Visitors to the region's national parks can now take an audio tour at some of the most popular spots, including Armidale's Wollomombi Falls.
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This week, the New England High Country (NEHC) tourism group launched four Soundtrails.
Two of these are in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park at the Wollomombi Falls near Armidale and Apsley Falls near Walcha; one is at the Coombadjha Walk in Washpool National Park east of Glen Innes; another is in the Bald Rock National Park north-east of Tenterfield.
The creators say Soundtrails are an immersive audio experience delivered through a mobile app, utilising GPS tracking technology to trigger stories on location, connecting listeners emotionally and physically to a place through storytelling.
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Wollomombi Falls is one of the country's largest waterfalls, often with torrents of water cascading from the grassy New England tableland into the vast and wild gorge system beneath it.
In the audio tour, Armidale elder Steve Widders guides walkers along the trail, and as listeners hear the lyrebird Dreaming story, the poetry of Judith Wright, and learn how this place opens a window into the evolution of life on earth since the time of the Gondwana supercontinent.
The audio tours will capitalise on pent-up travel demand and a desire for nature-based experiences following months of COVID-19 lockdowns in the cities, say New England's tourism managers.
Armidale Regional acting principal advisor for tourism Katrina George said the region could expect a tourism boom, and recent research indicated the great outdoors was on many people's bucket lists.
"One of the findings is the theme that post lockdown people want to feel safe and that safety aspect these days is around space," Ms George said.
"People want to experience things and know they are not going to be around crowds, and know if there is a break out they are not in a popular tourist destination like the Blue Mountains bushwalking - they want to be somewhere more remote like our national wilderness parks.
"So it is all about safety, space, and connecting with nature."
Walcha tourism manager Susie Crawford spearheaded the SoundTrail project, and she said the audio tours would continue to strengthen the destination's nature-based tourism offering.
"These national park Soundtrails capture and preserve the unique local stories and historical, geographical, and cultural significance of four of our region's popular nature trails and provide an opportunity to educate listeners in an interactive, modern way," Ms Crawford said.
"They offer a 'ranger in your pocket' experience, hearing stories from scientists, elders, rangers, and artists providing a greater point of interest for the visitor.
"They are an asset for NEHC's national parks, providing another dimension which will enable an interest, awareness, and connection with each of the sites.
Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said the four new Soundtrails were made possible thanks to $230,680 funding from the Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery Grants, which also include a marketing campaign to promote NEHC Soundtrail experiences and raise awareness of the region.
"These Soundtrails will not only bring visitors to New England but also provide economic stimulus for our local shops, cafés, pubs, and hotels," he said.
"This grant was designed to assist in recovery from the 2019-20 bushfires in our region and will now also provide a boost as we aim to kickstart the local economy post-COVID-19 lockdown."
The stories can be listened to onsite by downloading an app to your mobile device or remotely by selecting the shaded areas on the app map.
"We are excited for regional travel to open up so we can welcome visitors across Australia back to our region, and they can visit these incredible locations and experience Soundtrails in person," Ms Crawford said.
The NEHC tourism group has collaborated for almost 10 years and collectively promotes the NEHC region. The group is staffed by marketing, tourism, and events personnel from each of the member councils: Armidale Regional Council, Glen Innes Severn Council, Inverell Shire Council, Tenterfield Shire Council, Uralla Shire Council, and Walcha Council.
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