The Big Golden Guitar is one of the many
"big" attractions that can be found around
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. Located in
Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in
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 ...
.
It is also a major attraction during 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 ...
.
History
The Golden Guitar was erected in front of the Longyard Hotel on Sydney Road in 1988. It was unveiled by the country music artist,
Slim Dusty
Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars, ...
. Its location in Tamworth is symbolic of the city's recognition and celebration of
Australian country music
Australian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass, to yodeling to folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English folk music, the Australian bush bal ...
, and its artists.
An annual award ceremony takes place where miniature Golden Guitars are given as awards to artists and musicians in recognition of their achievements and contributions in the genre of
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
. An estimated 3.6 million photographs have been taken of the site since its opening.
In 2018, the Tamworth Visitor Information Centre at the Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre had 117,000 visitors, and the Council intends to increase visitor numbers. Long-term planning of the site will eventually see a National Guitar Museum established at the site along with a cafe for the tourists.
Design
The Golden Guitar stand approximately 12 metres high and weighs over 500 kilograms.
It is constructed out of
fibreglass and wood, with steel reinforcements. The Golden Guitar has no strings because it was modeled directly on the Golden Guitar trophies given to winners at the
Country Music Awards of Australia ceremony night during the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
See also
*
Australia's big things
*
List of world's largest roadside attractions
References
External links
Official website
{{Coord, 31, 7, 38.85, S, 150, 55, 24.39, E, display=title
Australian country music
Tamworth, New South Wales
Big things in New South Wales
Individual guitars