Armidale is a university city on the New England Tablelands of New South Wales, sitting at about 1,000 metres altitude in the highlands between the coast and the inland plains. The University of New England gives the city a livelier cultural life than most regional NSW centres of similar size, with good galleries, theatres, and cafes — the New England Regional Art Museum holds one of the finest collections of Australian art outside the major cities. The city has an unusually high concentration of cathedrals and churches relative to its size, earning it occasional comparisons with Oxford — an exaggeration, but St Peter's Cathedral and the Cathedral of Saints Mary and Joseph, along with the sandstone avenues and leafy streets, do have a certain character.
The surroundings are spectacular: Oxley Wild Rivers National Park to the east has some of the deepest gorges in Australia, carved by rivers plunging off the tablelands toward the coast. Ebor Falls and Cathedral Rock National Park are both within easy reach along the Waterfall Way, one of the most scenic drives in New South Wales. Autumn is a beautiful time to visit, when the deciduous trees planted by early settlers turn gold and red — Armidale's autumn foliage is among the best in Australia.