Visitors to the Metz Gorge Lookout near Hillgrove will now have a better understanding of the history of the area with new tourism information boards installed by Armidale Dumaresq Council.
The lookout has undergone revitalization over the last six months with road grading and signage to improve the experience for visitors.
The gorge now makes up an interesting tourism loop around the historic Hillgrove area that includes the village, Bakers Creek Falls and Metz Gorge.
Armidale Dumaresq Mayor Councillor Laurie Bishop says the area of Hillgrove east of Armidale provides a fascinating journey through the pioneering history in spectacular gorge country.
“Hillgrove was once a large gold mining town and is steeped in history that really does deserve to be explored.
“The lookout at Metz has an amazing view over the Hillgrove mine area that is still producing antimony and gold today.
“The new signage helps visitors understand the significance of the area and highlights how the mine area has changed.”
The Metz Gorge Lookout itself has an interesting history and only exists today due to the hard work and commitment of a group of local hospitality operators in the 1990s.
Terry Inman was one of the operators and remembers well the work that went into fundraising for the construction of the lookout.
“I owned a motel in Armidale and would often tell people to head-out to Hillgrove to look at the gorge,” said Mr Inman.
“But in those days there was no observation deck and there was a real concern that someone would lose their footing and fall.
“So we decided to raise funds and build a timber lookout ourselves.
“The construction was a bit hairy and we would tie ourselves off to a tree so we wouldn’t fall into the gorge during the construction.
“But we got there in the end and now we have a viewing platform that is safe and has been used for many years since its construction in the 90s.”
To reach Metz Gorge Lookout from Armidale travel east on the Waterfall Way for approximately 18kms and turn right on to Metz Road.
