Tamworth

Celebrating country music  

The Tamworth Toyota Country Music Festival is the largest and longest country music festival in the Southern Hemisphere, held across 10 days every January for more than 50 years. There are ticketed and free events (more than 3,000 of them in fact), including the culmination: the Golden Guitar Awards. The whole family can enjoy the festive atmosphere thanks to fun activities like dodgem cars, a Ferris wheel, bungees and live music tailored to young audiences. The lesser-known Hats Off To Country Music Festival in July is a more intimate, four-day event that’s also worth a visit. 

Tamworth Country Music Festival 2019, Tamworth

Outside of these times you can still take a deep dive into country music world. Stop by the Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre, which is filled with music memorabilia including more than 20 guitars signed by local and international musicians. You can see how your digits compare with the handprints of over 300 musical stars whose hands have been immortalised in concrete at the Country Music Hands of Fame Park.  

The Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre, Tamworth

And then visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, a shrine to all the Australian crooners that have made the industry so special. Browse a stellar collection of memorabilia, take a deep dive into Tamworth’s musical history, and discover the who’s who of the country world through a range of innovative exhibits involving music videos, old-school posters, photographs and instruments dating back close to a century. Phew! 

Hands of Fame Park at Australian Country Music Hall of Fame, Tamworth

Things to do 

There’s plenty of culture to be had outside of music. Visit the Tamworth Regional Gallery, one of the oldest of its kind in NSW, to discover the district’s heritage and also its future – there are works from plenty of creatives on display. See colonial silverware along with modern exhibitions that change regularly. You can also catch a cultural performance at the purpose-built Capitol Theatre. 

Tamworth Regional Gallery, Tamworth

The great outdoors beckons across the Tamworth region. Follow Tamworth's jacaranda-lined White St to the very top, and you’ll find yourself at the Oxley Scenic Lookout. It offers dazzling 180-degree views of the city and Peel River Valley around the clock, but is definitely the best seat in the house as the sun goes down. Bushwalking, fishing, canoeing, birdwatching, swimming… these are all on your agenda when you pitch your tent in Warrabah National Park.    

Oxley Scenic Lookout, Tamworth

If horseriding and rodeos are your thing, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to trails and events including the spectacular Australian Stock Horse Society National Show in March and the National Cutting Horse Association’s Futurity competition in May and June. Get set for a day of wild fun with Tamworth and Kootingal Horse Riding Adventures, catering to the whole family with two-hour trail rides as well as pony jaunts. The experiences operate out of Swamp Oak Station, an enormous working cattle station that you can tour before or after your ride.  

Tamworth & Kootingal Horse Riding Adventures, Tamworth

Kids will love the chance to get close to kangaroos, wallabies, cockatoos and emus at the Tamworth Marsupial Park, spanning 14 hectares and with free entry. Within the space is an immense adventure playground built by the community, with areas for kids under five as well as those in older age brackets. Adjoining Tamworth’s lush Bicentennial Park (don’t miss feeding the friendly ducks) you’ll find the incredible Tamworth Regional Playground, with facilities that will tire out even the most energetic little explorers. Fuel up for a big day of navigating the skywalk, three giant slides, four towers, the bike track, flying foxes and a waterfall with a three-metre sway bridge.  

Tamworth Marsupial Park and Adventure Playground, Tamworth - Credit: Tamworth Marsupial Park and Adventure Playground

Eat & drink 

With green pastures and fertile soils, the Tamworth region is chock-full of delicious food and wine experiences. Highlights include The Pig and Tinder Box, one of the first pubs in the New England region. The Glasshouse at Goonoo Goonoo Station, where the impeccable food takes inspiration from the seasons and your surrounds. And The Welder’s Dog, a craft brewery that began in nearby Armidale and now has a popular outlet in Tamworth.   

The Pig & Tinder Box, Tamworth

You can enjoy some of the local bounty at a range of restaurants and the annual 10-day Taste Tamworth Festival in April, which celebrates the region’s fresh produce and cool-climate wines. 

Picnic at sunset, Country NSW

Where to stay 

Places to stay range from riverside camping and motels to country cottages, heritage pubs and a beautifully refurbished colonial pastoral village at Goonoo Goonoo Station. 

Goonoo Goonoo Station, Tamworth

Getting there 

Tamworth is a five-hour drive north of Sydney and seven hours from Brisbane. There is also a daily direct train and the journey takes just over six hours. Or fly into Tamworth Regional Airport and hire a car to explore the area. Qantas operates direct flights between Sydney and Tamworth daily, and Link Airways operates direct flights between Tamworth and Brisbane six days a week.