Boot Scootin' With Bub

SHANEY HUDSON discovers Tamworth is so much more than just the home of country music.

It’s bedtime in Tamworth, but Indy, our 15-month-old, just won’t sleep. I do the pram shuffle in the restaurant foyer, and a man who looks a little familiar moves aside.

“Good luck,” he grins, a kind gesture of solidarity from a parent who’s been there before. It takes a moment for the penny to drop, but I realise it’s Troy Cassar-Daley, one of Tamworth’s favourite country music stars, fresh from headlining a concert that afternoon.

Festival fanfare

We’re visiting Tamworth for the annual Country Music Festival, held over two weeks each January. Arriving on the weekend, we’re surprised by how family-driven it is, thanks to alcohol-free zones in the CBD, free outdoor concerts each evening, brilliant corroborees and the much-loved Cavalcade street parade, which kicks offwith a fly-over by the local aviation club.

Featuring line dancing, stock-whip displays and floats, it’s the horse-drawn carts that draw the most cheers from Indy ... until he sees a real-life bright yellow Toyota HiLux Tonka truck (the only one in the world) at the 4WD off-roading track.

Golden oldies

Tamworth is the home of country music, and the first stop for any visitor is the Big Golden Guitar. Situated on the outskirts of town, the 12-metre, 500-kilogram icon is our family of three’s first regional “big thing”. We mark the proud moment with a family photo, destined to go straight to the pool room.