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Tamworth is a city and administrative centre of the north-western region of
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, Australia. Situated on the Peel River within the local government area of the
Tamworth Regional Council Tamworth Regional Council is a local government area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located adjacent to the New England Highway and the Main North railway line. It was established in M ...
, it is the largest and most populated city in the region, with a population of 63,920 in 2021, making it the second largest inland city in New South Wales. Tamworth is from the
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
border and is located almost midway between
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
and
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
. The city is known as the "First Town of Lights", being the first place in Australia to use electric street lights in 1888. Tamworth is also famous as the "Country Music Capital of Australia", annually hosting the
Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...
in late January; the second-biggest country music festival in the world after Nashville. The city is recognised as the National Equine Capital of Australia because of the high number of equine events held in the city and the construction of the world-class Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre, the biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.


History

The Kamilaroi people, from whose language comes the word "
budgerigar The budgerigar ( ; ''Melopsittacus undulatus''), also known as the common parakeet or shell parakeet, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot usually nicknamed the budgie ( ), or in American English, the parakeet. Budgies are the only spe ...
", inhabited the area before European contact. In 1818,
John Oxley John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps best known for his two exp ...
passed through the Peel Valley and commented, "it would be impossible to find a finer or more luxuriant country than its waters...No place in this world can afford more advantages to the industrious settler than this extensive vale". In 1831, the first sheep stations and cattle stations were formed, and in the same year, the Australian Agricultural Company was granted a lease of of land at Goonoo Goonoo, south of the present location of Tamworth, extending to present-day Calala. In the 1830s, a company town began to develop on the Peel's southwest bank, the present site of West Tamworth. In 1850, a public town was gazetted on the opposite side of the river from the existing settlement. This town became the main town, called "Tamworth" after
Tamworth, Staffordshire Tamworth (, ) is a market town and borough in Staffordshire, England, north-east of Birmingham. The town borders North Warwickshire to the east and north, Lichfield to the north, south-west and west. The town takes its name from the River T ...
, represented at the time in parliament by
Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Excheque ...
. The town prospered, and was reached by the
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...
in 1878. The first streetlights used in Australia were commercially owned in Waratah Tasmania in 1886, but on 9 November 1888, Tamworth became the first location in Australia to have electric street lighting powered by a municipally owned power station, giving the town the title of "First Town of Light".


Gaol history

The first record of correctional facilities being established in Tamworth was on 17 December 1864 when the local Police Magistrate was appointed as the Visiting Justice at the Tawmorth Gaol. A gaoler and sheriff were appointed in 1868. At the commencement of 1920, there were 11 prisoners detained. During that year, 201 prisoners were received with 183 discharged leaving 29 in prison by 31 December 1920. Almost 20 per cent of the prisoners were aged under 21 years. The Tamworth Gaol ceased to exist on 25 March 1943, and this was ratified by a proclamation from 8 April 1943. Prior to its opening as an adult male correctional centre in 1991, the facility (known variously as the Tamworth Institution for Boys, the Tamworth Boys’ Home, and Endeavour House) was a male juvenile justice centre that pre–dated the establishment of the Kariong Youth Correctional Centre which opened in September 1991.


Timeline

* 1818 – Explorer
John Oxley John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps best known for his two exp ...
passes through the area on his exploration mission. Names the river that now runs through the town: Peel River, after British Prime Minister
Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Excheque ...
. * 1831 – First sheep and cattle stations, namely Joseph Brown's 'Wallamoul' and William Dangar's 'Waldoo'. The exploring expedition led by Major Mitchell visited 'Wallamoul' in December 1831 on its way to the north-west. * 1834 – 6000 sheep of the Australian Agriculture Company were the first to be brought to the Tamworth region. * 1851 – The white population of the village of Tamworth was 254. * 1852 – John Barnes built the Royal Oak Hotel. * 1861 – Population 543 * 1866 – Tamworth Mechanics' Institute opened. * 1882 – Tamworth railway station opened. * 1883 – Tamworth base hospital opened. * 1888 – Power station opened and enables the beginning of electric street lighting. The first electric streetlights in Australia. * 1918 – A pedestal is unveiled as a memorial to the discovery of Tamworth district. * 1926 – An anchor from the HM survey ship Sealark is erected on the pedestal. *1935 - Radio 2TM began broadcasting. Tamworth's first radio station. * 1946 – Proclaimed a town. * 1947 – East-West Airlines was established in Tamworth, flying Tamworth to Sydney. * 1947 – Institution for Boys home for criminal youth opened. * 1973 – The first Australasian Country Music Festival was hosted in Tamworth by radio station 2TM, which has led to the extraordinary success of the Tamworth Country Music Festival that is held every year in Summer, at the end of January, a celebration that runs continuously for 11 days. * 1988 – A country music icon, the tall
Golden Guitar The Big Golden Guitar is one of the many "big" attractions that can be found around Australia. Located in Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in New England. It is also a major attraction duri ...
is erected as a symbol of the town's country music roots. * 1990s – The Local Council embarks on a successful campaign of urban and streetscape renewal, including the greening of Peel Street. * 1999 – Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre is opened. * 2004 – A new local government area, Tamworth Regional Council, is formed from Tamworth town, Manilla Shire and parts of Parry,
Nundle Nundle is a village in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Nundle Shire, but most of this area, including the village of Nundle, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. The village ...
and Barraba Shires. * 2006 – In December the Tamworth Regional Council voted 6 to 3 against an offer from the Federal Government to take part in a one-year trial rural refugee resettlement programme; the majority of these
refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
s would be
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
ese escaping
civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
in their homeland. Mayor of Tamworth, James Treloar, argued that the refugees being resettled were potentially diseased and criminal. The decision resulted in national and international media attention on the town. The public outrage unleashed by his comments and the summary decision to reject the refugees forced a reversal of the bill one month later, and Tamworth took part in the resettling program. * 2008 – The Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre opened in September. * 2016 – Tamworth hosted the annual City vs Country Origin rugby league match at Scully Park Regional Sporting Precinct. * 2020 - Tamworth became the
New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...
Temporary Training and Isolation facility During the COVID-19 Pandemic


Geography

Tamworth is located on the western side of the
Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...
, on the banks of the Peel River, about north of Sydney on the New England Highway, and inland from
Port Macquarie Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Se ...
on the
Oxley Highway Oxley Highway is a rural highway in New South Wales, Australia, linking Nevertire, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Tamworth, and Walcha to Port Macquarie, on the coast of the Tasman Sea. It was named to commemorate John Oxley, the first European t ...
. The city is situated at a narrow point on the Peel River floodplain, nestled at the base of the Wentworth Mounds, a spur of the
Moonbi Range The Moonbi Range, a mountain range that is part of the Great Dividing Range, is located in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. The range is located roughly north east of the city of Tamworth situated at the bottom of the Wen ...
, where the Northwest Slopes rise to the Northern Tablelands. The elevation is around AHD. The Peel River runs southeast to northwest through Tamworth. The main city centre is on the northeast bank, between the river and the Wentworth Mounds, which rise to heights of , towering over the city. The southwest bank is much flatter, and the city's suburbs sprawl to the south. Water for residents and the town's industry is supplied by
Chaffey Dam Chaffey Dam is a minor ungated rock fill with clay core embankment dam with an uncontrolled ''morning glory'' spillway across the Peel River, located upstream of the city of Tamworth, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. T ...
, south east of the city. Urban Tamworth occupies an area of as of 2016. The Tamworth Regional Council area encompasses the suburbs, towns, villages and rural localities of Appleby, Attunga, Banoon, Barraba (part), Barry, Bective, Bendemeer, Bithramere, Borah Creek, Bowling Alley Point, Bundarra (part), Calala, Crawney (part), Daruka, Duncans Creek, Dungowan, Duri, East Tamworth, Garoo, Garthowen, Gidley, Goonoo Goonoo, Gowrie, Gulf Creek (part), Halls Creek, Hallsville, Hanging Rock, Hillvue, Ironbark, Kentucky (part), Kingswood, Klori, Kootingal, Limbri, Lindesay, Longarm, Loomberah, Manilla, Mayvale, Moonbi, Moore Creek, Mulla Creek, Namoi River, Nemingha, New Mexico, Niangala (part), North Tamworth, Nundle, Ogunbil, Oxley Vale, Piallamore, Red Hill, Retreat, Rushes Creek, Somerton, South Tamworth, Taminda, Tamworth, Thirloene, Timbumburi, Tintinhull, Upper Horton (part), Upper Manilla, Wallamore, Warrabah, Warral, Watsons Creek, Weabonga, West Tamworth, Westdale, Wimborne, Winton, Wongo Creek, Woodsreef, Woolbrook (part) and Woolomin.


Climate

Tamworth has a warm climate with hot summers and mild winters. It is included in the rainfall records and weather forecast region of the North West Slopes or the North West Slopes and Plains division of the
Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. It was established in 1906 under the Meteorology Act, and brought together ...
forecasts. Under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
scheme, Tamworth has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(''Cfa''). Temperatures exceed on around 20–25 days a year, but over the past few years have exceeded this number substantially. The average maximum temperature is in the summer, and overnight is around , the mean annual rainfall is . Winters are mild or sometimes even warm by day, and cool to cold by night. Daytime temperatures hover around and occasionally make it to 20, and overnight around . On 12 January 2013, Tamworth recorded a new record high of , eclipsing the previous record by 0.5 of a degree, but one year later on 3 January 2014, Tamworth broke this record yet again by almost 3 degrees, recording . It has since broken this record again, recording on 12 February 2017.
Rainfall Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
is experienced all year round, with summer storms providing occasional heavy downpours. Tamworth's rainy season, in the early months of a new year (particularly January) can result in major
flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...
.
Snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughou ...
is very rare in Tamworth, but does occasionally occur in the surrounding higher villages such as
Nundle Nundle is a village in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Nundle Shire, but most of this area, including the village of Nundle, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. The village ...
(although far from reliable).
Frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a g ...
s are frequent and often severe. On 28 and 29 November 2008, Tamworth, Gunnedah, and the surrounding area received torrential rain that caused severe flooding and led to the area being declared a natural disaster area.


Demographics

According to the 2016 census of Population, 41,006 people were in Tamworth urban area. * Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 11.3% of the population. * About 84.4% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were England 1.1%, the Philippines 1.0%, New Zealand 0.7%, India 0.5%, and South Korea 0.4%. * Around 87.8% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 0.6%, Tagalog 0.5%, Korean 0.4%, and Filipino 0.3%. * The most common responses for religion were Anglican 28.3%, Catholic 25.1%, and no religion 20.2%. The estimated urban population of Tamworth at 30 June 2018 was 42,872, having grown, on average, slightly less than 1 percent year-on-year over the preceding five years. Tamworth had a working population of approximately 18,000 in 2008. At the the industry sector in Tamworth with the most employees was School Education with almost 6 percent of the workforce. Population for Tamworth Urban Area.


Suburbs

City * Calala * East Tamworth * Hills Plains * Hillvue * Kingswood * Nemingha *
North Tamworth North Tamworth is a suburb of Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia, in the city's north. It is on the northerly side of the Peel River between the suburbs of East Tamworth and Oxley Vale. North of North Tamworth are the satellite suburbs H ...
*
Oxley Vale Oxley may refer to: Places Australia Australian Capital Territory * Oxley, Australian Capital Territory is a suburb of Canberra, Australia Queensland *Oxley, Queensland is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia **Oxley railway station, Brisbane ...
* South Tamworth * Taminda (Tamworth Industrial Area) * Tamworth Central Business District * Westdale * West Tamworth Satellite suburbs * Daruka Estate * Duri * Hallsville * Kootingal * Moore Creek * Piallamore *
Tintinhull Tintinhull is a village and civil parish near Yeovil, south west of Ilchester, in Somerset, England. The village is close to the A303. It is on the Fosse Way. In addition to a school of around 100 pupils, Tintinhull has a church, park, swimming ...
* Dungowan


Central business district

The Tamworth central business district is the town centre and is located north of the Peel River. It is primarily a business area of Tamworth, with many shops, restaurants, car dealerships, as well as shopping centres and public facilities. The Tamworth Regional Council has its headquarters in Peel Street at Ray Walsh House. Bicentennial Park and number one cricket oval are also located in the suburb.


Economy

Tamworth is primarily a service centre for the New England and North West regions, providing services to a population of some 200,000 plus people from the Tamworth region and satellite areas. The retail industry is the biggest employer, followed by manufacturing and health services. The industries with the most number of businesses in order are property and business services, agriculture and construction, closely followed by finance and insurance services. With a diverse economy agriculture, education, transport and aviation are major industries.


Aviation

Aviation has been a significant part of the local economy, partly due to the town's exceptionally suitable flying weather, with the former East West Airlines and Eastern Airlines having had service and maintenance bases at the Tamworth Airport.Qantaslink currently conducts heavy maintenance on its DHC8-400 fleet at its Tamworth base. The Tamworth airport is home to the former Bae systems flight training academy complex, capable of accomodating and training up to 150 students at any time. New operators are currently being sought following the withdrawl of Bae from military flight training in 2020. The Australasian Pacific Aeronautical College and New England Institute of TAFE in the town also provide aeronautical training.


Agriculture

Agriculture is an important industry in the Tamworth economy. An estimated of land are used for the agricultural industry, with an economic gross value of $75 million contributing to the Tamworth economy. Important agricultural activities include beef, sheep, grain, dairy, poultry and lucerne. Other agricultural areas include alpaca, buffalo, berry, fish, goat, hydroponic, nut, olive, and specialised game fowl farming, as well as wineries. Offices for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources are located in Tamworth.


Equine and sporting horse events

Tamworth is recognised nationally as the sporting horse capital of Australia and is the headquarters of three major equine associations: CHA, ABCRA and AQHA. Many of the Australia's most important equine events take place in Tamworth. Various international, national and state championships are regularly held in the Tamworth district, as well as Australia's richest sporting horse event; the NCHA Futurity. Additionally, the ABCRA National Finals Rodeo occurs during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Equine sports and their participation is very high in the Tamworth region amongst residents. The strength of the equine and sporting horse industry has resulted in hundreds of businesses and horse studs being located in the town's region. Titles held in the town include: ABCRA National Finals and Junior National Finals, Australian
Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at ...
National Championships and Barrel Race Super Challenge, and the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity among many other events. These events were hosted at the Tamworth Showgrounds in the suburb of Taminda; however, they are now hosted at the new Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre as of 2008. The Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre has been built by the
Tamworth Regional Council Tamworth Regional Council is a local government area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located adjacent to the New England Highway and the Main North railway line. It was established in M ...
at a cost of $30 million. Construction of stage I began in June 2007 and was completed in October 2008. The centre has an indoor arena seating 3,360 people, stables for over 478 horses, a covered stud livestock-selling area with seating for 660 people and truck and camping facilities for 195 vehicles. Associations for
Appaloosa The Appaloosa is an American horse breed best known for its colorful spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse's colo ...
s horses, all breeds, Western Performance, Australian Stock Horses, Pony Clubs and cutting horses all use the centre.


Retail

Tamworth is the largest and main retail centre for the
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
and North West Slopes regions of
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
. Retail accounts for 22.5% of the working population and is the largest employer in the town. Peel Street is the major retail and shopping area of Tamworth and is located in the Tamworth Central Business District. Three blocks of Peel St were refurbished over different stages during the 1990s. There are a few hundred shops in the main street, as well as restaurants, street cafés and banks. These include a large
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
department store (formerly
Grace Bros. Grace Bros was an Australian department store chain, founded in 1885. It was bought by Myer (later Coles Myer) in 1983. There were 25 stores across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory plus a few in Victoria, until they were ...
). There are many shopping centres located in Tamworth, with the majority being located in the Tamworth Central Business District (CBD), but many are also located in various neighbourhood suburbs. Shopping centres include: *Tamworth town Plaza is located in the CBD, with 42 shops including Coles and Kmart. *Centrepoint Shopping Centre is a shopping centre that was completed by Christmas 2008 behind the Tamworth Town Hall, in the CBD between the old town library and behind the speciality shops in the main street Peel St. The Centre contains an
Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when ...
supermarket, as well as The Forum 6 Cinema Complex that contains five cinemas and a performing arts centre/theatre known as the Capitol Theatre that also doubles as a cinema, six restaurants, a food court and 40 speciality shops. In 2012 It was announced that Aldi and JB Hi-Fi would be located within the centre, replacing
Franklins Franklins was an Australian discount supermarket chain selling packaged groceries and perishables throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. It sold the "No Frills" home brand generic products. In 2011 the chain w ...
. *The Atrium, formerly known as the Tamworth Arcade, is located in the CBD with entrances from Peel St and Kable Avenue. *Eastpoint Shopping Centre Tamworth, located in the CBD on Peel St and includes
Woolworths Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shop ...
and Dan Murphy's. *Tamworth Shopping World is located in West Tamworth along Bridge St, with over 50 speciality shops, including a food court and anchored by
Woolworths Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shop ...
and
Big W Big W (stylized as BIG W) is an Australian chain of discount department stores, which was founded in regional New South Wales in 1964. The company is a division of Woolworths Group and as at 2019 operated 176 stores, with around 22,000 employ ...
. *Northgate Shopping Centre is situated in
North Tamworth North Tamworth is a suburb of Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia, in the city's north. It is on the northerly side of the Peel River between the suburbs of East Tamworth and Oxley Vale. North of North Tamworth are the satellite suburbs H ...
; Coles is located inside the centre, as well as 10 speciality shops. The centre has been recently redeveloped. Restroom facilities are available for all shoppers, as well as ATM facilities. *Southgate Shopping Centre in South Tamworth is home to Coles and other speciality shops. The centre was the first mall to be built in Tamworth. In 2012 Southgate undertook a redevelopment, where the centre received a much needed facelift and Coles replaced Bi-Lo. *Tamworth Homespace is located out at the Longyard. It is a bulk goods complex. It also contains two large gyms (Jetts 24hr Fitness and Inspirations) and Bibs and Ribs steak house. *Calala Court shopping complex, located in Calala, was opened in 2007. It has 10 speciality shops and an
IGA Iga may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Ambush at Iga Pass, a 1958 Japanese film * Iga no Kagemaru, Japanese manga series * Iga, a set of characters from the Japanese novel '' The Kouga Ninja Scrolls'' Biology * ''Iga'' (beetle), a g ...
supermarket.


Tourism

Tourism is a significant industry in the Tamworth area, worth $AUD239 million annually as at December 2014, with by far the most significant draw being the annual
Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...
, the biggest event of its type in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. Other attractions include Tamworth's museums and galleries. Nearby destinations include several country towns, including Barraba, popular for
birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
,
Nundle Nundle is a village in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Nundle Shire, but most of this area, including the village of Nundle, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. The village ...
, and Quirindi.


Country Music Festival

Tamworth is best known for hosting the annual
Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...
(TCMF) over a period of 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January, sometimes including Australia Day. TCMF is the second biggest country music festival in the world. It features thousands of Australian and international country music artists performing live shows 24 hours a day. Each year, an estimated 100,000 people pass through Tamworth for the festival. Around 70,000 stay for a substantial duration, with some camping along the banks of the Peel River. On the last Saturday of each TCMF, the Toyota Country Music Cavalcade is held in Peel Street (the main street), featuring many country music artists. The festival culminates in the prestigious
Golden Guitar Awards The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales ...
. Tamworth otherwise honours country music by being home to the ' Big Golden Guitar', the Wax Museum, and the Hands of Fame Park.


Vehicle manufacturing

In the 1990s, Ansair established a bus bodying factory in Tamworth to body
Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skån ...
and Volvo buses for Brisbane Transport and the State Transit Authority.
Jakab Industries Jakab Industries was an Australian coachbuilder in Tamworth, New South Wales. History Jakab Industries built its first bus body in July 1973, a Ford R226. It mainly made bodies for buses for the defence forces, but also built some for commercia ...
also bodied buses, ambulances and postal vans between 1973 and 2002.


Venues


Tamworth Capitol Theatre

The Tamworth Capitol Theatre is fitted with a 405-seat auditorium with two levels of tiered seating, professional theatre lighting, a full sound system, dressing rooms, an orchestra pit, and fly tower, and is fully air conditioned. It is a multifunctional space for live theatre and cinema productions. It has significantly added to the existing cultural facilities in the region and provides a forum for live theatre, including dance, drama, music, educational activities, conferences and community events. During the Country Music Festival The Capitol Theatre is host to three independent shows per day.


Tamworth Town Hall

The Tamworth Town Hall, located in the Tamworth Central Business District, is a historical building used for events, conferences and concerts. Additionally, it is commonly used for career expos, antique shows, meetings and conventions. It was built in 1934, has a proscenium stage, a gallery and a
seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...
of 1074 people.


Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre

Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre is located in the suburb of Hillvue. It is a multipurpose centre with a
seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...
of 5,100, and is the biggest of its kind outside the New South Wales and south-east Queensland metropolitan areas.


Education

*
University of New England University of New England may refer to: * University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 18,000 students * University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 3,000 students See also *New England Colle ...
* University of Newcastle *TAFE New England *
Calrossy Anglican School The Calrossy Anglican School (Calrossy) is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys and girls and incorporates a primary and preschool. Calrossy is located in East Tamworth, a suburb of Tamworth, a city in the New England re ...
* Carinya Christian School *
Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School Farrer may refer to People * Alisha Farrer (born 1943), Australian actress and model * Austin Farrer (1904–1968), English theologian, philosopher, and friend of C. S. Lewis * Buster Farrer (1936-), South African cricketer * Claude Farrer (1862� ...
*Hillvue Public School *Liberty College * McCarthy Catholic College *Nemingha Public School *
Oxley High School Oxley High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located in North Tamworth, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1968, the school enrolled approximately 970 studen ...
*
Peel High School Peel High School is a government-funded co-educational dual modality partially academically selective and comprehensive secondary day school, located in Tamworth, a city in the northwest region of New South Wales, Australia. Established in ...
*St Nicholas Catholic Primary School *St Edwards Catholic Primary School *St Joseph's Catholic Primary School * Tamworth Public School *
Tamworth High School Tamworth High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located in Willis Street, South Tamworth, a suburb of the Tamworth Regional Council local government area in the New England region of New South Wa ...
*Tamworth South Public School *Tamworth West Public School *Westdale Public School


Culture and recreation


Sport

Sport is a very important part of Tamworth culture, and over 50 different sports and recreational pursuits are participated in by the community. Many major annual and one-off sporting events are held in the town because of the wide range of facilities and venues available. There are over 180 sporting clubs in the Tamworth region and the region has several strong competitions, including basketball,
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
,
football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
,
field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
,
netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...
,
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
,
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
, and Aussie rules football. As a result, the town has produced many sportspeople, including test cricketers, Olympic shooters and hockey players, and many players in the
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
. The Northern Inland Academy of Sport is one important institution in the town that has helped talented sportspeople to establish themselves "on and off the field". It was established in 1992 and has a wide range of community support. During the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June, Tamworth hosts a Baseball tournament with teams competing from all over NSW and QLD.


Facilities

Located within the town are an athletic track, Australian football grounds, badminton courts, baseball diamonds, indoor basketball courts, indoor and outdoor cricket pitches, croquet turf, cycling (velodrome and bmx track), two 18-hole golf courses, a gymnastic centre, water bases hockey fields, the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre used for equine sports, eleven bowling turfs, a kart-racing track, a speedway track and a motocross track, netball courts: twelve asphalt courts, 30 grass courts and an indoor synthetic court, an inline hockey court, rugby league and union fields (nine senior fields and seven junior fields). Shooting sports have a 3 x 25 m standard pistol range, 1 x 10m air pistol range, 1 x 100m free and action pistol range; 1 x 50m service pistol range and 1 x 100m rifle range. Soccer fields include six senior fields, 8 junior fields and an indoor standard court. Two international standard softball diamonds and ten competition standard diamonds are available. Squash courts, two olympic swimming pools and one indoor pool, tennis courts (two hardcourts, 17 synthetic courts, 8 clay courts and one indoor synthetic court), two tenpin bowling centres, 16 touch football/Oztag fields, two indoor volleyball courts and three beach courts, as well as 2 water polo competition level pools are located there.


Senior sports teams


Performing arts

* CAPERS is a show hosted at Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre every two years to showcase the talent of students (both primary and high school) from the North-West region public schools. * The Northwest Dance Festival has been held various times in Tamworth at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre. This includes a wide variety of dances from all the public schools in the region. * The Tamworth Eisteddfod is held annually in May and June, with Speech and Drama, Debating, Music and Dance sections at the Tamworth Town Hall. * The Tamworth Musical Society is an important part of the Tamworth culture, and has performed musicals such as "Grease", "Westside Story", and "Les Misérables" in October–November 2007 at the Tamworth Capitol Theatre. * The Tamworth Regional Conservatorium of Music is another important part of the performing arts scene in Tamworth. Over 1000 students learn many instruments from experienced and qualified teachers. It is the largest regional conservatorium in the state behind Wollongong, with students ranging in age from four to 75 years old, learning over 21 different instruments.


Parks

The many important parks in the town of Tamworth include Anzac Park, Bicentennial Park and The Tamworth Regional Botanic Gardens. The botanical gardens were established in 1995 and are run by the Tamworth Regional Council. Bicentennial Park is characterisd by its stagnant waters and high population of wild
ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...
. The gardens cover an area of , of which has been developed. The gardens conserve the flora of the region, as well as include flora and plant displays from various parts of Australia and the world.


Heritage listings

Tamworth has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Fitzroy Street:
Tamworth Post Office The Tamworth Post Office is a State heritage-listed post office located on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Peel Street, Tamworth in the Tamworth Regional Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the ...
* King George V Memorial Avenue (East): King George V Avenue of Memorial English Oaks * Main Northern railway: Peel River railway bridge * Main Northern railway: Tamworth railway station * Marius Street (East): Dominican Roman Catholic Convent * Peel Street (cnr): Tamworth Peel Barracks The following buildings in Tamworth are listed on the now defunct
Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Herita ...
: * Hospital Main Block, built 1883 * Lands Office, Fitzroy Street, built 1889 * Post Office, Victorian Classical style, designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet, circa 1886 * Public School, Upper Street, built 1885


Museums


Tamworth Power Station Museum

Tamworth was the first town in Australia to light its streets by municipally generated electritown in 1888. A larger power station was established in 1923 at a site in Marius Street, East Tamworth due to the high demand of electritown and the main building was demolished in 1982. The Tamworth Power Station Museum's purpose is to tell the story of the town's role in the development of electric street lighting, from the early days of oil lamps in 1876 and gas lamps in 1882, through to the installation of the first electric lights in November 1888. The museum has one of Australia's largest collections of early 20th century electrical appliances.


Powerhouse Motorcycle Museum

The Powerhouse Motorcycle Museum holds more than 50 motorcycles spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s. The museum specialises in Ducati, Triumph, Honda, Velocette and Laverda. The museum holds an example of the limited edition MV Agusta F4 Serie Oro.


Churches

Since 2000, the Combined Churches of Tamworth have run a free to the public festival called "Lifefest" in Bicentennial Park. The event is run on a Saturday in July in conjunction with Fusion Tamworth and with the support of Tamworth Regional Council. The family day celebrates National Thanksgiving Day and involves various stalls with free food, drinks, games, and showbags, as well as a drama presentation, music performances, and displays from police, fire brigade and ambulance personnel; 2007 attracted a crowd of a few thousand to the festival in the park.


Media

Tamworth serves as the regional centre for media in the New England District. Much of the region's history is stored in its original form at th
Tamworth Regional Film and Sound Archive
– a volunteer organisation hosted by the Tamworth Regional Council – and their database is availabl
online
In 1970, the town (city hall, main street, swimming pool, Hoyts drive-in, and station) and region served as the setting for the ''Judy'' vignette in the 1971 film '' 3 to Go''.


Newspapers

*''
Northern Daily Leader The ''Northern Daily Leader'', previously published as ''The Tamworth Daily Observer'', ''The Daily Observer'' and ''The Tamworth Observer and Northern Advertiser'', is a daily newspaper produced in the city of Tamworth, New South Wales, Austral ...
'' is a long-running daily local paper (Monday to Saturday), with local and regional coverage, owned by Fairfax. *''Tamworth Times'' is a free weekly paper owned by Fairfax.


Television

Tamworth is served by three commercial and two public television services, each having their respective primary and multichannel services across the North West region: * Seven (formerly
Prime7 Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as '' CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Ca ...
), 7Two,
7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a ...
,
7flix 7flix is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 28 February 2016. 7flix targets a variety of viewers and offers drama, comedy, reality, docusoap, and movies. History On 18 Decembe ...
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
owned and operated. * Nine ( NBN Television),
9Go! 9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, ani ...
,
9Gem 9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived. History Nine N ...
, 9Life
Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
owned and operated. * 10,
10 Peach 10 Peach is an Australian free-to-air television channel operated by Network 10. It was launched on 11 January 2011 as Eleven. It is owned by ElevenCo, which was established as a joint venture between Ten Network Holdings and CBS Studios Inte ...
,
10 Bold 10 Bold is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and events, but rebranded to One in April 2011 to ...
– (Owned by WIN Corporation),
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of fiv ...
affiliate. *
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...
, ABC, ABC TV Plus, ABC Me,
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...
*
Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Wor ...
, SBS, SBS Viceland,
SBS Food SBS Food is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world. History SBS first revealed it would lau ...
, NITV Of the three main commercial networks: *''
Prime7 News ''Prime7 News'' was a local television news service in parts of regional Australia, produced by Prime7. A statewide national bulletin, 5 full local news bulletins, and news update services was presented from Prime Media's National Headquarters i ...
'' airs a half-hour local news bulletin for the North West at 6pm each weeknight. It is produced from a local newsroom in the city and broadcast from studios in
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
. * NBN Television airs ''NBN News'', a regional hour-long program including opt-outs for the North West, every night at 6pm. It is broadcast from studios in Newcastle with reporters based at a local newsroom in the city. * WIN Television airs short local news updates throughout the day, broadcast from its
Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near w ...
studios. Subscription television services are provided by Austar.


Radio

The
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...
(ABC) operate and broadcast five radio stations: * ABC New England North West 648 AM / 99.1 FM – part of the
ABC Local Radio ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programm ...
network *
ABC News Radio ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five minute newscasts on the hour and news briefs at half-pas ...
91.7 FM *
ABC Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors a ...
93.9 FM / 100.7 FM *
ABC Classic FM ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. I ...
96.7 FM / 103.1 FM *
Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...
94.7 FM / 99.9 FM *2TM Tamworth 1287AM - Tamworth's first radio station *92.9FM *88.9fm New England Northwest 96.3fm Liverpool Plains Several other radio stations are based in the town, including 2TM, general community station
88.9 FM The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 88.9 MHz: Argentina * Radio 360 in Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos * Atalaya in Berazategui, Buenos Aires * Bella Italia in Rafaela, Santa Fe * Bemba in Villa María, Córdoba * Cadena 3 Ar ...
, Christian community radio station Radio Rhema 89.7 FM, and hit music station FM 92.9. The community radio stations both broadcast from Bald Hill. FM 92.9 and 2TM are owned by the Broadcast Operations Group, branded as the "Super Radio Network".


Transport

Tamworth Airport Tamworth Airport is a regional airport serving Tamworth, a city in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located from the town centre, on New Winton Road. The airport is owned and operated by the Tamworth Regional Council and is l ...
has daily flights to
Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (colloquially Mascot Airport, Kingsford Smith Airport, or Sydney Airport; ; ) is an international airport in Sydney, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the ...
with
QantasLink QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. As of September 2010 Qant ...
, and previously by
Virgin Australia Virgin Australia, the trading name of Virgin Australia Airlines Pty Ltd, is an Australian-based airline. It is the largest airline by fleet size to use the Virgin brand. It commenced services on 31 August 2000 as ''Virgin Blue'', with two ...
. Regional carrier Fly Corporate, now known as
Link Airways Vee H Aviation Pty Ltd, operating as Link Airways, formerly known as Fly Corporate, is an Australian regional airline based at Brisbane Airport, Queensland. The airline operates scheduled regional passenger services in Queensland, New South Wa ...
, began a regular service between
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
and Tamworth on 31 October 2016. Tamworth station is situated on the Main Northern railway line. Trains no longer continue all the way to the
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
border, but the town is still served by the
NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Queensland and South Austral ...
Xplorer service between Sydney and Armidale, where daily coaches continue to Tenterfield. Other NSW TrainLink coaches operate to Inverell. Until November 2009,
Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock (owned by the Federal, New South Wales and Victorian Governments) were combined with Freig ...
operated a regular fuel service from Sydney, carrying 30 million litres (6,600,000 imp gal; 7,900,000 US gal) of fuel a year to Tamworth and
Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Go ...
. It was the last freight service to serve the town; in the 1980s, up to six trains a day ran. Tamworth is served by thrice-weekly bus services to
Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...
and
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
by
New England Coaches New England Coaches is an Australian coach company operating services in Northern New South Wales and South East Queensland. History New England Coaches is a coach operator, based in Glen Innes. Trading as Arandale Coaches, it operated route ...
. Greyhound Australia stopped servicing Tamworth in 2016 citing unprofitable passenger loadings. Local services are provided by Tamworth Buslines who also provides interurban services to nearby Quirindi (Rt 428), Manila (Rt 443) and Bendemeer (Rt 444)


Sister cities

Tamworth has the following sister cities:


Attractions

* Calala Cottage * Endeavour Park (Marsupial Park) *
Golden Guitar The Big Golden Guitar is one of the many "big" attractions that can be found around Australia. Located in Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in New England. It is also a major attraction duri ...
* Oxley Park Lookout * PowerStation Museum * Tamworth Regional Botanic Gardens * Tamworth Regional Gallery * The Big Big Mac * Wax Museum


Military history

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Tamworth was the location of RAAF No.20 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 14 June 1944. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the
RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
and the
US Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).


Notable people

;Academic * Bronwyn Davies – Independent scholar and Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne; author * Stephen R Kane – Associate Professor of Planetary Astrophysics, University of California, Riverside * Warren R Rodwell – University teacher, hostage survivor, lyricist ;Arts, entertainment and media * Peter Cousens – Actor *
Mark Ferguson Mark Ferguson (born 28 February 1961) is a New Zealand-based Australian actor and television presenter. Biography Born in Sydney, Australia, Ferguson attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and graduated in 1981. In 1982, he p ...
– TV newsreader * Belinda Giblin – Actress * Kylie Gillies – TV presenter, co-host * Pixie Jenkins – Musician * Ezra Lee – Musician, singer, songwriter * Tony Martin – Actor *
Lawrie Minson Lawrence (Lawrie) Minson (born 13 September 1958) is an Australian country musician, best known as a session player. Career Minson is the son of former Australian radio personality John Minson. His country music career commenced in 1979 acco ...
– Musician, songwriter *
Matt Moran Matthew Moran (born 15 May 1969) is an Australian chef and restaurateur also known for being a guest on various TV cooking shows. Early life Moran was raised on a dairy farm at Badgerys Creek, west of Sydney, before moving to the outer-wes ...
– Chef, TV personality *
Philip Quast Philip Mark Quast (born 30 July 1957) is an Australian actor and singer. He has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical three times, making him the first actor to have three wins in that category. He is perhaps best known f ...
– Actor, singer * Ivan Sen – Film director, writer * Rebecca Smart – Actress *
Don Spencer Donald Richard Spencer (born 22 March 1941),is an Australian children's television presenter, singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He had a long-running role on ''Play School'' on both the Australian version (1968–99) and the United Kingdom ...
– Musician, author, TV presenter * Felicity Urquhart – Singer, songwriter ;Politics *
Mark Coulton Mark Maclean Coulton (born 3 February 1958) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the National Party and has served in the House of Representatives since the 2007 federal election, representing the Division of Parkes in New South Wale ...
– Politician; National Party member for the
Division of Parkes The Division of Parkes is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. History The former Division of Parkes (1901–69) was located in suburban Sydney, and was not related to this division, except in name. The divisio ...
* Kevin Humphries – Politician; National Party member of the NSW Legislative Assembly *
Barnaby Joyce Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce (born 17 April 1967) is an Australian politician who served as the 17th deputy prime minister of Australia under Malcolm Turnbull from 2016 to 2018 and under Scott Morrison from 2021 to 2022. He was the leader of the ...
– Politician; Former leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia * Andrew Wilkie – Politician; independent federal member for the Division of Denison *
Tony Windsor Antony Harold Curties Windsor, (born 2 September 1950) is a former Australian politician. Windsor was an independent member for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Tamworth from 1991 to 2001 − supporting the incumbent Greiner ...
– Retired politician; independent member for the Division of New England ;Sport * Clive Barton – Skeet shooter * George Barton – Shooter * David Brooks – Rugby league player *
Jamie Dwyer Jamie Dwyer (born 12 March 1979) is an Australian field hockey player. He currently plays for YMCC Coastal City Hockey Club in the Melville Toyota League in Perth, Western Australia. He also played for the Queensland Blades in the Australian ...
– Hockey player *
Elton Flatley Elton Flatley (born 7 May 1977, Tamworth, New South Wales) is a former Australian international rugby union footballer. He played for the Queensland Reds. Career Flatley was educated at St. Joseph's Nudgee College where he was signed into th ...
- Rugby Union player * John Gleeson – Cricketer *
Phil Graham Philip Leslie Graham (July 18, 1915 – August 3, 1963) was an American newspaperman. He served as publisher and later co-owner of ''The Washington Post'' and its parent company, The Washington Post Company. During his years with the Post Comp ...
– Rugby league player *
Josh Hazlewood Josh Reginald Hazlewood (born 8 January 1991) is an Australian international cricketer. He is a tall pace bowler known for his accuracy and has been compared to former Australian paceman Glenn McGrath. Hazlewood currently ranks no.2 in ODI, no.1 ...
– Cricketer *
Troy Hearfield Troy Hearfield (born 31 October 1987 in Tamworth, NSW) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays for Sawtell FC. Club career Hearfield signed for Newcastle Jets in 2006. On 2 February 2007, Hearfield made his professional debut in a ...
– Soccer player *
Mark Hensby Mark Adam Hensby (born 29 June 1971) is an Australian professional golfer. Hensby was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He grew up in Tamworth, New South Wales and attended Tamworth High School, leaving at the age of 16 to work as a postie while sp ...
– Golfer *
Craig Jones Craig Jones may refer to: * Craig Jones (grappler) (born 1991), Australian Submission wrestling, grappler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt competitor * Craig Jones (musician) (born 1972), American musician * Craig Jones (motorcyclist) (1985–2008 ...
– Cricketer *
Nick Kay Nicholas Colin Kay (born 3 August 1992) is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for Shimane Susanoo Magic of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Metro State Roadrunners before beginning his profess ...
– Basketballer * Tom Learoyd-Lahrs – Rugby league *
Greg McNamara Greg McNamara (1950–1997) was an Australian Boxer. He was born in Tamworth, New South Wales and was Australian Light-Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat s ...
– Boxer * Ethan Parry – Rugby league player * Matt Parsons – Rugby league player * Shane Rodney – Rugby league player * Paddy Ryan – Rugby union player * Matthew Smith – Hockey player *
Emelyn Starr Emelyn Starr (born 11 November 1989) is an Australian former professional tennis player. Her highest singles ranking is world No. 370, which she reached on 3 August 2009. Her career-high WTA ranking in doubles is No. 246, which she achieved o ...
– Tennis player *
Richard Swain Richard Swain (born 2 July 1975) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international , he played club football in Australia for the Hunter Mariners, Melbourne Storm (with ...
– Rugby league player * Peter Taylor – Rugby league player *
Brad Tighe Bradley Tighe (born 5 April 1984) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He played at and and played for the Newcastle Knights, Penrith Panthers and Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League. Playing career Tighe ...
– Rugby league player * Alan Tongue – Rugby league player * Ross Warner – Rugby league player * Michael York – Hockey player


See also

* List of world's largest roadside attractions


References


External links


Tamworth Regional Council

Tourism Tamworth

Northern Daily Leader – Newspaper

Country Music Festival PageTamworth -VisitNSW.com

Tamworth, Australia statistics - ZhujiWorld.com
{{Authority control North West Slopes Populated places established in 1850 Towns in New England (New South Wales) Towns in New South Wales 1850 establishments in Australia es:Tamworth