Inverell

Inverell is a large town (population 11,660 in 2016) in the New England region of New South Wales in Australia.

Understand
The indigenous Kamilaroi people are the original inhabitants of the district. A pioneer settler, Alexander Campbell, established his farm 'Inverell Station' on the Macintyre River in 1848. The name Inverell comes from the Scottish Gaelic language and means 'the meeting place of swans'. A store was established in 1853 where the Macintyre River and Swanbrook Creek meet, and the site of the settlement was surveyed in 1858, with land sales beginning not long after. The railway reached Inverell in 1902, however the line closed in 1987. Diamonds were discovered at nearby Copes Creek in 1875 and mined at Copeton from 1883 until 1922.

The main industries in the Inverell district are the farming of wheat, barley, oats, sorghum, wine grapes, and maize, and the mining of tin, sapphires, zircon, and industrial diamonds. Inverell is known as 'The Sapphire City'. Nearby Copeton Dam is the water supply for Inverell and is a popular destination for water sports.

Inverell is the main centre of the Inverell Shire Council Local Government Area.

By car
Inverell is on the Gwydir Highway (B76), 67 km west from Glen Innes and 62 km south-west from Warialda via Delungra.

Tamworth-Inverell route
A NSW Trainlink coach service runs between Inverell and Tamworth to catch the long-distance trains at Tamworth. Coaches stop at the Inverell Visitors Information Centre.

The northbound service (Route 311) departs Tamworth W-M at 3:55PM and arrives at Inverell at 7:15PM. The southbound service (Route 312) departs Inverell W-M at 6:30AM and arrives at Tamworth at 10:06AM.

A map and timetable can be downloaded here.

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

Grafton-Moree route
A NSW Trainlink coach service runs between Grafton and Moree. Coaches stop at the Inverell Visitors Information Centre.

The eastbound service (Route 142) departs Moree M W F at 10:55AM, arrives at Inverell at 12:55PM and departs at 1:40PM, arrives at Glen Innes at 2:36PM, and arrives at Grafton at 4:40PM. The westbound service (Route 141) departs Grafton Tu Th Sa at 10:20AM, arrives at Glen Innes at 12:25PM, arrives at Inverell at 1:15PM and departs 2:15PM, and arrives at Moree at 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.

Get around
Private transport is the most convenient way to get around Inverell, and essential for exploring the district.

There are car rental agencies in Inverell.

West




Drink




Camping




Go next

 * Ashford - north of Inverell: 58 km north via Byron Street northbound, pass the Inverell General Cemetery on the left and continue ahead as Ashford Road, at the roundabout turn left/north and continue on Ashford Road, cross the Swan Brook bridge and pass the Nullamanna Road turn-off on the right, pass the Asimus Road turn-off on the right, pass The Pocket Road turn-off on the right, continue ahead to Ashford (43 min)
 * Tenterfield - north-east of Inverell: 158 km via Gwydir Highway (B76) eastbound, at Glen Innes turn left/north into Church Street/New England Highway (A15), pass through Deepwater and the turn-off to Emmaville on the left, continue ahead to Tenterfield (1 hr 49 min)
 * Glen Innes - east of Inverell: 67 km via Gwydir Highway (B76) eastbound (47 min)
 * Grafton - east of Inverell: 227 via Gwydir Highway (B76) eastbound, continue through Glen Innes on the Gwydir Highway, cross the Gibraltar Range (some tight corners in this section), cross the Mann River bridge, cross the Orara River bridge, continue ahead to Grafton (2 hr 39 min)
 * Guyra - south-east of Inverell: 90 km via Gwydir Highway eastbound, turn right onto Tingha Road and cross the Macintyre River bridge, pass the Rifle Range Road turn-off on the left and continue ahead as Bundarra Road, pass the golf club on the left, continue through Gilgai, turn left into Guyra Road and pass the Inverell Airport on the left, in Tingha turn left onto Opal Street and continue ahead out of town on Guyra Road, continue ahead to Guyra (1 hr 2 min)
 * Armidale - south-east of Inverell: 127 km via Gwydir Highway eastbound, turn right onto Tingha Road and cross the Macintyre River bridge, pass the Rifle Range Road turn-off on the left and continue ahead as Bundarra Road, pass the golf club on the left, continue through Gilgai, turn left into Guyra Road and pass the Inverell Airport on the left, in Tingha turn left onto Opal Street and continue ahead out of town on Guyra Road, at Guyra turn right/south onto the New England Highway (A15), continue ahead to Armidale (1 hr 30 min)
 * Uralla - south-east of Inverell: 119 km via Gwydir Highway eastbound, turn right onto Tingha Road and cross the Macintyre River bridge, pass the Rifle Range Road turn-off on the left and continue ahead as Bundarra Road, pass the golf club on the left, continue through Gilgai, pass the Guyra Road turn-off on the left, cross the Copes Creek bridge and continue ahead as Thunderbolts Way, continue through Bundarra on Thunderbolts Way, cross the Gwydir River bridge, at Uralla turn left onto Hill Street (1 hr 36 min)
 * Tamworth - south of Inverell: 207 km via via Gwydir Highway eastbound, turn right onto Tingha Road and cross the Macintyre River bridge, pass the Rifle Range Road turn-off on the left and continue ahead as Bundarra Road, pass the golf club on the left, continue through Gilgai, pass the Guyra Road turn-off on the left, cross the Copes Creek bridge and continue ahead as Thunderbolts Way, continue through Bundarra on Thunderbolts Way, cross the Gwydir River bridge, at Uralla turn left onto Hill Street then turn right/south onto the New England Highway (A15), continue through Bendemeer, through Moonbi, through Kootingal, through Nemingha (2 hr 22 min); Alternative: 254 km via Gwydir Highway (B76) westbound, through Delungra, through Warialda then turn left onto Allan Cunningham Road (B95), continue ahead south through Bingara, through Barraba, through Manilla (2 hr 59 min)
 * Moree - west of Inverell: 141 km via Gwydir Highway (B76) westbound, continue through Delungra, continue through Warialda, continue through Gravesend, pass the Grattai Road turn-off to Pallamallawa on the right, continue ahead to Moree (1 hr 37 min)
 * Boggabilla - north-west of Inverell: 180 km via Bannockburn Road/Yetman Road, pass the Graman Hotel on the right, turn right/north onto the Warialda Road (B95), turn left onto the Bruxner Highway (turn right for Yetman), continue ahead for Boggabilla (1 hr 58 min)