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This section follows the wool track across the New England Region in NSW.
In some ways there is no such place as New England.
The term is used both for the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales (often called the New England) and a much broader area covering north-eastern NSW from the Hunter Valley in the south to the Queensland boarder. This broad area has its own identity and aspirations including a long running desire to achieve self government as a new state within the Australian Federation. Those interested can find more information on the history and culture of the broader New England on the New England Australia blog site.
We have adopted the broader definition both for historical reasons and because it makes more sense from a visitor perspective.
New England's Geography
In all, New England's area is (depending on the precise boundaries adopted) about 166,000 square kilometres. To put this size in perspective using an overseas example, it can be compared with England's 130,000 square kilometers.
New England is a compact but geographically diverse territory, with climatic conditions ranging from sub-tropical on the coast, to cold on the in the high plateaux of the centre, to semi-arid in the far west.
The Great Dividing Range dominates the area, dividing New England into a series of north-south zones.
In the east, the humid coastal zone consists of a series of riverine valleys, with relatively short fast-flowing rivers separated from each other by spurs from the interior ranges. Most of the valleys are small, except in the south where the zone broadens out into the Hunter Valley, and in the far north where the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed Rivers are less separated, and together form a broad unit known as the Northern Rivers.
Moving west, the humid coastal zone ends in a generally sharp escarpment, marking the start of a second geographic unit, the Northern or New England Tablelands. Although parts of the Tablelands rise to more than 1,500 metres, heights are generally about 900 metres, declining gradually to the west.
While clearly a geographical unit, the Tablelands display considerable geographical diversity.
In the east the coastal river systems have cut huge gorges through the escparpment deep into the Tablelands. This combination of escarpment and gorges form the core of World Heritage listed national parks that run for hundreds of kilometres north-south. To the west of the escarpment and gorge country, the Tablelands are broken up into a series of tablelands of varying heights, separated to some degree by rougher country.
Further west, the Tablelands give way to the Western Slopes, a series of river basins separated by westward arms from the Tablelands, forming major headwaters for the Darling River system. In turn, the Slopes merge almost imperceptibly into the hot dry plains of the interior. Further national parks can be found in New England's west.
Planning your Wool Visit
New England is bisected by two main north-south highways, the New England and Pacific, with the New England bisecting the main wool areas. The inland Great Northern Railway is now but a shadow of its former self, but there are daily Countrylink train services as far north as Armidale, with supporting bus connections. Other bus lines also service the area. There are regular plane connections to most major centres.
In addition to the north-south highways, there are a number of major east-west roads linking different parts of the Western Slopes, Tablelands and Coast. This makes it easy for visitors to move backwards and forwards across the region experiencing its geographic diversity.
How you plan your wool trip depends on the amount of time you have, your age, your interests and your budget. You may simply want to add a wool experience to an existing trip, or you may want to make it central.
If you are in Sydney and have only a weekend, then you might like to visit Belltrees to get a feel for what the squatting age was like at its peak. If you are an oveseas grower, you may want to visit the University of New England to find out about the latest wool research. If you have a general interest and a little time, we recommend that you make or or more of the Tableland towns your base. This will allow you to explore the various roads and attractions, moving between coast, highland and plains as you want.
In developing the material that follows, we have tried to follow two linked rules.
We have only included centres with a specific wool linkage. So we did not include Tamworth as long standing farming centre. However, we did include Inverell, now a predominantly cropping centre, because of its location on the western edges of the New England Tablelands and its traditional close linkages with Glen Innes. In looking at attractions, we have again tried to focus on those with wool linkages while also providing a broader taste.
We have not included details of accommodation possibilities in the material, nor have we included details on all attractions such as the wide range of local museums. Both are best sourced by checking some of the local links that we have included or by accessing the Big Sky Country web site which provides information for the Tablelands, Western Slopes and Plains. Often, you will find the most interesting things as you travel.
Our aim is to get you interested and started.
We are sure that we have missed some things, have made some errors, so we welcome corrections.Please pass them onto us at regional@ndarala.com
The New England Wool Track
As outlined in more detail in our story Wool in Australia history, wool as a high value product was central to European settlement in New England spreading though the Hunter Valley then north up the coast and the New England Tablelands and Western Slopes.
Because of the high cost of land transport, wool was originally shipped to the river ports of Morpeth on the Hunter and Grafton on the Clarence River.
At its peak, Morpeth claimed to be the second largest port in NSW after Sydney, but then went into decline as the Great Northern Railway moved north from Newcastle inland towards the Queensland border. While the port facilities themselves no longer exist, Morpeth is a heritage centre retaining many of its historical buildings.
Grafton, too, declined as a port as the Great Northern Railway reached the inland Tablelands towns. However, the size the Clarence River (by far New England's biggest river) which accommodated bigger ships combined with less competition from other transport modes allowed Grafton to retain its shipping role for a much longer period. The end finally came in 1954 with the last service by the North Coast Steam Navigation Company.
Like Morpeth, Grafton and its surrounding towns and villages retains its historical character with many attractive and distinct buildings.
It may seem odd in this discussion of ports that we have not mentioned Newcastle, located at the mouth of the Hunter River and by far New England's biggest port today.
Newcastle is now a wool selling centre. However, Sydney's role as the main wool export port combined with transport economics meant that it was more economic to ship from Grafton or Morpeth. Even with the completion of the Great Northen Railway, Sydney retained its dominant role because that was where the wool brokers were. The brokers had no interest in setting up another wool selling centre. It was to take a sustained campaign by New England wool growers before wool selling would finally come to Newcastle.
The initial wide spread of sheep across New England was followed by some contraction as sheep withdrew from the wetter coastal strip. Later still, sheep would be replaced in some areas by cropping and beef growing. However, wool remains important especially on the Northen Tablelands, an area growing some of the finest wool in the world.
The wide dispersion of wool means that the industry has left its mark across New England.
As discussed in our companion article Wool in Australia history, the early station properties were very large, huge by today's standards. Some of the grazing families became very wealthy, building large homes many of which still survive. 
Located near Scone in the Hunter Valley, Belltrees has been in the White family since 1831, with seven generations growing up on the property. The Australian author Patrick White was a member of this part of the White family.
Even today, Belltrees Station is still 23,000 acres in size. At the start of the twentieth century it was six times as large, employing 100 men at shearing, shearing 130,000 sheep annually and shipping 3,000 bales of wool to England.
As part of the changes in the wool industry, Belltrees shifted from sheep to cattle in 1960. However, the property still offers a unique picture of the wool industry as it was and of the life it supported. There is a variety of accommodation, a wide range of things to do on the property, while both the Barrington Tops National Park and the Hunter Valley wine country (see Hunter Valley, NSW) are nearby. 
The old gold mining village of Nundle is located over the range north of Belltrees, some 400km north of Sydney via the New England Highway, 45 minutes driving time east of Tamworth. Those feeling a little more adventurous can drive direct from Scone to Nundle over Crawney Mountain, a winding but stunning route for those who wish to see the country.
The village of Nundle itself sits amid some spectacular scenery between the towering slopes of the Great Dividing Range and the Peel River.
In addition to its other attractions, Nundle is home to the Nundle Woolen Mill, one of the oldest working mills showcasing yarns and fabrics produced from some of New England's finest wool. The Mill also plays an active role in education programs about the wool industry. So at the Mill you can find out about the production of wool and browse through the items displayed in the Mill shop.
Another Nundle wool attraction is Minx Handknits displaying a range of handicrafts made by the New England Knitters from Nundle Woollen Mill wool.
North of Nundle you move into the New England Tablelands proper, Australia's largest tablelands area stretching from the Hunter Valley into Queensland.
This is the heart of fine wool country, with its cities, towns and villages offering a range of wool related experiences, varying in each place. It is also the location of some of Australia's finest national parks running along the whole eastern edge of theTablelands from the Barrington Tops in the south to the Queensland border. Each Tablelands' town offers access to a different selection of parks.
Walcha, the first major centre north of Nundle, is a fine wool growing centre and is known, among other things, as the first place in Australia where aircaft were used to top dress paddocks.
Walcha and the Southern New England Tablelands are often neglected because they lie off the main north-south highways.This is a pity because some of New England's most beautiful and spectacular country lies in this area.However, there is an alternative route, Thunderbolt's Way, that is in fact faster than both the Pacific and New England Highway.
Thunderbolt's Way leaves the Pacific Higway north of Newcastle, passing through Stroud and Gloucester before striking up the escarpment to Nowendoc. From there the road travels to Walcha through the Southern New England Tablelands and then meets the New England Highway at Uralla.
While at Walcha, visitors can experience some of the scenery with Oxley Explorer. The company offers tours using "okas", 4WD vehicles seating up to 13 people, of some of the most spectacular of the gorges east of Walcha including the Apsley Gorge of the World Heritage listed Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
North of Walcha, Uralla is a pretty little town that owed much if its early growth to the discovery of gold at nearby Rocky River. The bushranger Captain Thunderbolt (Fred Ward) who used to prey on the gold coaches was shot in Kentucky Creek south of Uralla and is buried in the Uralla cemetry. The McCrossin's Mill Museum maintained by the Uralla Historical Society includes a display on Thunderbolt as well as a fascinating collection on the Chinese who played a major role in NEw Engalnd during the mining rush.
Gostwyck to the east of Uralla was the headquarters of another large squatting family and includes the Gostwyck Chapel (All Saints) as well as the striking Deeargee woolshed. Built in 1869 and still fully operational, the woolshed is erected on brick pillars with successive roofs of galvanised iron.
Armidale in the centre of the Tablelands, for long the prospective capital of the proposed New England New State, is a city built on the combination of wool and education. (See our related story Case Study: Armidale Educational Excellence). The Victorian core of the city with its brick buildings and iron lacework largely dates from the peak of the wool industry when the squatting families and those who serviced them built a range of fine dwellings
Two of the most important buildings in Armidale are on public view.
Booloominbah was built between 1886 - 1888. It is a magnificent former gentleman's residence in the fashionable English style, surrounded by beautiful grounds. Like Belltrees, it was built by the White family. Today it houses the principal administration offices and meeting rooms of the University of New England. The grounds of Booloominbah are the site of the Annual UNE Graduation ceremonies.
Saumarez Homestead was also built by the White family in 1888 as a single family residence and vastly extended eighteen years later. In 1984 the descendants of F J White and his wife gave the house to the National Trust. The homestead, garden and extensive farm buildings cover an area of 10 hectares and provide a unique experience for the visitor.
The contribution of the main grazier families extended well beyond additions to the built landscape. T R Forster, Fred White's son-in-law, gave Booloominbah and the surrounding land to the appeal to establish a university college in Armidale. This grant played a critical role in the establishment of the New England University College in 1938.
A second contributor in a different field was Chandler Coventry (1924-1999), a member of the Coventry family who owned a number of properties to the east of Armidale.
As a young man Chaney moved to Sydney where he worked in commercial art galleries. In 1970 he opened his own gallery in Hargreave Street, Paddington. He also established his own collection of contemporary Australian art.
In the late 1970s after having given some works of art to Armidale, Coventry offered his collection on the understanding that an art museum would be built to house both his and the Howard Hinton collections. Through a huge community effort and with assistance from government funding the New England Regional Art Museum was opened in 1983.
The Chandler Coventry Collection was described by James Mollison, the former Director of the Australian National Gallery, as one of the most important private collections of contemporary Australian Art.The focus is on expressionist and abstractionist painters with some figurative artists and includes paintings by Ralph Balson, Peter Booth, Gunter Christmann, Janet Dawson, Elaine Haxton, Leah MacKinnon, Michael Taylor, Dick Watkins and Brett Whiteley.
Chaney's collection joined that already donated by Howard Hinton.
Howard Hinton (1867-1948) was born in England and came to Australia at the turn of the nineteenth century.He joined the shipping industry and worked his way from clerk to a member of the company board.
Hinton was a single man with no relatives in Australia, and he lived in a 10 x12 foot room in a boarding house in Cremorne. The room was not big enough to house his growing art collection. He sought a worthy public institution and, through his links with David Drummond (the local member of the State Parliament) his attention was directed to the newly opened Armidale Teachers' College (1928).
Hinton sent his paintings to Armidale in 1929. A few more followed. Then, in 1933, he decided to create the best collection of art in a regional area. From that year until his death in 1948 he sent over 1000 works of art to their new home.
The collection covers most oeuvres of art in Australia in the period 1880 to 1948, and it is a collection clearly shaped by Hinton's obsession and unbound pleasure in finding, buying, and at regular periods, passing on the treasures.He bought art from commercial galleries, dealers and often directly from artists whom he grew to know well. It includes works by most of the Australian artists including William Dobell, Adrian Feint, Elioth Gruner, Hans Heysen, J.J. Hilder, Gladys Owen, Margaret Preston, Thea Proctor, Tom Roberts, Ethel Spowers, Arthur Streeton and the Lindsay family.
You can find out more about both collections by visiting the New England Regional Art Museum web site.
In addition to other wool related activities, Armidale is a centre for scientific research into wool and wool growing at the University of New England, nearby CSIRO facilities and The Australian Sheep Industry CRC . The annual Wool Expo held in Armidale is a major celebration of the wool indstry and the contribution of wool to fashion.
Early in this article we spoke of Morpeth and Grafton as the two main wool ports. They were rivals for the wool trade, with the Armidale area marking the dividing line. South of Armidale wool tended to go to Morpeth, north of Armidale to Grafton.
This carriage together with associated freight was big business. At Tenterfield in Northern New England, for example, over 500 teams were engaged in carrying freight down the road to the Clarence River ports just prior to the railway connection.Today these past days are vest scene in the local museums that dot New England.
Guyra is 38 km noth of Guyra. the first main centre north of Armidale. Famous for its potatoes and lamb (the annual Potato and Lamb Festival is held in late January), Guyra sits on the high tablelands and at 1,320 metres is the most elevated town on the Tablelands. The main highway now bypasses Guyra, but it is worth a detour. 
Guyra is also home to Julie Carlson's Black Sheep Wool'n Wares (Bradley Street), which was featured in an earlier story on people relocating to Regional Australia.
Further north we find Glen Innes. Like many other places in New England, Glen Innes was settled by Scots who developed wool growing in the area. Today Glen Innes places great emphasis on its celtic heritage, with standing stones and an annual festival.
For many years Armidale and Glen Innes were in sometimes fierce rivalry for development, a rivalry that Sydney Governments were able to play on and in the longer term really benefited neither place. Today Glen Innes is an attractive town that has preserved much of its heritage.
The town is also well located. To the east the main Gwydir Highway to Grafton runs through major national parks including Washpool. To the east, the Highway runs to the adjoining centre of Inverell, a major farming centre with its own attractions including a pioneer villlage and water sports including white water rafting.
Both Glen Innes and Inverell provide access to the mining province of the westen Tablelands. This runs from the Queensland boarder south. For part of the nineteenth century this was the world's greatest tin province while also 
providing gold, precious stones especially sphires and diamonds. Inverell saphires remain famous today.Many visitors still come to the western Tablelands just to fossick.
Tenterfield, the most northerly of the major Tableland towns, sits astride the Great Dividing Range at the northern end of the New England Highway 18kms from the Queensland border.
Today Tenterfield is probably best know as the place where Sir Henry Parks made his famous Federation speech at the Tenterfield School of Arts and as the birth place of Australian singer Peter Allen whose haunting song Tenterfield Saddler made the town famous.
The saddlery still exists, and is worth a visit.
Like other Tableland towns, Tenterfield is a pretty place offering access to a range of national parks and attractions including the Grantite belt parks and wineries in Sourthern Queensland.