Armidale, New South Wales

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Not to be confused with Armadale.
Armidale
New South Wales

Looking south across Armidale City
Population: 25,000
Established: 1849
Postcode: 2350
Elevation: 1000 m
LGA: Armidale Dumaresq Council
State District: Northern Tablelands
Federal Division: New England
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Rainfall
19.6 °C
67 °F		 6.0 °C
43 °F		 790.1 mm
31.1 in

Armidale (population 25,000) is a university and cathedral city in northern New South Wales, Australia, in Armidale Dumaresq Council. It is the administrative centre for the New England region. It is the seat of The University of New England. It is located approximately half way between Sydney and Brisbane on the New England Highway, national route 15. It is 1000m AHD, with coordinates of 30°30′S, 151°40′E.

Contents

[edit] Geography and climate

Armidale is situated on the Northern Tablelands, a plateau atop the Great Dividing Range. To the east are heavily forested steep sandstone gorges dropping down to the eastern coastal plain. Some parts of the highlands are composed of granite and decomposed granite soil, which is slightly deficient in nutrients. There are also basalt intrusions which are more fertile than the granite country. To the west are gently undulating pastures and bushland.

The area contains a number of areas of outstanding natural beauty and scientific interest, and there are several World Heritage national parks in the area including the New England National Park and the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. To the west is Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve.

Armidale's elevation gives it a mild climate, with pleasant warm summers, extended spring and autumn seasons, and a short cold winter. Snow falls on an average of 2-3 days a year. The presence of four distinct seasons, unlike most of the rest of Australia, is the reason for the 'New England' moniker and the autumn colours are a notable feature of the city.

The coastal plain can be reached directly at Coffs Harbour via Dorrigo and Bellingen on the Bellinger River, a 2 hour drive.

Armidale is the terminus of the Northern Railway, with direct links to Sydney via the daily Countrylink Xplorer service. There is also a modern airport with daily scheduled flights to Sydney from Qantas. Armidale Airport, at 1084 metres (3,556 feet), is the highest Licensed Airport in Australia.

[edit] Air Pollution

Armidale has a noted problem with air pollution caused by the use of solid fuel domestic wood heaters during the winter months [1].

[edit] History

The Catholic Cathedral of St Mary and St Joseph, Armidale
The Catholic Cathedral of St Mary and St Joseph, Armidale

Before colonial New South Wales, The Aniwan (Anaiwan or Nganaywana) people were the traditional owners of the country that encompasses current day Armidale.

Armidale was first settled in the early 1830s, following the earlier exploration of the area by John Oxley. It was named after Armadale on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, but seemingly the city fathers were not good spellers. The Scottish Armadale was the ancestral home of George James McDonald who was the Commissioner for Crown Lands in the late 1830s.

Oxley recommended the region for grazing, and soon early pioneers set up small farms in the locality. 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 and Gara Gorges, and a gold rush ensued, enlarging the town rapidly in the 1850s. The gold mining settlement of Hillgrove, about 10km east of Armidale was the site of Australia's first hydro-electric scheme, remains of which are still visible. The nearby town of Uralla was home to the famous Captain Thunderbolt - outlaw Fred Ward - who caused trouble in the area in the 1860s. As with Ned Kelly, the locals have adopted him as a larrikin hero and make the most of him as a tourist attraction.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visited Armidale in 1970.

On 13 January 2007 a World War II veteran, Mark Edwin Hutchinson, was found decapitated in the back yard of his home on a local street. This murder is currently under investigation and police are calling for help to find his murderer.

[edit] University of New England

Main article: University of New England

Bus station at the UNE Arcade
Bus station at the UNE Arcade

The university was founded in 1938, at first as an outpost of the University of Sydney, but then in its own right (1954). The UNE changed Armidale from a rural market town into a city of great culture and diversity, with a much larger artistic and cultural element than might be expected for a country region. 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 an exceptionally wide range of courses, and will offer a medical school in the near future [2] . The university is built around the old country house of Booloominbah, which is now used for official functions and contains one of the university's restaurants. UNE is one of the city's main employers.

[edit] City of Armidale

The Armidale Courthouse
The Armidale Courthouse

Armidale was proclaimed a city in 1885. It is a cathedral city being the seat of the Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops of Armidale. St Peter's Anglican Cathedral, which replaced the original St Peter's Church, was designed by the Canadian architect, John Horbury Hunt who also designed Booloominbah at the University of New England. 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 consecrated in 1912.

The city is laid out in a grid around the centre. The main street is called Beardy Street, named for two of the founding settlers who had beards[3]. The court house was built in the 1850s and is still a prominent feature of the central district. Beardy Street is pedestrianised in the centre to form an outdoor mall with many shops, cafes, and leafy outdoor eating areas. It also features some notable architecture, including the Tattersalls Hotel, built in the Art Deco Moderne style during the 1930s. Much of the rest of the city is residential.

The Autumn Festival is a popular annual event of Armidale. The festival features a street parade, stalls and celebrations throughout the township. 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.

[edit] Education

The city is also home to a large number of education facilities, including the Armidale Waldorf School [4], New England Girls' School (1895), The Armidale School (1894), and Presbyterian Ladies' College, Armidale (1887), schools of the Australian private education sector. O'Connor Catholic High School (1974) and St Mary's Primary School are systemic Catholic schools. Duval High School (1972) and Armidale High School (1911) are government-funded higher education facilities. Almost 30% of Armidale's total population is in the 10-24 year age group, compared with an equivalent NSW figure of only 19.4% (2001 Census).

[edit] Retail

Centro Armidale during construction phase.
Centro Armidale during construction phase.

Armidale is currently home to much commercial construction work with the current developments of:

  • Armidale Centro, a AU$47 million development[1] anchored by a Woolworths, Big W department store, 25 specialty stores and Armidale's first food court.[2] Completion is expected mid-2007, perhaps slightly later.
  • Armidale Plaza, the city's current major shopping centre, officially opened an extended section of the complex on Thursday 15 March 2007. It is anchored by Bi-Lo, Kmart, Target Country (formerly located in a detached building located in the plaza's former outdoor carpark) and Crazy Clark's. This is a AU$70 million venture.[3]
  • Supercheap Auto opened in the industrial region of the city in December 2006.
  • Fantastic Furniture was constructed in the industrial region in late 2006.
  • Armidale Retravision is expected to anchor a development on the corner of Rusden and Allingham Streets which is currently under construction.
  • The East Mall was constructed in 2002 and houses the largest regional Coles Supermarket in Australia and 15 specialty stores.
  • The Hub was constructed in 2006 and houses Subway, Red Rooster and offices.

[edit] The Mall

The Armidale Mall
The Armidale Mall

A unique shopping location in Armidale is its outdoor mall which stretches over two blocks of Beardy Street in the centre of town.

One block is a one-way paved street housing real estate agencies, Westpac & ANZ, a small restaurant, a pub, a department store specialising in clothing and accessories, and many other specialty stores. The other half is a pedestrian mall similar to that of Brisbane's Queen Street Mall or Sydney's Pitt Street Mall. It is the home of historical buildings such as Armidale Courthouse, the city's main Post Office, Tattersall's Hotel, the former Commonwealth Bank (currently vacant but now owned by Tattersall's Hotel) and the New England Hotel; many cafes, and various other specialty stores. This half was opened in 1973 and was the first regional city pedestrian mall in Australia.[4] Armidale Dumaresq Council has been undertaking major upgrades to the mall in the past 24 months as part of the Armidale CBD Streetscape Design Project[5] which includes the development of a third block for inclusion in the pedestrian mall.

[edit] Media

The city is serviced by three local newspapers, many radio stations including 4 local outlets, and the usual selection of TV stations [6].

[edit] Local Press

  • The Independent
  • The Express
  • The Express Extra

[edit] Local Radio

  • TUNE! FM, one of Australia's oldest community radio stations aimed at a youth-aged audience.
  • 2AD/100.3 FM, a commercial broadcaster owned by the SuperNetwork.
  • 2ARM, a community radio station which focuses on country music and mature listeners.
  • 88.0 is a narrowcast tourist radio station.

[edit] National Radio

[edit] Hailstorms

21 December 2006 hailstorm.
21 December 2006 hailstorm.

Armidale has been prone to severe hailstorms and has experienced three such storms over a period of 10 years - 1996, 2001 and 2006.

On 29 September 1996, hail of up to 80mm in diameter and southerly winds of up to 150km/hr were reported in the centre of town. The area was declared a disaster zone and State Emergency Service crews were brought in from across the state. Damage was estimated to be in excess of AU$200 million[7].

On 1 January 2000, many homes were damaged by extreme weather conditions which brought large hail stones, strong winds and flash flooding [8].

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 town was declared a state of emergency by New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma on 22 December [9][10].

[edit] Attractions

[edit] Notable people from Armidale

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Armidale newspaper article published at Armidale.YourGuide".
  2. ^ "Armidale newspaper article published at Armidale.YourGuide".
  3. ^ "Armidale newspaper article published at Armidale.YourGuide".
  4. ^ Armidale CBD Master Plan Report.

[edit] External links

Countrylink North Western
Uralla ↔ Armidale


Flag of New South Wales

Cities of New South Wales
Capital:

Sydney
Cities:

Albury | Armidale | Bathurst | Broken Hill | Cessnock | Coffs Harbour | Dubbo | Gosford | Goulburn | Grafton | Griffith | Lismore | Lithgow | Maitland | Newcastle | Nowra | Orange | Queanbeyan | Tamworth | Wagga Wagga | Wollongong


Coordinates: 30°30′S, 151°40′E

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