Where to stay in Tamworth

Tamworth is a major regional city and administrative centre of the north-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River within the local government area of the Tamworth Regional Council, it is the largest and most populated city in the region, with a population of 43,874 in 2021, making it the third largest inland city in New South Wales.

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 Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC). The city additionally is known as the "City of Lights", being the first place in the Southern Hemisphere to utilise electric street lights. Tamworth itself is a well developed and confident regional centre. It has a great location by the side of the Peel River, that has playgrounds, coffee shops and parks.

Getting in

You can fly, drive yourself, catch a train from Sydney or Armidale, and catch a connecting coach in from a few surrounding towns. The days of coaches plying the inland route between Sydney and Brisbane are gone, with all such services now travelling the coastal Pacific Highway route to Brisbane. The New England Highway (A15) runs inland between Newcastle and Brisbane via Tamworth. The road is mainly good quality, single carriageway - with regular overtaking lanes. It will take around 5 hours to drive from Sydney - with no breaks. Effectively a full day's drive.

Getting around

The main mall along Peel Street can be walked on foot in about twenty minutes. The nice parks between the mall and the Peel River have pedestrian and cycle paths running through them. For anywhere else in the city, a car is definitely recommended. A bus company run services through Tamworth on weekdays and Saturday. During the Country Music Festival in January there are special bus services which do various circuits of the city.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.