2WD verdict
Yes, Tamworth is easy in a 2WD van. The festival is in town, on sealed streets, and the Riverside camping grounds are a flat riverside field a short walk from Peel Street. The hard bit is the January heat, not the roads.
Key points
- When: 10 days every January. The next festival is Friday 15 to Sunday 24 January 2027.
- It isn't a gated festival. It's the whole town: pubs, clubs, street busking and free outdoor concerts, plus ticketed shows.
- Camp at Riverside if you can, right by the town centre. It's unpowered, with showers.
- The Golden Guitars, the Country Music Awards of Australia, are on the second Saturday.
- It's hot. We had days in the mid to high 30s.
- Come back in winter. We worked in Tamworth over winter, which gave us time for the lookout trek, the wildlife park, the coffee spots and Uralla, about an hour away.
Our 10 days at Tamworth
It isn't like a festival in the middle of a field. There's music in the bars, buskers on the street and a free main stage (see it in our video). We started at Festival HQ on Peel Street, which has the guide and leaflets for everything on over the 10 days. We didn't know many of the artists, so we picked some venues and just saw who was playing (see it in our video).
We bought a cowboy hat in town, and the shop personalised it for free (see it in our video). We had a drink on a quiet rooftop terrace while it was busy downstairs, then went on to the Courthouse Hotel and The Press, a discreet basement bar (see it in our video). The songwriters' session at The Press was a real highlight for us (see it in our video).
We had breakfast twice at Sonny's Bakery and Cafe (see it in our video), did a free Toyota off-road driving experience (see it in our video), and saw live music at the Welder's Dog in the evening (see it in our video).
Near the end we got an Uber up to the Longyard Hotel and the Big Golden Guitar, at the top end of town. It took about 10 minutes, rather than an hour's walk, because it was so hot (see it in our video). Then we walked to AELEC for our first ever rodeo. It ran from 6pm to 10pm, with the bull riding at the end (see it in our video; see it in our video).
Camping at the festival in a van
We stayed at the Riverside camping grounds, which is rows and rows of campers right by the town centre along the Peel River. There were toilets and showers, a welcome pack with a map, and a key ring to write your phone number on, because the site runs along the river and can flood (see it in our video; see it in our video). We ran our generator there to top up Ron's battery (see it in our video). When we went, it cost us about $220 for the 10 days (see it in our video). Prices have changed since, so check the official page below.
In a 2WD: fine. It's a flat, grassy riverside site. Arriving early gives you more choice of spot. If rain is forecast, follow the SES flood information on the official page.
When it is and what's on
Booking: we'd recommend booking ticketed shows and any caravan park well ahead. It's Australia's biggest country music festival, and the town fills up.
The Big Golden Guitar
No trip to Tamworth is complete without it. It's quite randomly next to a KFC and a McDonald's (see it in our video).
Back for winter: living and working in Tamworth
After the festival we came back to Tamworth to work at a holiday park in town over winter. We drove back down from Brisbane that July, saying in our vlog that Tamworth is "an amazing place to be" (see it in our video), and by the time we packed up to fly home we'd been working for 3 months (see it in our video).
Staying put for a season meant we really got to explore the area, rather than just the festival streets. We did the lookout trek above town, visited the local wildlife park and found more of the town's great coffee spots. On our days off we headed out to nearby towns, like Uralla.
In a 2WD: fine. Oxley Scenic Lookout and the Marsupial Park are both on sealed roads in East Tamworth. The walking track itself is on foot, with steep, loose sections in places.
Uralla after the snow
We love Uralla. It's a real Aussie small town, with some great shops, coffee and café spots and an awesome pub, which, if you're lucky, has the log fire going. It's about an hour from Tamworth, up in New England (see it in our video). We went on a weekend off from work (see it in our video), days after the August 2025 snowstorm, when the last of the snow was still melting.
We started with breakfast at The Alternate Root Cafe, a popular spot with hot breakfasts, deli food, cakes and its own t-shirts and hoodies. We had the breakfast bangers and mash and the Rusty Stack, with a large mocha and a chai, which is perfect on a cold winter's day. Everything was delicious (see it in our video; see it in our video).
Next was Little Birdy, which is lots of different little shops under one roof, full of antiques and homewares. The lady there told us they're promised snow every winter, but this was the worst they'd had since 1984, and some people still didn't have power (see it in our video; see it in our video).
McCrossin's Mill Museum was great value at $7 each when we went. It's run by volunteers, and the Captain Thunderbolt paintings bring the bushranger's story to life. One story we loved was about the time he robbed two pub owners, then took them back to their own pub and bought them a drink with their own money (see it in our video; see it in our video).
About 12 minutes' drive out of town, through lovely country, is All Saints Gostwyck Chapel. In winter the trees are bare, and in autumn the leaves turn orange. We got swooped by magpies there, so we didn't stay long (see it in our video; see it in our video).
Back in town, we got a tasting paddle at the New England Brewery, which was $20 for six tasters (see it in our video). Then we got pies and Portuguese tarts at The Pie Mechanic, $27 for the lot (see it in our video). On the drive back to Tamworth we stopped at Moonbi Lookout, which sits between the two towns (see it in our video).
There's also gold panning near Uralla. We went to check out the spot, but the weather wasn't right, so we didn't go panning ourselves. In better weather, we'd have loved to.
The snowstorm was on Saturday 2 August 2025. Roads around Uralla were cut, and the town lost power (The Northern Daily Leader: Uralla snowstorm, August 2025).
In a 2WD: fine. Uralla is on the New England Highway, a sealed road over the Moonbi Range from Tamworth, and Gostwyck Chapel is on a country road out of town. In winter, check Live Traffic NSW before you go, because snow and ice can close the highway, as it did in August 2025.
Getting there from the coast in a 2WD
Tamworth is inland in northern NSW, on the New England Highway. From the coast, the usual routes cross the Great Dividing Range on sealed highways, with steep, winding sections. In a 2WD van, take them slowly, in daylight, and check Live Traffic NSW for roadworks and closures. After the festival, we drove about 13 hours down to the Great Ocean Road (see it in our video).
The heat
It was hot. One day reached the high 30s, and it was cooler to keep the van door shut (see it in our video; see it in our video). People told us it was a mild year.
Popular with other travellers
We haven't done these ourselves, but they're popular with other visitors.
FAQs
When is the Tamworth Country Music Festival?
Every January for 10 days. The 2027 festival runs from Friday 15 to Sunday 24 January.
Is the Tamworth Country Music Festival free?
Much of it is. It's ungated, with thousands of free and ticketed shows, free busking and free outdoor concerts. Some shows, including the Golden Guitar Awards, are ticketed.
Can you camp at Tamworth Country Music Festival in a campervan?
Yes. The Design RV Riverside Camping Grounds near the town centre take campervans, with unpowered sites and showers. We camped there for the full 10 days.
Can you hire gold pans in Uralla?
Yes. The Uralla Visitor Information Centre at 104 Bridge Street hires pan-and-sieve sets for the Wooldridge Fossicking Reserve, about 6km from town. When we checked, on 4 November 2026, they cost $19.60 a day plus a $50 deposit.
Is Uralla worth a day trip from Tamworth?
We think so. It's about an hour away, with great cafés, shops, McCrossin's Mill Museum and an awesome pub. We went in winter, just after the August 2025 snow.
Can you get to Tamworth in a 2WD?
Yes. It's on sealed highways. Routes from the coast cross the Great Dividing Range, so take the steep sections slowly.
Sources
Our own experience comes from our videos on this page and from our time working in Tamworth. Official information was checked on 4 November 2026. Dates, fees and rules change, so check before you go.
- Tamworth Country Music Festival: official site
- TCMF: FAQ and future dates
- TCMF: camping and caravan parks
- TCMF: accessibility
- Tamworth Regional Council Entertainment Venues: Toyota 55th Golden Guitar Awards
- NSW Government: Toyota Country Music Festival Tamworth
- Destination Tamworth: The Big Golden Guitar
- Destination Tamworth: Visitor Information Centre
- Destination Tamworth: Australian Country Music Hall of Fame
- Tamworth Regional Council: walking and cycling (Kamilaroi Walking Track)
- Tamworth Regional Council: Kamilaroi Walking Track map (PDF)
- Tamworth Regional Council: Tamworth Marsupial Park and Adventure Playground
- Destination Tamworth: Kootingal and Moonbi (Moonbi Lookout)
- NSW Government: Uralla Visitor Information Centre
- Uralla Visitor Information Centre: Wooldridge Fossicking Area and gold pan hire
- Uralla Visitor Information Centre: McCrossin's Mill Museum
- Uralla Visitor Information Centre: Captain Thunderbolt sites
- The Northern Daily Leader: Uralla snowstorm, August 2025
- Destination Tamworth: Oxley Scenic Lookout
- Live Traffic NSW
- NSW Health: Beat the heat
More guides
- The Great Ocean Road, where we drove after Tamworth.
- All our guides.