Tamworth is the big inland city of northern New South Wales' New England country, and it has one identity that travels far beyond the region: country music. For most of the year it is a practical regional centre on the Peel River. In January, during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, it becomes Australia's main stage for country, folk, buskers, awards nights, and people in wide-brimmed hats.
The country-music side is not just a festival poster. The Big Golden Guitar marks the southern approach to town, while the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame gives the genre some depth beyond the roadside photo stop.
Tamworth also has a second, quieter claim: in 1888 it became the first town in Australia to light its streets with municipal electric street lighting. The Tamworth Powerstation Museum explains that story. Add the Marsupial Park and Oxley Scenic Lookout, and the city clears the bar for a spare day if you are already travelling inland.