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Practicalities
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Armidale has a helpful
Visitor Information Centre
at 82 Marsh St (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 10am-4pm; tel 02/6772 4655,
www.new-england.org/armidale
). For details of the area's national parks, head for the NPWS in the McCarthy Building, 87 Faulkner St (tel 02/6773 7211). The
bus
terminal is just by the information centre. Plenty of places offer
car rental
if you plan to explore the surrounding countryside, among them Budget (tel 02/6771 1535) and Realistic Car Rentals (tel 02/6772 3004).
Bikes
can be rented from Armidale Bicycle Centre, 248 Beardy St (tel 02/6772 3718). For
taxis
, call Armidale Radio Taxis (tel 13 1008).
The very pink, recently refurbished Wicklow Hotel (tel 02/6772 2421; rooms $20-50, dorms under $20), on the corner of Marsh and Dumaresq streets opposite the bus terminal, offers accommodation for weary travellers. Other pubs include the St Kilda Hotel (tel 02/6772 4459; $20-50 including breakfast) on the corner of Marsh and Rushden streets, with a guest lounge and full disabled facilities, and the Royal Hotel on the corner of Marsh Street (tel 02/6772 2259; $35-50). There are over twenty motels in Armidale: the information centre has the full list with prices. The most central upmarket choice is the New England Motor Inn , 100 Dumaresq St (tel 02/6771 1011; $70-90). For a taste of tranquillity, Glenhope on Red Gum Lane is an elegant B&B homestead set in a valley 4km northwest from the city (tel 02/6772 1940; $50-70). Alternatively, try Poppy's Cottage (tel 02/6775 1277, www.new-england.org/armidale ; $90-115), a private farm cottage just five-minutes' drive from town, with free port and chocolates, a well-stocked bookcase and an optional gourmet three-course dinner ($38 with wine). The cheapest motels are on the edge of the city: the Armidale Rose Villa is on the New England Highway 3km north of the centre (tel & fax 02/6772 3872; $35-50). Further out, try Pembroke Caravan and Leisure Park , Grafton Street, on the corner of Cooks Road, 2km east of town (tel 02/6772 6470, fax 6772 9804; cabins $50-90, on-site vans $20-35), which has a swimming pool and tennis court; or Highlander Van Village , 76 Glen Innes Rd, 2km north of town (tel 02/6772 4768, hvv@tpgi.com.au ; cabins and units $35-70, on-site vans $20-35), which has similar facilities. Good, inexpensive counter meals are served at many of the grand old pubs on Beardy Street, including the New England Hotel and the Imperial . Amongst the town's better restaurants are the BYO Jean Pierre's , in the Beardy St mall, and the laid-back Cafe Yannis (tel 02/6771 5810) in the East End mall. The most lauded of all, though, is the excellent Archie's On the Park at the Moore Park Inn on Uralla Road in South Armidale (tel 02/6772 2358), which offers open fires and grandeur. There are several Chinese restaurants in town, including Mun Hing and St Kilda Mandarin on Beardy Street; Eagle Boys Pizza on Rusden Street (tel 02/6772 2577 for deliveries) is open until late. The student population contributes to a cafe society of sorts: the light and airy Cafe Midale , 173 Beardy St Mall, serves up Italian-style food - focaccia , panini and pasta of the day - while Rumours on the Mall , further down, offers good, inexpensive meals and sandwiches, plus a decent breakfast served until noon.
For an evening's
entertainment
visit the Belgrave Twin Cinema (tel 02/6772 2856), which screens mainstream and alternative films, and has a cafe open until late. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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