The first rural community in NSW to be lit by electricity (in 1881), Tamworth is regarded as the country music capital of Australia, hosting a annual country music festival in January which attracts thousands of fans to hundreds of different performances and the presentation of the national awards.
The town also has many attractions which include- The Gallery of Stars (waxworks); The Hands of Stone Corner Stone (hand prints); Tamworth Art Gallery which houses a good collection of paintings, Australian silver, and ivory figurines; and the Pyramid Planetarium north of town, where the solar system is reproduced in miniature.
TAMWORTH is the first city on the New England Plateau proper, a fair-sized place that’s proud of its public buildings, parks and gardens. It also likes to refer to itself as the “City of Lights”, having been the first in Australia to be fitted with electric street lighting, in 1888.
To most Australians, however, Tamworth means country music – it’s a sort of antipodean Nashville. The twelve-metre-high golden guitar in front of the Tamworth Country Centre (daily 9am–5pm; $4), on the southern edge of town, sums up the town’s role as the C&W capital of Australasia. Inside the centre, you’ll find waxwork figures of the great Australian country stars such as Chad Morgan, Buddy Williams, Smoky Dawson and his horse Flash, Slim Dusty, Reg Lindsay and Tex Morton. The ladies aren’t forgotten, and their “country meets disco” outfits are even more over the top than the men’s – check out Jean Stafford, “the glamorous Tasmanian”, and the McKeen sisters in red corduroy A-line skirts with matching waistcoats. Take your camera in and snap some hilarious pictures with the stars.
There’s also a slightly incongruous collection of gems and minerals from the region – no rhinestones though. Afterwards, the Longyard Hotel next door is a handy place to weep in your beer for a while and, once a year, for a week at the end of January, it becomes the focus of the Tamworth Country Music Festival when fans from all over the country descend, packing out camping spots. The town is given over to starry-eyed buskers, Akubra hats and cowboy boots, and every pub, club and hall in town hosts music gigs, record launches and bush poetry, culminating in the presentation of the Australian country music awards.
Further information and bookings from BAL Marketing (tel 02/6762 2399) or the visitors centre. The final piece of the country puzzle is found at the corner of Brisbane Street and Kable Avenue, where the Hands of Fame cornerstone bears the palm-prints of more country greats. A glorious spoof, the Noses of Fame memorial, can be savoured over a beer at the Tattersalls Hotel on Peel Street.
Don’t give up on Tamworth entirely if country music isn’t your thing. The new Powerstation Museum at 216 Peel St (Tues–Fri 9am–1pm, Sat & Sun by arrangement; free), celebrates those pioneering street lights, and there are numerous art galleries and crafts studios around town: the Tamworth City Gallery, housed in the Guy Kable Building on Marius Street (Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 9–11.30am, Sun 1–4pm; free) has a surprisingly good permanent exhibition. Natural attractions include the Oxley Lookout and Nature Reserve at the end of White Street, with panoramic views of the city and the Peel River Valley, and Lake Keepit, 56km northwest of the city, where you can rent boats and mess about on the water.
The former gold-mining township of NUNDLE lies some 60km southeast of town in the “hills of gold” – people still visit with picks, shovels and sieves in the hope of striking it lucky, and you can join them for a day. You no longer need to buy a fossicking licence but it’s still worth dropping by the General Store on Jenkins Street; they’ll point you in the right direction to start digging.
Attractions
- Calala Cottage, Denision St., Tamworth, Townhouse built in 1875 for Philip Gidley King, the first mayor of Tamworth. Open: 2-4 Tues-Sun. Admission: Small Entry Fee Applies.
- Tamworth City Gallery, 203 Marius St., Tamworth, Fine collection of colonial Australian watercolours and oils. Open:10-5 Mon-Fri, 9-12 Sat 81 1-4 Sun. Admission: No Charge.
Getting There
Entertainment
There are a couple of recommended cafés in Tamworth: the Old Vic Café, 261 Peel St (Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 9am–2.30pm), and the Weswal Gallery, 192 Brisbane St (daily 10am–4.30pm). Outside festival time, you’ll be disappointed if you think the town’s clubs and pubs constantly resound to C&W twangings, but you can catch some acts on Thursday evening at the Tamworth RSL Club on Kable Avenue, and on Sunday evening at the West Tamworth Leagues Club on Phillip Street; on Sunday afternoon the Longyard Hotel, behind the Golden Guitar in South Tamworth, puts on country music for free.
Accommodation
The closest place for campers and caravanners is the Paradise Caravan Park, Peel St, on the river about five minutes’ walk from the main part of town. Further out, you could try the Thunderbird Caravan Park, 6km north, or the bigger City Lights Caravan Park, 6km south, which has a swimming pool; both are on the New England Highway. In Nundle there are rooms and meals at the historic Peel Inn on Jenkins Street, where they also organize gold-panning.
If you want a taste of life on a sheep and cattle station, there’s Echo Hills Station, 45km east of Tamworth at Mulla Creek; they pick you up for stays of over two days, if arranged in advance. Meals are available ($15 per day) or you can use their kitchen. There’s horse-riding and 4WD tours, as well as mustering cattle and sheep (all activities $25 per day). The station also offers popular Jackeroo and Jilleroo courses to enable you to get work as a rouseabout (or just for the unique experience); on the week-long residential course ($374) you learn to ride and groom horses, shear and throw fleeces, and go out mustering.
Events
- Australian
Country Music Festival
This festival attracts thousands of fans to hundreds of different performances, is the major country music festival in Australia and also the acknowledgement of the national country music awards. January