Tamworth

We stayed two nights in Tamworth, at the Quest Apartments, which were quite luxurious.

On Friday 15th June, we first went to the Mt Oxley Lookout to get a view of the town. A shower that passed over the town caused a rainbow which some of us avidly photographed.

Our next stop was the Tamworth Visitor Information Centre, for the, “Walk a Country Mile Tour”, a history of country music with lots of memorabilia, and then we were off to the Big Guitar which has a wax works of Country Music stars. Country Music fans would find these fascinating, but as I don't like Country "Music" or Wax Works they left me cold. The picture at the right shows Bob, Tony and me outside the Big Guitar.

While in Tamworth I was reminded of the scene in the "Blues Brothers" where the band arrives at "Bob's Country Bunker" and Elwood asks Bob's wife what kind of music they play there. She brightly replies, "We have both types, Country and Western".

After lunch we visited Calala Cottage Museum, which was built in 1875 as a town house for Philip King, Tamworth’s first Mayor and Governor of the Australian Agricultural Company. On the site were a shepheard's hut, school room and work sheds from the 19th Century. Included in the items on display were gifts from Charles Darwin, including a sextant. King sailed with Darwin on the Beagle in 1831. Between 1876 and 1880 King was the first mayor of Tamworth.

For a biography of King follow the link: http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050035b.htm .

In the evening the manager and staff at Quest Apartments gave our group a "Country Dinner". Margaret won a bottle of wine which we shared around.