Walcha

Understand

Walcha is a great place to enjoy fishing, four-wheel-drive trips and bushwalks into wilderness areas with gorges, rainforests and waterfalls. The town is recognized for its unique Open Air Gallery, historic buildings, cafes, restaurants and quality accommodation.

Climate Walcha has a cool climate with some snow falls and frosty nights, producing extremely low temperatures, during the winter months. However, frosts are usually followed by clear sunny days. In autumn, the town has the changing colours of the trees which make for great photographs. But summer is a great time to visit Walcha, although even on warm sunny days the temperature can suddenly drop. Due to its altitude, the town is rarely humid, and even days where the temperature reaches 33°C are tolerable. Be prepared for a sudden drop in temperature at anytime of the year by bringing adequate warm clothing. During a very cold night untreated (summer) diesel fuel can "gel" (turn from a liquid to a semi-solid). At temperatures below freezing, diesel engines may experience starting problems and warm-up slowly. As the morning warms (usually before 9AM), the vehicle will operate normally without intervention.

Tourist information 1 Walcha Visitor Information Centre, 29w Fitzroy Street (at the pedestrian crossing, opposite the IGA supermarket), ☏ +61 2 6774 2460, fax: +61 2 6774 2462, [email protected]. M-F 9AM-4:30PM; weekends 9:30AM-4PM.

Getting there

By car Walcha is located at the junction of the scenic Thunderbolts Way and the Oxley Highway. When travelling from the south (Sydney) on the Pacific Highway past Raymond Terrace you will see an exit sign pointing to Bucketts Way and Gloucester on the left hand side of the road. Take this exit, and turn left at the round-a-bout in Gloucester and follow this road (Thunderbolts Way) all the way into Walcha. This route is about 70 km shorter than the alternative trip on the New England Highway through the Hunter Valley and Tamworth and mostly has a 100 km/h limit except in the Hunter. When travelling on the New England Highway, after crossing the Macdonald River at Bendemeer, turn right onto the Oxley Highway which takes you into Walcha. Motorcycle rides from Gloucester and Port Macquarie are also very popular scenic trips for riders. Do not speed through the town. The boys in blue have some new play toys that they are trying out.

By train Walcha does not have a railway station; rather it is serviced by the station at 1 Walcha Road Station, approximately 20 km west of Walcha. Trains arriving or departing Walcha Road are connected to Walcha by bus, which must be booked at the same time as booking your rail ticket. This daily rail service connects Sydney with Armidale where the service terminates.

Getting around

There are not any public transport services in the town and you will need a vehicle to visit the many out of town sightseeing locations. A 4WD with low range is needed if trips are planned into the wilderness areas of Riverside Camping Area and Youdale’s Hut. Trips to the spectacular Apsley Falls in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park are easily accessed using a regular vehicle, while and Tia Falls might need an SUV.

See

Visit Walcha’s Open Air Gallery where local, national and international artists have combined to create a unique streetscape with about 35 sculptures and artworks, plus 30 sculptured verandah posts in front of local businesses. Obtain a brochure on these works from the visitor centre before taking a walk or self-drive tour around them. At the Pioneer Cottage museum and complex view a genuine 1860s shingle roofed and slab sided cottage. See the Tiger Moth plane that was used to drop the first superphosphate in Australia. The wool hall here gives a good insight into the history of the sheep and wool industry. Walcha has four churches representing the Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian denominations. The old Anglican church was built in the 1861 from stone taken from the demolished homestead, 'Villa Walcha', erected on the Wolka run in the 1840s. Visit the grave of Nathaniel Buchanan, who is buried in the Walcha Cemetery. Nat was a highly skilled drover and bushman who opened up droving routes through central Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Kimberley regions. There are some interesting buildings scattered through the town including the Court House, churches, banks and the Post Office. Langford is a stately home, situated about 1 km south of Walcha on Thunderbolts Way, which can be viewed from the road. Research Walcha history or your Walcha relatives at the local history archives and library. Amaroo Museum and Cultural Centre, Derby St, ☏ +61 2 6777 1391. 9AM-5PM. Features artwork by Aboriginal people, screen printing and contemporary clothing with original designs.

Do

See Walcha’s Golden Gate Campdraft and Rodeo which is run over four days in January each year. The New England Merino Field Days (biennial), which display local studs, wool and sheep, are run over two days in January each evenly numbered year. Walcha Races are another very popular event, which is held over two days in February each year. Walcha Show is an annual three day event conducted in March or April. A Timber Expo is held as a biennial event in May. The biennial Garden Festival is held in the spring of even numbered years to display some of the beautiful local cool climate gardens. Proceeds from this event are donated to services such as Angel Flight, Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service or Riverview Hostel. The Walcha Food, Wine and Craft Festival is held on the last Sunday in October. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Mountain Bike Teams Challenge event, ridden over 100 km, is held the same day. Other events include the Music Hall, opening of the trout fishing season, pony club events and camp, Nowendoc Rodeo, Woolbrook Stampede and Woolbrook Spring Fair.

Buy

Purchase stud and commercial beef cattle, and Merino sheep from the many breeders in the district. Several annual local weaner sales present excellent opportunities to purchase top quality, large lines of young beef cattle. See also: Walcha Business Directory

Self-catering 1 Carlo's IGA Walcha, 16w Fitzroy Street (opposite Foodworks), ☏ +61 2 6777 2241. M-F 8AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-6PM, Su 8AM-5PM. Supermarket. Liquor store. (updated Apr 2021) 2 Foodworks Walcha, 19w Fitzroy Street (opposite Carlo's IGA), ☏ +61 2 6777 2241, [email protected]. M-F 8AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-6PM, Su 10AM-5PM. Convenience store. Liquor store. (updated Apr 2021) 3 King's Pharmacy (Guardian Pharmacy), 10n Derby Street (at the pedestrian crossing), ☏ +61 2 6777 2744. M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-noon. Chemist. (updated Apr 2021) 4 Walcha Newsagency, 25w Fitzroy Street (at the pedestrian crossing, near Foodworks), ☏ +61 2 6777 2149. M-F 8:30AM-5PM, Sa 8:30AM-noon, Su 8-11AM. Newsagent. (updated Apr 2021) 5 The Fruit Shop, 1w Fitzroy Street (corner of Fitzroy Street and Derby Street), ☏ +61 2 6777 2977. M-F 7AM-5PM, Sa 7AM-1PM. Fruit and veg. Coffee shop. (updated Apr 20