Walks in NE National Parks with 'Sound Trails'

27th October 2021

WALK WITH SOUNDTRAILS AND UNEARTH THE SIGNIFICANT STORIES OF THE LANDSCAPE, CULTURE AND HISTORY OF NEW ENGLAND HIGH COUNTRY’S NATIONAL PARKS.

The New England High Country (NEHC) tourism group continue to strengthen the destination’s nature-based tourism offering with the launch of four new nature Soundtrails in the region’s national parks.

Soundtrails are an immersive audio experience delivered through the Soundtrails mobile app, utilising GPS tracking technology to trigger stories on location, connecting listeners emotionally and physically to a place through storytelling.

Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce said the four new Soundtrails were made possible thanks to $230,680 funding from the Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery Grants, which also include a marketing campaign to promote NEHC Soundtrail experiences and raise awareness of the region.

“These Soundtrails will not only bring visitors to New England, but also provide economic stimulus for our local shops, cafés, pubs and hotels.”

Locals and visitors can now experience the four new Soundtrails, including the Wollomombi Falls Soundtrail near Armidale and the Apsley Falls Soundtrail near Walcha, both in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, along with the Coombadjha Walk Soundtrail in Washpool National Park east of Glen Innes and the Bald Rock National Park Soundtrail north-east of Tenterfield.

To listen to the new national park Soundtrails simply download the Soundtrails app to your smart device (available from the App Store or Google Play), select the Soundtrail you would like to experience, once on location follow the map trail in the app and GPS will track your device, triggering stories as you walk along the trail.

The stories can be listened to remotely by selecting the shaded areas on the map.

Walcha Council Tourism Manager, Susie Crawford said, “These national park Soundtrails capture and preserve the unique local stories, and historical, geographical and cultural significance of four of our region’s popular nature trails and provide an opportunity to educate listeners in an interactive, modern way.

They offer a ‘Ranger in your Pocket’ experience; hearing stories from scientists, elders, rangers and artists providing a greater point of interest for the visitor.

 We are excited for regional travel to open up so we can welcome visitors across Australia back to our region and they can visit these incredible locations and experience Soundtrails in person,” Ms Crawford said.

Find out more about Soundtrails, visit the NEHC Website: https://www.newenglandhighcountry.com.au/our-stories/soundtrails