ARMIDALE  , a

town in Sandon county, New South Wales, Australia, 313 M. by rail N. of Sydney . Pop . (1901) 4249 . It lies at an elevation of 3313 ft., in a picturesque mountainous district, for the most part pastoral and agricultural, though it contains some alluvial gold diggings . Antimony is found in large quantities near the town . Armidale is a cathedral town, being the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop and belonging to the joint Anglican diocese of Grafton; Armidale St Peter's, the Anglican cathedral, and St Mary's, the Rqman Catholic, are both fine buildings . The town is the centre of great educational activity, its schools including the New England girls' school, St Patrick's college, the high school, the Ursuline convent and state schools . Armidale became a municipality in 1863 .