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Tamworth New South Wales
Tamworth view from Oxley Lookout
Tamworth Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	31°05′S 150°55′E / 31.083°S 150.917°E / -31.083; 150.917Coordinates: 31°05′S 150°55′E / 31.083°S 150.917°E / -31.083; 150.917
Population	41,006 (2016 census)[1] (32nd)
Established	1818 (explored) 1850 (established) 1946 (city)
Postcode(s)	2340
Elevation	404 m (1,325 ft)
Location	420 km (261 mi) from Sydney 280 km (174 mi) from Port Macquarie 105 km (65 mi) from Armidale 574 km (357 mi) from Brisbane
LGA(s)	Tamworth Regional Council
Region	North West Slopes
County	Inglis
State electorate(s)	Tamworth
Federal Division(s)	New England
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 24.7 °C 76 °F 9.8 °C 50 °F 636.1 mm 25 in

Tamworth Hotel in Marius Street

Tamworth is a city and the major regional centre in the New England region of northern New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River within the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council, about 318 km from the Queensland border, it is located almost midway between Brisbane and Sydney. According to the 2016 Census, the city had a population around 60,000. The Kamilaroi people are the traditional custodians of Tamworth.

The city is known as the "First Town of Lights", being the first place in Australia to use electric street lights in 1888.^[2]
Tamworth is also famous as the "Country Music Capital of Australia", annually hosting the Tamworth Country Music Festival in late January; the second-biggest country music festival in the world. The city is recognised as the National Equine Capital of Australia^[3] 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.^[4][5][6]

History

The Kamilaroi people, from whose language comes the word "budgerigar", inhabited the area before European contact. In 1818, John Oxley 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".^[7]
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 127,000 hectares (310,000 acres) of land at Goonoo Goonoo, south of the present location of Tamworth, extending to present-day Calala.^[8]

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.^[9][10] This town became the main town, called "Tamworth" after Tamworth, Staffordshire, represented at the time in parliament by Robert Peel. The town prospered, and was reached by the railway in 1878.^[7] The first streetlights used in Australia were commercially owned in Waratah Tasmania in 1886,^[11] 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".^[2][12]

Timeline

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (July 2018)

• 1818 – Explorer John Oxley 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.


• 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.^[9][13]
  


• 1851 – The white population of the village of Tamworth was 254.


• 1852 – John Barnes built the Royal Oak Hotel.


• 1861 – Population 654.


• 1866 – Tamworth Mechanics' Institute opened.


• 1882 - Tamworth railway station opened.


• 1883 - Tamworth base hospital opened.


• 1888 – Power station opened and enables beginning of electric street lighting. The first electric streetlights in Australia.^[12]
  


• 1918 – An anchor is unveiled as a memorial to the discovery of Tamworth district.


• 1946 – Proclaimed a town.^[14]
  


• 1947 – East-West Airlines was established in Tamworth, flying Tamworth to Sydney.


• 1947 – Institution for Boys home for criminal youth opened.^[15]
  


• 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^[16] 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 12 m (39 ft) tall Golden Guitar 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 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 refugees would be Sudanese escaping civil war in their homeland. Mayor of Tamworth, Cr James Treloar, argued that the refugees being resettled were tuberculous and criminal.^[17] 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 will now take part in the resettling program.^[18]
  


• 2008 – The Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre is opened in September.


• 2016 – Tamworth hosts the annual town vs Country Origin match. It was held at Scully Park Regional Sporting Precinct

Geography

Tamworth is located on the western side of the Great Dividing Range, on the banks of the Peel River, about 420 km (260 mi) north of Sydney on the New England Highway, and 280 km (170 mi) inland from Port Macquarie on the Oxley Highway. The town 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, where the Northwest Slopes rise to the Northern Tablelands. The elevation is around 400 m (1,300 ft) AHD. The Peel River runs southeast to northwest through Tamworth. The main town centre is on the northeast bank, between the river and the Wentworth Mounds, which rise to heights of 800 m (2,600 ft), towering over the town. The southwest bank is much flatter, and the town's suburbs sprawl to the south. Water for residents and the town's industry is supplied by Chaffey Dam, 44 km (27 mi) south east of the town.

Tamworth occupies an area of 486.5 km² 486.5 km² (187.8 sq mi) as of 2003. Surrounding towns include Gunnedah, Willow Tree, Uralla, and Nundle.

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^[19] or the North West Slopes and Plains division of the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts.^[20] Under the Köppen climate classification scheme, Tamworth has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

Temperatures exceed 35 °C (95 °F) on around 20–25 days a year, but over the past few years have exceeded this number substantially. The average maximum temperature is 33 °C (91 °F) in the summer, and overnight is around 18 °C (64 °F), the mean annual rainfall is 673.2 mm (26.50 in). Winters are mild or sometimes even warm by day, and cool to cold by night. Daytime temperatures hover around 16–17 °C (61–63 °F) and occasionally make it to 20, and overnight around 3 °C (37 °F). On 12 January 2013, Tamworth recorded a new record high of 42.5 °C (108.5 °F), 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 45.1 °C (113.2 °F). It has since broken this record again, recording 45.9 °C (114.6 °F) on 12 February 2017.^[21]

Rainfall 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. Snow is rare in Tamworth itself nowadays, but does rarely occur in the surrounding villages such as Nundle; in the 19th to early 20th centuries, however, snow has indeed fallen in Tamworth itself. Frosts are not seldom. 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.^[22]

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%.^[24]
  

The estimated urban population of Tamworth at 30 June 2015 was 42,255,^[25] having grown, on average, 1.3 percent year-on-year over the preceding five years.^[25] Tamworth had a working population of approximately 18,000^[26] in 2008. At the 2011 census the industry sector in Tamworth with the most employees was School Education with almost 6 percent of the workforce.^[27]

Population for Tamworth Urban Area.^[28]

Suburbs

Central business district

Post Office Town Clock

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

Orchard outside Tamworth during winter

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.^[29]

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. The Tamworth airport is an important centre for flying training activities defence force graduates, but training of civil aviation students has declined dramatically in recent years. The BAE Systems Flight Training College encompasses the flight screening course for all Australian Defence Force pilot applicants, Basic Flying Training School for the Australian Defence Force and the Republic of Singapore Air Force. The Australasian Pacific Aeronautical College and New England Institute of TAFE in the town also provide aeronautical training.^[30]

Agriculture

King George Avenue near the Peel River where many farms are located

Agriculture is an important industry in the Tamworth economy. An estimated 307,000 hectares (760,000 acres) of land are used for the agricultural industry, with an economic gross value of $75 million contributing to the Tamworth economy.^[31]
Important agricultural activities include beef, sheep, grain, dairy, poultry and lucerne.^[31] Other agricultural areas include alpaca, buffalo, berry, fish, goat, hydroponic, nut, olive, and specialised game fowl farming, as well as wineries.^[31] Offices for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources are located in Tamworth.^[31]

Australian National Equine Livestock Events Centre (AELEC), New England Highway, Tamworth, NSW

Equine and sporting horse events

Tamworth is recognised nationally as the sporting horse capital of Australia and is the headquarters for 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 National Championships and Barrel Race Super Challenge, and the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity among many other events.^[32] 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 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,^[33] a covered stud livestock-selling area with seating for 660 people and truck and camping facilities for 195 vehicles.^[34] Associations for Appaloosas 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 and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales. Retail accounts for 22.5% of the working population and is the largest employer in the town.^[35]

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 (formally Grace Bros.).

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.

Tamworth Regional Council Building in Peel Street

• Centrepoint Shopping Centre is a A$35 million shopping centre that began construction in early 2007^{[citation needed]} and 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 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.


• The Atrium, formerly known as the Tamworth Arcade, is located in the CBD with entrances from Peel St and Kable Avenue. The centre was upgraded in early 2008.^{[citation needed]}
  


• Eastpoint Shopping Centre Tamworth, located in the CBD on Peel St and includes Woolworths 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 and Big W.


• Northgate Shopping Centre is situated in North Tamworth; Coles is located inside the centre, as well as 10 speciality shops. The centre has been recently redeveloped. Bathroom 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 supermarket.

Tourism

Tourism is a significant industry in the Tamworth area, worth $AUD239 million annually as at December 2014,^[36] with by far the most significant draw being the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival, 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, Nundle, and Quirindi.^[37]

Country Music Festival

Tamworth's big Golden Guitar

Tamworth is best known for hosting the Country Music Festival. The Festival is held over a period of 10 days during January, and is the second biggest country music festival in the world. The festival has many times been counted among the world's top ten music festivals. In 2007, Forbes rated it as number 8 of the World's Coolest Music Festivals.^[38] 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, with around 70,000 staying for a substantial duration of the festival, with some camping along the banks of the Peel River.

The 10-day festival culminates in the Golden Guitar Awards – the most prestigious award Australian country music artists can win for their music. In honour of its country music, Tamworth is home to the 'Big Golden Guitar', the wax museum and the hands of fame park of successful country music artists. Homegrown country music stars include Felitown Urquhart and up-and-coming talent Chasing Bailey, whose music style is a mixture of country, rock and other genres.

Vehicle manufacturing

In the 1990s, Ansair established a bus bodying factory in Tamworth to body Scania and Volvo buses for Brisbane Transport and the State Transit Authority. Jakab Industries also bodied buses as well as 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.^[39]

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 of 1074 people.^[40]

Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre

Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre is located in the suburb of Hillvue. It is a multipurpose centre with a seating capacity of 5,100,^[41] 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 Newcastle


• TAFE New England


• Calrossy Anglican School


• Carinya Christian School


• Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School


• Hillvue Public School


• Liberty College


• McCarthy Catholic College


• Oxley High School


• Peel High School


• St Nicholas Catholic Primary School


• St Edwards Catholic Primary School


• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School


• Tamworth Public School


• Tamworth High School


• 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.^[42] Many major annual and one-off sporting events are held in the town because of the wide range of facilities and venues available.^[42] There are over 180 sporting clubs in the Tamworth region and the region has several strong competitions, including basketball, cricket, football (soccer), hockey, netball, rugby league, rugby union 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.^[42] 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".^[42] 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.^[42]

Senior sports teams

Tamworth Golf Course

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

Bicentennial Park

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. The gardens cover an area of 28 ha (69 acres),^[43] 5 ha (12 acres) 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^[44]
  


• King George V Memorial Avenue (East): King George V Avenue of Memorial English Oaks^[45]
  


• Main Northern railway: Tamworth railway station^[46]
  


• Main Northern railway: Peel River railway bridge^[47]
  


• Marius Street (East): Dominican Roman Catholic Convent^[48]
  


• Peel Street (cnr): Tamworth Peel Barracks^[49]
  

The following buildings in Tamworth are listed on the now defunct Register of the National Estate:^[50]

• Hospital Main Block, built 1883


• Post Office, Victorian Classical style, designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet, circa 1886


• Lands Office, Fitzroy Street, built 1889


• 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

Cross of Light at Tamworth Lookout

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 the Tamworth Regional Film and Sound Archive – a volunteer organisation hosted by the Tamworth Regional Council - and their database is available 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 is a long-running daily local paper (Monday to Saturday), with significant^{[clarification needed]} 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:

• 
  Prime7 - Seven Network affiliate


• 
  NBN Television - Nine Network owned and operated


• 
  WIN Television - Network Ten affiliate


• Australian Broadcasting Corporation


• Special Broadcasting Service

Regional news coverage of the Tamworth area is provided on all three main commercial networks. Canberra-based Prime7 produces and airs a 30-minute local news program for the Tamworth area at 6:00 pm. Newcastle-based NBN Television airs news, sport and weather opt-outs for the area within its hour-long 6:00 pm bulletin. Subscription television services are provided by Austar.

Radio

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) operate and broadcast five radio stations:

• 
  ABC New England North West 648 AM / 99.1 FM – part of the ABC Local Radio network


• 
  ABC News Radio 91.7 FM


• 
  ABC Radio National 93.9 FM / 100.7 FM


• 
  ABC Classic FM 96.7 FM / 103.1 FM


• 
  Triple J 94.7 FM / 99.9 FM

Several other radio stations are based in the town, including 2TM, general community station 88.9 FM, 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

Front of Tamworth station

Tamworth station Signal Room

Tamworth Airport has daily flights to Sydney Airport with QantasLink and Virgin Australia^[51] and has daily flights to Brisbane Airport by regional carriers Fly Corporate^[52] and Jetgo.^[53] Regional airline Fly Corporate^[54] began a regular service between Brisbane 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 border, but the town is still served by the NSW TrainLink Xplorer service between Sydney and Armidale, where daily coaches continue to Tenterfield. Other NSW TrainLink coaches operate to Inverell. Until November 2009, Pacific National 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. It was the last freight service to serve the town; in the 1980s, up to six trains a day ran.^[55]

Tamworth is served by thrice-weekly bus services to Coffs Harbour and Brisbane by New England Coaches.^[56]Greyhound Australia stopped servicing Tamworth in 2016 citing unprofitable passenger loadings.

Local services are provided by Tamworth Buslines^[57] 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:

Country	town (and Province or State)
New Zealand	Gore
United States	Nashville, Tennessee
Japan	Sannohe, Aomori[58]
England	Tamworth
China	Chaoyang District, Beijing
Malaysia	Kulim District

Attractions

• Golden Guitar


• PowerStation Museum


• Calala Cottage


• Tamworth Regional Gallery

Tamworth's old Visitor Information Centre, built in the shape of a guitar.

• Tamworth Regional Botanic Gardens


• Oxley Park Lookout


• Endeavour Park (Marsupial Park)


• Wax Museum


• The Big Big Mac

Military history

During World War 2, 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 and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).^[59]

Notable people

Academic

• 
  Bronwyn Davies - Independent scholar and Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne; author^[60][61]
  


• 
  Stephen R Kane - Associate Professor of Planetary Astrophysics, University of California, Riverside^[62]
  


• 
  Warren R Rodwell – University teacher,^[63] hostage survivor,^[64] lyricist^[65]
  

Arts, entertainment and media

• 
  Mark Ferguson - TV newsreader


• 
  Belinda Giblin - Actress


• 
  Kylie Gillies - TV presenter, co-host


• 
  Pixie Jenkins - Musician


• 
  Ezra Lee - Musician, singer, songwriter


• 
  Shelley Minson - Entertainer, model, singer, songwriter


• 
  Matt Moran - Chef, TV personality


• 
  Philip Quast - Actor, singer


• 
  Ivan Sen - Film director, writer


• 
  Rebecca Smart - Actress


• 
  Don Spencer - Musician, author, TV presenter


• 
  Tony Martin - Actor


• 
  Felicity Urquhart - Singer, songwriter

Politics

• 
  Mark Coulton - Politician; National Party member for the Division of Parkes ^[66]
  


• 
  Kevin Humphries - Politician; National Party member of the NSW Legislative Assembly
  


• 
  Barnaby Joyce - Politician; former Leader of the National Party, former Deputy Prime Minister


• 
  Andrew Wilkie - Politician; independent federal member for the Division of Denison
  


• 
  Tony Windsor - Retired politician; independent member for the Division of New England
  

Sport

• 
  Clive Barton - Skeet shooter


• 
  George Barton – Shooter ^[67]
  


• 
  Jamie Dwyer – Hockey player


• 
  John Gleeson – Cricketer


• 
  Phil Graham – Rugby league player


• 
  Josh Hazlewood – Cricketer


• 
  Troy Hearfield – Soccer player


• 
  Mark Hensby - Golfer


• 
  Craig Jones – Cricketer


• 
  Nick Kay – Basketballer


• 
  Tom Learoyd-Lahrs - Rugby league^[67]
  


• 
  Greg McNamara - Boxer


• 
  Matt Parsons - Rugby league player


• 
  Paddy Ryan - Rugby union player


• 
  Matthew Smith - Hockey player^[67]
  


• 
  Emelyn Starr - Tennis player


• 
  Richard Swain - Rugby league player^[67]
  


• 
  Brad Tighe - Rugby league player


• 
  Alan Tongue - Rugby league player^[67]
  


• 
  Michael York - Hockey player

See also

• List of world's largest roadside attractions

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tamworth, New South Wales.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tamworth (New South Wales).

• Tamworth Regional Council


• Tourism Tamworth


• Northern Daily Leader – Newspaper


• Country Music Festival Page


• Tamworth -VisitNSW.com