nickboot

After you have lived in Armidale for a number of years and not just 3 months you will see what others have said about the lack of spirit and rude customer service to be only to true. I dare say that the customer service you would be used to in Britain would be not to different from Armidale - poor.
I have lived in Armidale a long time, not born any where near Armidale although my ancestors helped to settle this place. The place has become a entity on it's own, it is well renowned for being the odd one out against other rural towns due to it's upper crust elite and rudeness, this is why Armidale has stalled against the likes of Tamworth and Kempsey which were once the size of Armidale. The elite crew have turned every commercial project down for decades as they want Armidale to be an education city only, due to the technology advances that have been made over the past few years university campusses will become an admin hub and most courses will be done online as Oxford and Cambridge universities have discovered all ready. Armidale is not what I would class a real Rural town, Inverell, Tamworth and Gunnedah would be more suited to this status.

3 years too long, we are out of here. After 3 months we were still positive too. It takes time to know a place. There is a definite lack of spirit here. The only think colder than the winter temperature would be some of the coldest, unfriendly people we have ever met, this coming from someone who has lived the world over. Customer service, appalling. Are they so short-sighted they don't realize the customer slighted doesn't come back? That that customer talks and spreads the word? Public schools not what they make themselves out to be. Some are ok but overall there is a put-down, bullying culture that permeates the place, filtering down through the ranks to the next generation. So it carries on. Shame as Armidale is actually a beautiful little town if you take away some of the narrow minded people that give the place a bad name. Can't see how an evocity is going to grow without a serious shake up and attitude change.

Agree with everything said!

We moved to Armidale 12 years ago and have found it very confronting to live here. Firstly, I would like to say that the climate here suits me very well as I prefer the cold to the intense heat of other areas of Australia.
Socially we have found it very lovely and not inclusive, especially if one does not fit the social norms ie; go to pubs, churches, mainstream sports or involved in the education system.
After joining various groups (too much passive bullying & superiority) over the 12 years and not developing any sincere long term friendships, I now spend most of my spare time reading, walking & gardening.
When we first moved here I was in a local coffee shop and was told by a woman who had lived here for decades that 'This mountain town will shake you up'! At the time I thought her to be quite negative, however, her words have rung in my ears ever since.
Over the years we have met nice people who have moved here, found it unbearable, then left. One couple referred to the town being over populated with 'Jackals'. Another woman gave me a book to read titled 'Colonial Armidale' which she said gave insights as to why this town has evolved to where it is now. Interesting read.
Currently, I know of three more families leaving the town after working and living here for years who cannot happily assimilate.
Also, I have observed that women seem to have more difficulties here with their emotional health deteriorating after a couple of years.
I spoke with a woman briefly last week who said that this town reminded her of Dickens 'Bleak House'. Dark, heavy energies hanging over the place.
We have lived all over Australia and found (as one would expect) some towns to be friendly and inclusive and others not so much....this town fits the latter unfortunately.
We are not in a position to leave here in the near future, so one has to make the most of things and go away to replenish personal energies.
I would like to add that these comments are all observations.....not judgements.
Perhaps Robert Hughes's 'The Fatal Shore' provides insights into why some of our towns/places/people have evolved the way they have.

AudreyL you have made my day reading this. Not because I am vindictive, quite the opposite, but because I now feel with absolute certainty that 'it was not me' or 'just my family'...Obviously things haven't changed much 'up the mountain'. I think the thing to recognise though, is that it is their own insecurities, lack of worldliness and incredible (much over-rated) 'sense of self', that leads these types to behave in the unpleasant 'mountain manner' they do. Enjoy your books and your gardening Audrey, you will be in a happier place there, far from the shallow insecurities of certain of the locals. We now live in a wonderful, friendly place that has reminded us of the Australian way, and our own personal energies are much restored! I reckon if we were still stuck up there though, you and I might have enjoyed some great walks together :) Now, there's a book or two I want to dig out...Bleak House, where are you?

Hello Lin01, It was comforting to read your response to my posting too. Agree with your observations regarding the behaviour which seems to be all too prevalent in this town.
Perhaps someone could be encouraged to do a Phd on why this is so!
Am pleased that you and your family have recovered from your experiences here and are enjoying a happier life elsewhere.
I feel sure that I would have enjoyed your company on my walks!
If you feel like sharing the name of the area where you are now, it may provide hope for all of us who are seeking new places to move to in the future. It would be nice to think there is light at the end of the tunnel.....and not a train!! We live in hope.
Thank you for your warm insightful reply.

Lin01 i would love to know where you moved too.
I have a young family and we are thinking of moving to armidale in the next few years. But now im not so sure. Its such a hard decision to make.
AudreyL thank you for your honest comments. I hope you enjoy your time reading and walking. I hope you get your dream to move soon.

Hi Fiona, I moved to a lovely place on the coast where we are all very happy. We were happy pretty much 'instantly' but after less than half the time we spent living in Armidale, we already had made wonderful new friends, genuine friends I should say, and continue to make new ones regularly, whilst retaining the old. Life could not be better really. I pretty much reckon you could move anywhere and be happier, although now I would be a little wary of anywhere inland. Which is probably silly and groundless. All I can suggest is, think long and hard on any decision you make. Armidale seems to promote itself as a family oriented place but personally we didn't find it so. True, there are plentiful public schools, expensive private ones, the university, non-gridlocked roads, affordable housing, plentiful sports etc., etc. But family is still so much more than that. The love and genuine 'care' was missing. Replaced by cliques and wagging tongues. There really is a 'them' and 'us' mentality that is completely outrageous...and sad. I could go on and on, but why spoil my beautiful Sunday morning. There are good things about Armidale too, though. Things that hopefully will still exist long after the present cliques have left - if they are not replaced by the next generation, that is. In Armidale you can experience the changing seasons, the 'old' feel of the place held a lot of appeal to me, personally. The heritage is a huge part of what makes the city what it is, alongside the University, although what the future of the University, I don't know. Other towns once similar to Armidale, continue to grow under progressive councils, providing employment opportunities. I was fortunate to find employment in Armidale but I was aware of some who moved in and soon left as they were not so fortunate. Personally, I don't think you can go past a growing, forward-thinking, friendly community that welcomes you with open arms. I should add, not everyone in the place was awful. There were a handful of souls who extended their warmth, but the majority seem to bow down to the ruling gentry and the others seem to know their place. I would visit first, maybe even set yourself up, if you can, to live in the place for a year or too, before fully committing. The place works for some, not for all - which could be said for all places. Just not our cup of tea! Wishing you the best of luck :)

Thanks so much for your reply.
We are currently in wollongong but looking forward to a sea change.
We will visit places quite a few times before we make a move.
We have now started looking at different areas too.
My husband doesnt like humidity or heat haha so thats why we are planning inland.
Very glad you are so happy where you are living now. Moving away is such a hard decision, but it sounds like you have make the perfect choice.

Wishing you the very best. It is a hard decision to move, and so much involved in it, but so often you wake up one day and go 'Yep, I'm in a better place'. All the best!

Wow this is such an insightful view into Armidale and for my partner and I, it was initially going to be our choice when we decided to make our 'sea/tree change' from the Illawarra (yes, FionaF we too were once 'Gongians' - well Shellharbour !), particularly because of the climate. We do love the feeling of the change in seasons, cool crisp winters and summers that don't leave you feeling totally drained with heat and humidity. However after some exploring and research we ultimately settled on moving to Inverell. The area was not on our radar initially but there was a good "feel" about the town. I cannot comment on the schools in the district as this was not something we needed to look at, not having school-age children, but there is a high school and several primary schools in the district, a public swimming pool, many parks, and a couple of clubs (bowling and RSM) and a few pubs. Restaurants aren't haute cuisine but there is the usual chinese/thai/motel restaurants etc and there are a few cafes that seem nice. We've found a couple of take-away stores that suit us when the urge strikes and of course there is a local Maccas and KFC if that takes your fancy ! I do love cooking though so the lack of high-end restaurants doesn't bother us too much. Although we have only been here a couple of months now (and renting whilst we look for our ideal rural property) we are finding it quite a very friendly town and easy to settle into. Yes, it is small (approx. 14,000 population) but it has enough of what we need in terms of stores and shopping, banks and other facilities. What we cannot get here I have been able to order on-line (bless the internet!). I imagine that work opportunities here could be somewhat limited but for us it is a "retirement move" back to the land having lived and worked in various parts of Australia over the last 30-odd years. The bonus for us is that towns like Uralla and Armidale are only between 1 and 1 1/2 hrs drive away. Having family in the Upper Hunter also helps us in terms of not feeling too isolated from people we know. I have yet to immerse myself in the cultural or other activities here in Inverell but there are things that have piqued my curiosity, such as the lapidary club and local theatre group. The riverside walks and parks / lake area are simply beautiful and I have not yet met a local that hasn't responded to a smile or a friendly greeting... but then again my partner's nickname for me is "miss have-a-chat" !!! I guess any move to a new area does have challenges in terms of getting and feeling settled and feeling like a part of the community. It will take time for us but I truly think we are off to a good start and have chosen well with Inverell. I wish you luck with your move FionaF !

@son, Kempsey is a far more pleasant place to visit than Armidale, So I can agree with you there.

I definitely agree

Oh my, this thread certainly paints a picture. Has anything changed recently how are things mid 2022?