As the name suggests, Glen Innes, on the New England Northern Tablelands of NSW, was settled by Scots. And at over 1,000 metres I’m sure they felt right at home in this rugged, chilly landscape. Glen Innes is the Celtic Capital of Australia and home to the annual Australian Celtic Festival.
Glen Innes also holds one of Australia’s biggest country fairs, the Glen Innes Show, dubbed ‘the Royal of the North’. There’s a lot of great produce around Glen Innes and both events have a significant food and beverage component. The Gourmet Fiesta, the food-lovers section of the show, attracts guests and guest presenters from across the state including local girl Margaret Fulton, Christine Manfield, Belinda Jeffery, and yours truly (pictured above). The Australian Celtic Festival draws crowds from around the world and, as well as excellent Celtic music and cultural performances, features Celtic cooking demonstrations, an impassioned ‘Address to a Haggis’, and a Celtic baking competition. There’s also a beautiful (if chilly) dawn ceremony and flag-raising around the Australian Standing Stones. Both events are a great excuse to spend a few days in a friendly, lively country town. Here are a few more reasons to visit Glen Innes Celtic Capital of Australia.
Stay Waterloo Station
About 15 minutes out of town is Waterloo Station with a range of accommodation options including the charming little schoolhouse next to the main homestead. A cosy two room building with a veranda overlooking the gardens, it’s a wonderfully peaceful spot to wake to bird song. Other interesting possibilities on this working cattle station include the fully renovated shearers’ quarters and the off-grid-with-mod-cons ‘creek shack’.
Stay & Eat New England Motor Lodge
This comfortable motel in the heart of town is less than 5 minutes’ drive to the show ground or standing stones. The Highlands Restaurant here serves some of the finest food in Glen Innes, with warm service, good wines and a great open fire for pre- or post- dinner drinks. There can be a nod to ‘the auld country’ with the likes of excellent roast duck with colcannon and great Guinness & beef pie. Very good breakfasts too!
Drink Glen Gowrie Distillery
Most Australian gin makers start with purchased neutral grain spirit. Not so plant scientist David Scott and family, who ferment their base spirit from local Sebago potatoes, limes, blueberries and molasses. To this smooth, round base they add a few carefully selected botanicals to make a delicious range of unique gins. The cellar door is open Fri–Sun. Try their blueberry gin as the liquor in Armando’s panettone with berries (see video below).
Eat & Drink The Local
The Local is a casual spot on the main street with good pizza and excellent pulled pork tacos with mango salsa and chipotle aïoli. Owners Kerrod and Michelle take their cocktails quite seriously too. Just across the road is The Coffee Incident, the town’s favourite café and the ideal spot for morning coffee and berry muffin.
See Australian Standing Stones
This monument to the Celtic heritage of Glen Innes is high on a hillside overlooking the town. The Australian Standing Stones have become a focal point for civic gatherings and the site of the annual Australian Celtic Festival. The stones are laid out to indicate summer and winter equinox and solstice and the taigh-dubh croft café, with an extensive range of books on all things Celtic, serves great coffee, breakfasts and other hearty fare.
Drive Mountain Villages
Driving between Sydney and Glen Innes? Take the road less travelled and wind through the tiny village of Ben Lomond and (now abandoned) Maybole for some lovely high-country scenery. Ben Lomond once boasted Australia’s highest railway station at 4,473 feet above sea level. There’s about 12km of well packed unsealed road that’s worth the bumps. Stop for a fresh strawberry milkshake at The Super Strawberry just south of town.
Updated 12 Jan 2025
