There is nothing I love more than homemade chutney and handicrafts so The Nundle Go for Gold Festival, held annually over the Easter long weekend, is a cracker. Stalls line the main street of Nundle selling delights such as goats milk soap (complete with friendly commentary about the whopping, uncooperative udders of a favoured goat), passionfruit butter, tea cosies, tea towels, tea cakes and teapot trivets. Something tells me that Nundle locals love tea.

To add to the festivities, there are Chinese dragon dance performances throughout the day. Drums signal the arrival of fluoro dragons manned by hyper-fit young lads and bogan crowds gawp from the sidelines. The significance of the dragons (and the name of the festival) relates to the fact that Nundle was settled by Chinese gold fossickers in the 1800’s.

Nundle is home to several antique shops, a pub and a fully operational wool mill – definitely worth the detour off the New England Highway for lunch, a look around and a seemingly unavoidable cup of tea.