Glen Innes

Glen Innes is a town (population 6,155 in 2016) in the New England region of New South Wales in Australia.

Understand
The indigenous Ngarabal people are the original inhabitants of the district, they called the site of the town 'Gindaaydjin' which means 'plenty of big round stones on the clear plains'. The first farm in the district was established in 1838, and two stockmen (livestock workers) known as 'The Beardies' (because of their long beards) worked on this farm and helped other settlers establish their farms, which led to the district being known as 'The Land of The Beardies' to this day. Glen Innes was gazetted as a town and the first lots of land in the town were sold in 1852. Tin was discovered at nearby Emmaville and the railway arrived in 1884 (now closed). Wool, sheep, and beef cattle are the main agricultural industries, and sapphires are found in the creeks.

Glen Innes is the main centre of the Glen Innes Severn Shire Local Government Area.

By car
Glen Innes is on the junction of the New England Highway (A15) and the Gwydir Highway (B76).

It is 98 km north of Armidale via the New England Highway travelling through Guyra, and 91.5 km south of Tenterfield via the New England Highway travelling through Deepwater (the turn-off to Emmaville).

Glen Innes is 161 km west of Grafton via the Gwydir Highway (B76), and 67 km east of Inverell via the Gwydir Highway (B76).

Armidale to Tenterfield
A NSW Trainlink coach service runs between Tenterfield and Armidale to catch the long-distance trains to Sydney. Coaches stop at the Glen Innes Visitors Information Centre.

Southbound coaches depart Tenterfield M-Su 5:40AM, depart Glen Innes 7AM, and arrive at Armidale Railway Station 8:20AM. Northbound coaches depart Armidale Railway Station M-Su 5:50PM, depart Glen Innes 7:18PM, and arrive at Tenterfield 8:28PM.

A map and timetable can be downloaded here. Bookings are essential.

Grafton to Moree
A NSW Trainlink coach service runs between Grafton and Moree. Coaches stop at the Glen Innes Visitors Information Centre.

The eastbound service (Route 142) departs Moree M W F 10:55AM, arrives at Inverell 12:55PM and departs 1:40PM, arrives at Glen Innes 2:36PM, and arrives at Grafton 4:40PM. The westbound service (Route 141) departs Grafton Tu Th Sa 10:20AM, arrives at Glen Innes 12:25PM, arrives at Inverell 1:15PM and departs 2:15PM, and arrives at Moree 4:10PM. Note the alternating direction of travel on alternating days, and no services on a Sunday.

A map and timetable can be downloaded here.

Bookings are essential - Coach drivers do not take payment or offer reservations.

Brisbane-Glen Innes
There are no longer any direct coach services between Brisbane and Glen Innes.

By plane
The nearest airports with regular scheduled services are at Inverell and Armidale.

Get around
Private transport is the most convenient way to get around Glen Innes, and essential to explore the surrounding district. There is no local bus service in the town.

There is a car rental agency in Glen Innes.

In and near town




North-west



 * Town Hall and other heritage buildings in the town centre
 * Churches

Do




Public toilets




Go next

 * Deepwater - north of Glen Innes: 41 km via New England Highway (A15) northbound (28 min)
 * Tenterfield - north of Glen Innes: 92 km via New England Highway (A15) northbound, through Deepwater (1 hr 2 min)
 * Stanthorpe (Queensland) - north of Glen Innes: 148 km via New England Highway (A15) northbound, through Deepwater, through Tenterfield, pass the Bruxner Highway turn-off on the left, cross the state border through Wallangarra, through Glen Aplin, at the large roundabout turn right onto Wallangarra Road, continue into Stanthorpe (1 hr 55 min)
 * Grafton - east of Glen Innes: 160 km via Gwydir Highway (B76) eastbound (1 hr 53 min)
 * Guyra - south of Glen Innes: 61 km via New England Highway (A15) southbound (43 min)
 * Armidale - south of Glen Innes: 98 km via New England Highway (A15) southbound, through Guyra, at the roundabout on the outskirts of Armidale turn right/south onto Glen Innes Road (1 hr 9 min)
 * Tamworth - south-west of Glen Innes: 208 km via New England Highway (A15) southbound, through Guyra, through Armidale, through Uralla, through Bendemeer, continue ahead to Tamworth (2 hr 25 min)
 * Inverell - west of Glen Innes: 68 km via Gwydir Highway (B76) westbound (46 min)
 * Moree - west of Glen Innes: 208 km via Gwydir Highway (B76) westbound, through Inverell, through Delungra (2 hr 22 min)
 * Emmaville - north-west of Glen Innes: 66.5 km via New England Highway (A15) northbound, before Deepwater turn left/west onto Wellington Vale Road, continue ahead into Emmaville (45 min)