Walcha is a small New England Tablelands town with more bite than its size suggests. It sits high, cold by Australian standards, and close to gorge country where rivers drop hard off the plateau into Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
The town itself is plain at first glance, but look longer and the public art changes the mood. Walcha's Open Air Gallery puts sculpture through streets, parks, and roadside corners, so a short walk becomes a quiet art trail rather than just a lap of the shops.
The reason to make a day of Walcha is the mix of town and edge-of-wilderness access. Apsley Falls is close and dramatic, Tia Falls is a more open gorge stop, and the park roads east of town lead into some of the most rugged country in northern New South Wales.