The attractive inland NSW city of Tamworth will of course be forever associated with the iconic country music festival that traditionally attracts hordes of grey nomads – and other tourists – every January.
In recent years, Covid has played havoc with many events but the re-scheduled festival is all set to run from April 18-24 this year.
On what will be its 50th anniversary, the festival will feature legendary performers including the likes of Kasey Chambers, Lee Kernaghan, Troy Cassar-Daley and John Williamson.
But while the country music event is something – a bit like the Birdsville Races – that many travellers want to experience at least once, grey nomads who don’t time their visit just right shouldn’t despair … Tamworth definitely isn’t a ‘one-trick pony’.
The Big Golden Guitar greets visitors to Australia’s capital of country music. PIC: Destination NSW
Situated on the western side of the Great Dividing Range on the Peel River at the junction of the Oxley and New England highways, the city of around 60,000 has a rich and fascinating history and an impressive array of attractions.
Besides its unrivalled country music credentials, Tamworth also hosts many horse-related events – including rodeos – and is known as the National Equine Capital of Australia.
Walking is the best way to discover Tamworth’s historical buildings. PIC: Destination NSW
Explorer John Oxley first passed through the area in 1818, and the first sheep and cattle stations started popping up a decade or so later.
As the settlement developed, the railway station opened in 1882, the base hospital in 1883, and Tamworth became the first place in Australia to use electric lights in 1888.
The Tamworth Powerstation Museum is the place to learn about this historic event.
The museum is closed this month but, with NSW Covid restrictions further easing, visitors will soon be able to view the likes of steam-powered electricity generators, Edison Street Tube cables, and a whole host of early electrical fittings again.
Walking is the best way to discover the major historic buildings and sites around the city. Highlights include the railway station, the Tamworth Regional Conservatorium of Music which was once a Dominican Convent, the Post Office which was built in 1886, St Nicholas’s Church, and the Wesley Church.
The Oxley Lookout offers some amazing views. PIC: Destination NSW
Also worth a look is the Australian Light Horse Memorial, the Moonbi Museum, and the Nundle Woollen Mill, which has antique machines that are still turning bales of Australian merino wool into yarn.
It’s a great city for history buffs to explore, but this is Tamworth … so no visit would be complete without seeing some country music monuments, too. Top of the list is the 12-metre-high fibreglass-and-steel Golden Guitar, which adjoins the Tamworth Visitor Information Centre complex and the National Guitar Museum, and Country Music Wax Museum.
Also in town is a statue of the legendary Slim Dusty and wife Joy McKean as they were in 1957. For the full experience though, a visit to the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame and its huge collection of memorabilia is a must.
There are a number of stunning lookouts offering an overview of Tamworth and the country in which it sits. These include the Moonbi Lookout, the Hanging Rock Lookout, and the famed Oxley Lookout, which is also the start of the scenic 6.2km-long Kamilaroi Walking Track, as well as the home of some beautifully painted water towers.
As a growing tourist town, there are range of great camping options in and around Tamworth, including some well-appointed and grey-nomad friendly caravan parks.
