ...
*
George Warnecke
Glen William ("George") Warnecke (30 July 1894 – 2 June 1981) was an Australian journalist, editor, and publisher. He was born in Armidale, New South Wales and began his journalism career in 1913 as a junior reporter for '' The Evening News''. ...
(1894–1981), journalist, publisher, and founding editor of ''
The Australian Women's Weekly
''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known simply as ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Are Media in Sydney and founded in 1933. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before bein ...
''
[ Griffen-Foley, Bridget (2012)]
"Warnecke, Glen William ('George')"
''Australian Dictionary of Biography
The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
'', Vol. 18. Melbourne University Press. Online version retrieved 24 September 2016.
*
Dean Widders
Dean Richard Widders (born 25 October 1979) is an Anaiwan Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He works with the National Rugby League as an Indigenous Pathways manager. He is coa ...
,
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
player
* Sir
Thomas George Wilson (1876–1958), obstetrician and gynaecologist
*
Judith Wright
Judith Arundell Wright (31 May 191525 June 2000) was an Australian poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award and nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 196 ...
, poet
Sister cities
*
Masterton
Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...
, New Zealand
References
External links
Armidale.infoPhotographs of Armidale in 1994, National Library of AustraliaArmidale Regional CouncilVisitNSW.com – Armidale
{{Authority control
Towns in New England (New South Wales)
Armidale Regional Council
Populated places established in the 1830s
Proposed sites for national capital of Australia