General Information on Walcha

Walcha is situated some 420km from Sydney via Thunderbolt’s Way through Gloucester, and 523 km via Tamworth and the New England Highway. The natural beauty of the Walcha area is quite breathtaking. Walcha Local Government Area (LGA) is home to the magnificent Macleay Gorges and boasts some 205,000 hectares of dedicated national parks, wilderness and state forest. Parts of our Werrikimbe National Park are World Heritage listed.
The LGA is also a well known trout fishing mecca, boasting some 1,500 km of trout streams which are a home to Rainbow and Brown trout.

The township of Walcha is 1,067 metres above sea level, with the highest point in the district being at the Grundy Trig Station, near the Grundy Fire Tower, in the Riamukka area, 38 kilometres south of Walcha, which is 1,463 metres above sea level. The LGA covers an area of 640,028 hectares (2,475 square miles / 6,400 square kilometres).

The Walcha district today is a significant primary producing area. It is one of the largest stock carrying areas in New South Wales. The LGA has long been known as a producer of high quality native hardwoods and more recently as a softwood producing area. It is renowned as one of the best fine wool growing areas in the world.

Walcha is one of the largest stock carrying areas in Australia with sheep and cattle populations of 804,419 and 157,501 respectively (31st March 1999 statistical information). The gross value of agricultural products produced in the LGA during that period was $40.687 million.