Why this charming Aussie town should be your next weekend escape

Oh, that's the cutest thing I have ever seen," beams a genial local woman as I stroll through Armidale mall on the first afternoon of my visit. As a man of a certain age, I'm virtually never on the end of such salutations, and I respond with an overenthusiastic "thank you".

There is some confusion before I realise that her gaze is focused on my three miniature sausage dogs, mum Cinnamon, and her daughters, Chilli and Nutmeg, who are trotting along beside me.

The truth is, while the capital of New England is a super-friendly country town, the only date I'll be going on here is with my beloved sausages, aka the Spice Girls, and even they are rushing me along, looking like they have somewhere more important to be.

Or perhaps they are hoping to be entered for the famous "Dachshund Dash" cup, held annually at the Armidale Show, running March 7 to 9 this year.

Either way, if I can take the Spice Girls with me on my domestic travels, I invariably do. After all, they are a great way of meeting locals. My first priority, then, is pet-friendly accommodation. I find it at the Alluna Motel, in central Armidale. It may be frequented by six other dog owners, resulting in a regular cacophony of barks as the pooches introduce themselves, but it is a comfortable base.

Our journey here from Newcastle, via the Buckett's Way inland to Gloucester, and then winding along Thunderbolts Way to Walcha and Uralla, followed by the New England Highway to Armidale, would alone make the trip memorable.

The route runs through World Heritage-listed Barrington Tops National Park, and past undulating farming pastures, fast-flowing rivers and thick green forest. As we track north along the Thunderbolts Way, named after the 19th-century bushranger Captain Thunderbolt, we gain ear-popping altitude and twist around hairpin bends interspersed with sweeping views across the Great Dividing Range.

On arrival, we stretch our (14) legs on a walk through Central Park and rendezvous with a friend, Michael, who recently moved to Armidale, at one of his favourite cafes, Boobooks. It's a book-cum-coffee shop, named after an owl, with more than 50,000 second-hand volumes in stock, on Beardy Street Mall.

While dogs are welcome at (or outside) several Armidale cafes and pubs, there are some places that are best enjoyed without them, including the city's standout restaurant, The Cottage, where I have dinner on my first night. So, while I sup royally on pan-fried gnocchi with roasted pumpkin and grilled duck breast with local Greenhill Orchard pear and spinach, bacon and cabbage mash, the Spice Girls are spoilt rotten back at the motel by local petsitter, Zoe.

Zoe is back the next morning to allow me to drive to Dangars Falls, 20 minutes away, in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. It is a drizzly summer's day when I visit and the fine rain and floating cloud wisps are the perfect accompaniment to the Dangars Falls walk. There are regular scenic lookouts along the 600-metre-long track, providing inspiring views over the plunging waterfall and the craggy gorges that crowd Salisbury Waters below.

Dangars, and the spectacular Wollomombi Falls, dropping 100 metres into a gorge 40 kilometres east of Armidale, are just two natural assets that Australia's highest city - 1000 metres above sea level - has on the doorstep. Armidale's backdrop also includes soaring escarpments, widespread granite outcrops, World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest and rare animal and plant species.

Like its North American namesake, New England bursts into colourful life in autumn, with Armidale becoming awash with yellow, crimson and claret foliage, thanks to its many deciduous trees.

At other times, the city's Aboriginal Cultural Centre & Keeping Place and adjacent New England Regional Art Museum, are its star attractions.

The first is a vibrant collection of 10,000 traditional items - only a fraction of which are on display - from the region's First Nations Anaiwan people, and beyond, and includes exhibitions from a range of Indigenous artists. When I am there, I am lucky enough to be shown around by resident artist, Adam Spencer, a Kamilaroi man, from Moree Plains.

"It's time to share our culture," Spencer says, as we contemplate The Apology, Lloyd Hornsby's powerful work, commemorating Kevin Rudd's historic "sorry" to Australia's First Nations people, in 2007. The Art Gallery provides a similarly luminous insight into the past through the large Hinton Collection, featuring Australian artists like Norman Lindsay, Arthur Streeton, Hans Heysen and Tom Roberts. By the time I emerge from both galleries, I have almost forgotten the Spice Girls, so rush back to the motel for more dog-led forays.

Walking around Armidale, I'm impressed by how cosmopolitan the small city feels. It is also a welcoming place that, since 2018, has seen the resettlement of more than 600 refugees from Iraq and Syria, the new arrivals made to feel quickly at home by its 30,000 inhabitants.

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In the evening the city is abuzz. For dinner on my second night, Michael and I are squeezed into Signor Vertelli, enjoying delicious wood-fired pizzas at the bar, in the midst of a happy Armidale throng. Later, there is craft beer and Thursday-night live music on offer at the Welder's Dog Bar.

For breakfast the next morning, I home in on Armidale's corner of France at the Cafe Patisserie, indulging in both a salted caramel eclair and a custard-filled croissant.

Getting there: As well as driving (it's about eight hours from Canberra; 5.5 hours from Sydney), you can fly to Armidale from Sydney or Brisbane on Qantas.

Staying there: Alluna Motel is central and pet-friendly, with a pool. From $139 per room, per night. allunamotel.com.au

See and do: Aboriginal Cultural Centre & Keeping Place, at 96 Kentucky Street, is a gallery with cafe. Monday-Friday 9am-4pm, Saturday 10am-2pm, entry by donation. New England's fine art museum is at 106 Kentucky Street, open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm, entry by donation. The annual Armidale Show, including the Dachshund Dash, runs March 7 to 9 in 2025. acckp.com.au; neram.com.au; armidaleshow.org.au

Explore more: visitarmidale.com.au

The writer travelled courtesy of Visit Armidale.

Pictures: Getty Images; Daniel Scott; supplied