Tamworth, New South Wales

Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth with an urban population of 42,499 people is the major regional centre for southern New England and the seat of Tamworth Regional Council. As the seat of the Tamworth Regional Council the city provides services for an area population of 55,063. The city is located midway between Brisbane and Sydney the two largest cities on the Australian east coast.

Tamworth is nationally famous as the "Country Music Capital of Australia", annually hosting the Tamworth Country Music Festival in late January. The city is recognised as the "National Equine Capital of Australia" because of the high volume of equine events held in the city and the construction of the World Class National Equine and Livestock Events Centre. The city additionally is known as the "City of Lights", being the first place in the Southern Hemisphere to utilise electric street lights.

History
The Kamilaroi people, from whose language comes the word "budgerigar", inhabited the area before European contact. John Oxley passed through the Peel Valley in 1818 and described it as "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 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, represented at the time in parliament by Robert Peel. The town prospered, and was reached by the railway in 1878.

In 1888 Tamworth was the first town or city anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere to have municipally-operated electric street lighting, earning itself the title of "The City of Light".

Timeline

 * 1818 - Explorer John Oxley passes through the area on his exploration mission. Names the river that now runs through the town: Peel River, after English Prime Minister Robert Peel, whose name is also that of the main street and one of the local high schools.
 * 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 - First Australian Agriculture Company sheep brought to the Tamworth region.
 * 1851 - The white population of the village of Tamworth was 254.
 * 1861 - Population 654.
 * 1866 - Tamworth Mechanics' Institute opened
 * 1888 - Power station opened and enables beginning of electric street lighting. The first electric streetlights in the southern hemisphere.
 * 1918 - An anchor is unveiled as a memorial to the discovery of Tamworth district.
 * 1946 - Proclaimed a city.
 * 1947 - East-West Airlines established in Tamworth - flying Tamworth - Sydney.
 * 1988 - A country music icon, the 12 m tall Golden Guitar is erected as a symbol of the city'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 City, 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 program; 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. The decision resulted in national and international media attention on the city. 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.

Geography
Tamworth is located on the western side of the Great Dividing Range, on the banks of the Peel River, about 420 km north of Sydney on the New England Highway, and 280 km 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 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, towering over the city. The southwest bank is much flatter, and the city's suburbs sprawl to the south. Water for residents and the city's industry is supplied by Chaffey Dam, 44km south east of the city.

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

Climate
The daily maximum temperature is 34°C in the summer, and the daily average summer night is 20°C, and the mean annual rainfall is 673.2mm, the daily average winter day temperature is 18°C and the night is 6°C. The climate is generally warm to hot in summer and mild in winter. The hottest recorded temperature was 46°C and the coldest was -3°C.

Rainfall is experienced all year round, with summer storms providing occasional heavy downpours.

Thunderstorms in Tamworth generally come from the north-west in summer and south-west in winter. Precipitation can be seen on the Moree Radar by 3 p.m. and the trajectory of the storms can be predicted by 4 pm. Thunderstorms usually form 300 km west of Tamworth and move at slowly at about 50 km an hour. Tamworth is an ideal base location for Storm chases in the Hunter Valley (to the south) and the Moree Plains (to the north). Electrical storms are common in summer.

Tamworth's rain season, in the early months of a new year (particularly January) can result in major flooding. Snow is very rare in Tamworth, but a nearby suburb called Nundle can receive a little. Frosts can appear sometimes.

Demographics
The estimated population of the Tamworth statistical district according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2006 was 42,499, with 33,475 people in the main urban area. The population size of the Tamworth Regional Council was 54,522 in 2005.

Suburbs

 * Calala
 * Coledale
 * East Tamworth
 * Hills Plain
 * Hillvue
 * Kingswood
 * Nemingha


 * North Tamworth
 * Oxley Vale
 * South Tamworth
 * Taminda (Tamworth Industrial Area)
 * Tamworth Central Business District
 * Westdale
 * West Tamworth

Satellite Suburbs
 * Daruka Estate
 * Duri
 * Hallsville
 * Kootingal
 * Moore Creek
 * Tintinhull

Industry
Tamworth is primarily a service centre for the New England and North West regions, but its economy is diverse, supporting a number of industries, including primary and secondary food production, education, transport and aviation. The latter has been a significant part of the local economy, partly due to the city's exceptionally suitable flying weather, with the former East West Airlines and Eastern Airlines having service and maintenance bases at the Tamworth Airport. More recently the area has become an important centre for flying training activities for both airline and defence force graduates. 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 Singapore Air Force. The Australasian Pacific Aeronautical College and New England Institute of TAFE in the city also provide aeronautical training.

Agriculture


Agriculture is an important industry in the Tamworth economy. An estimated 307,000 hectares of land is used for the agricultural industry, with an ecomonic gross value of $75 million contributing to the Tamworth economy. Important agricultural activities include Beef, Sheep, Grain, Diary, Poultry and Lucerne Other agricultural areas include alpaca, buffalo, berry, fish, goat, hydroponic, nut, olive, specialised game fowl farming as well wineries. Offices for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources are located in Tamworth.

Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre
Equine and livestock sports are very strong in the Tamworth region and many national associations host titles in the city. These include ABCRA National Finals and Junior National Finals, Australian Quarter Horse National Championships & Barrel Race Super Challenge, National Cutting Horse Association Futurity among many other events. Currently these events are hosted at the Tamworth Showgrounds in the suburb of Taminda however they will be hosted at the new Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre in 2008. The Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre is under construction in Tamworth and is being built by the Tamworth Regional Council at a cost of $28.8 million. Construction began in June 2007 and will be completed by February 2008. The centre will have an indoor arena seating 5000 people, stables for 700 horses, a covered stud selling area with seating for 660 people and truck and camping facilities for 195 vehicles. Associations for Appaloosa, All breeds, Western Performance, Stock Horse, Pony Clubs and Cutting Horse will 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.

Peel St 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 approximately a few hundred shops in the main street, as well as restaurants, street cafés and banks. These include a large Target (formally Grace Bros.), ANZ, Commonwealth, Westpac & St George Banks, and many more.

Shopping Centres- There are many shopping located in Tamworth, with the majority being located in the Tamworth Central Business District however many are also located in various neighborhoods. Shopping Centres include:


 * Tamworth City Plaza - Is located in the Tamworth Central Business District (CBD) with 42 shops including Coles, Kmart, Liquor Land, fresh food shops, retail shops, services and a food court.


 * Tamworth Shopping World - Located in West Tamworth along Bridge st, Tamworth Shopping World with over 50 specialty shops, including a food court and anchored by Woolworths, BIG W, Woolworths's Liquor, The Reject Shop and Australia Post.


 * Centrepoint Shopping Centre - A $35 million shopping centre began construction in early 2007 and will be complete by early 2008 behind the Tamworth Town Hall, in the Tamworth Central Business District between the old city library and behind the specialty shops in the main street Peel st. The shopping centre will link up with the current small Centrepoint Arcade through which access to Peel St will be and the entire centre will be known as Centrepoint Shopping Centre. Franklins supermarket will open in the centre as well as 5 cinemas & a performing arts centre/theatre that also doubles as a cinema, 6 restaurants, food court & 40 specialty shops.


 * Northgate Shopping Centre - Situated in North Tamworth Bi-Lo is located inside the centre as well as 18 specialty shops. The centre is now under redevlopment with the supermarket being enlarged, which will change operation from Bi-Lo to Coles, and the inclusion of more specialty shops in the centre.


 * Southgate Shopping Centre - Situated in South Tamworth Bi-Lo is located inside the centre as well as other speciality shops. The centre was the first mall to be built in Tamworth and an Australian post store is located in centre. The centre is also expected an upgrade in late 2008.


 * Tamworth Arcade - Is located in the Tamworth Central Business District with entrances from Peel St, and Kable Avenue. It is known for its quality shops and settings. The centre is scheduled for an upgrade in early 2008.


 * Tamworth Homespace - Is located out at the Longyard. It is a bulk goods complex. Stores include The Good Guys, SleepCity, Furniture1, Everyday Living, Pet Goods Direct, Custom cupboards, Pharmacy Warehouse and Custom Pine. It also contains two large gyms (Beach House Fitness & Inspirations) and also Outback Jacks Bar & Grill, a family restaurant.


 * Calala Court shopping complex  - Is located in Calala and was opened in 2007. It has 10 specialty shops and an IGA supermarket.

Other shopping complexes in Tamworth include Robert St Shopping Centre, and the Longyard Homemakers centre.

Tourism
Tourism is an important industry, worth over A$110 m, annually with by far the most significant draw being the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival, the biggest event of its type in Australia.

Country Music Festival
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. The festival 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 the Tamworth for the festival with around 70, 000 staying for a substantial duration of the festival, with camping along the banks of the Peel River.

The 10 day festival culminates in the Golden Guitar Awards - the most prestigious award that an Australian Country Music artist can win for their music. In honor 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 Felicity Urquhart and up and coming promising talent The Baileys whose music style is a mixture of country, rock and other genres.

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 and is the biggest of its kind outside the NSW and south-east Queensland metropolitan areas.

Education
The New England Institute of TAFE's biggest campus, the Tamworth TAFE Campus is located in the city; as well as an access centre for the University of New England. There are additionally many public and non-governmental schools in Tamworth and as well as an adult education centre.

Sport
There are over 180 sporting clubs in the Tamworth region and the region has several strong sports competitions, including Football (soccer), Netball, Hockey, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Basketball, Cricket and Aussie Rules Football. Premier Sporting in the Tamworth region include: water based hockey fields, a national standard BMX track (used for national competitions), an A grade shooting facility, international standard baseball and softball fields. Other sports participated in include: archery, swimming, Tai chi, bowling, ten pin bowling,, equestrian sports, aquatic sports, cycling, tennis, darts, hockey, motor sports, gymnastics, kart racing, netball (both indoor and outdoor), physical culture, polocrosse, softball, baseball, kick boxing, dance and karate. The region boasts 60 sporting facilities covering more than 300 hectares. Several national athletes can trace their sporting roots to the region such as Stacey Porter, Troy Hearfield, Michael York, Billy Byrnes and Matthew Smith. The region has a number of excellent sporting facilities.

Sports Teams In Tamworth
 Club Sport Founded League Venue Crest

 Old Boys Cricket Club Cricket  ?  T.D.C.A.  NO.1 Oval, CBD Tamworth  ?

 Tamworth Rugby Club Rugby Union  1954  Central North  <td width="180px" align="left">Rugby Park, North Tamworth  <td width="50px" align="left">?

<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'> Pirates Rugby Club <td width="120px" align="left">Rugby Union  <td width="75px" align="left">?  <td width="270px" align="left">Central North Division  <td width="180px" align="left">?, West Tamworth  <td width="50px" align="left">?

<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'> North Tamworth Bears <td width="120px" align="left">Rugby League  <td width="75px" align="left">1911  <td width="270px" align="left">Group 4 Rugby League  <td width="180px" align="left">Jack Woolaston Oval, North Tamworth  <td width="50px" align="left">

<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'> West Tamworth Lions <td width="120px" align="left">Rugby League  <td width="75px" align="left">?  <td width="270px" align="left">Group 4 Rugby League  <td width="180px" align="left">Scully Park, West Tamworth  <td width="50px" align="left">

<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'> North Companions <td width="120px" align="left">Football  <td width="75px" align="left">?  <td width="270px" align="left">Northern Inland Football League  <td width="180px" align="left">Marius Street No1, North Tamworth  <td width="50px" align="left">?

<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'> Hillvue Rovers <td width="120px" align="left">Football  <td width="75px" align="left">?  <td width="270px" align="left">Northern Inland Football League  <td width="180px" align="left">?   <td width="50px" align="left">?

<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'> Oxley Vale Attunga <td width="120px" align="left">Football  <td width="75px" align="left">?  <td width="270px" align="left">Northern Inland Football League  <td width="180px" align="left">Scully Park, West Tamworth  <td width="50px" align="left">?

<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'> Tamworth Swans <td width="120px" align="left">AFL  <td width="75px" align="left">?  <td width="270px" align="left">Tamworth Football League  <td width="180px" align="left">Number One Oval, Tamworth CBD  <td width="50px" align="left">?

<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'> Tamworth Kangaroos <td width="120px" align="left">AFL  <td width="75px" align="left">?  <td width="270px" align="left">Tamworth Football League  <td width="180px" align="left">Number One Oval, Tamworth CBD  <td width="50px" align="left">?

<tr bgcolor="#ffffff'> Workies Hockey Club <td width="120px" align="left">Hockey  <td width="75px" align="left">?  <td width="270px" align="left">Subaru Super Stix Hockey  <td width="180px" align="left">Tamworth Hockey Centre Tamworth Regional Sport Complex, Tamworth, New South Wales  <td width="50px" align="left">?

The Northern Inland Academy of Sport
The Northern Inland Academy of Sport is based in the Tamworth region and was established to identify and prepare talented sportspeople in the Northern Inland region to reach their full potential, on and off the field.

Performing Arts

 * The Tamworth Eisteddfod is held annually in May and June, with Speech and Drama, Debating, Music and Dance sections. The five main dance schools in tamworth En Evant, The Owl and the Pussycat, Kaluder and Ecnad all compete in the Eisteddfod.
 * The Northwest Dance Festival has been held various times in Tamworth, being held in the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre in 2006. This includes a wide variety of dances from all the Public schools in the region.
 * The Tamworth Musical Society is an important part of the Tamworth culture, and has performed musicals such as Grease, Westside Story, and Les Miserables in October-November 2007.


 * The Tamworth Regional Conservatorium of Music is another important part of the performing arts scene in Tamworth. Catering for over 1000 students of a wide range learning 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 years to 75 years old, learning over 21 different instruments.


 * CAPERS is a show hosted at Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre every 2 years. It is to showcase the talent of students from all over the North-West region. Both primary and high schools.

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 drama presentation, music performances, and displays from police, fire brigade and ambulance. 2007 attracted a crowd of a couple thousand to the festival in the park.

Tamworth Regional Botanic Gardens
The Tamworth Regional Botanic Gardens were established in 1995 and are run by the Tamworth Regional Council. The gardens cover an area of 28ha, 5ha 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.

Media
Tamworth serves as the regional centre for media in the New England District.

Newspaper

 * Northern Daily Leader is a long-running daily local paper with significant local and regional coverage owned by Rural Press.
 * Tamworth Times is a free weekly paper owned by Rural Press.
 * Tamworth City News was established in May 2007 and is an independent free newspaper distributed weekly on Fridays in Tamworth, Quirindi, Werris Creek, Manilla, Barraba, and Kootingal.

Television
NBN Television and Prime Television have studios in Tamworth that produce local news bulletins.

Radio
Several radio stations are based in the city, including 2TM, general community station 2YOU FM 88.9 FM, Christian community radio station Radio Rhema 89.7 FM, hit music station - FM 92.9 and the local ABC Local Radio station, ABC New England North West.

The community radio stations both broadcast from Bald Hill. 2YOU FM is the independent country music station.

Both FM 92.9 and 2TM are owned by the Caralis SuperNetwork, which has caused concern amongst locals for its lack of localism.

Transport
Tamworth is situated on the Main North railway line. Trains no longer continue all the way to the Queensland border, but the town is still served by the Countrylink Xplorer service between Sydney and Armidale. The Tamworth Airport additionally has flights from Tamworth to Sydney with QantasLink daily.

Sister cities
Tamworth has the following sister cities:

Attractions

 * Golden Guitar
 * PowerStation Museum
 * Calala Cottage
 * Tamworth Regional Gallery
 * Tamworth Regional Botanic Gardens

Famous Identities

 * Casey Stoner, MotoGP world champion
 * Mark Ferguson, Channel Nine presenter.
 * Kylie Gillies, Seven Network presenter and co-host of The Morning Show
 * Alan Tongue Current Canberra Raiders Captain
 * Brad Tighe Penrith Panthers Centre/Wing
 * Troy Hearfield, A-League, Newcastle United Jets Attacking Midfielder
 * Tony Martin, Actor: most notable role in the movie Inspector Gadget 2
 * Andrew Wilkie
 * Michael York Olympic Hockey Gold Medalist
 * Belinda Giblin Actress
 * Craig Jones Cricketer
 * Greg McNamara past Australian Light-Heavyweight Boxing Champion
 * Felicity Urquart (country singer/songwriter)
 * Clive Barton (Commonwealth Gold Medalist) Skeet Shooting
 * Matt Parsons former Newcastle Knight
 * Joseph Grima Malta Rugby League team coach