Five ways to keep the fun indoors in the Tamworth region
Keep those good times rolling indoors with these activities in the Tamworth region.
Get cultured
For those amongst us with a bit of cultural nous, a cold afternoon spent browsing a gallery (or multiple) is an afternoon well spent!
Weswal Gallery – Showcasing fine art from both emerging and established Australian artists, Weswal Gallery is a must visit destination in the Tamworth region for art-lovers, with their exhibits changing regularly. If you want to take a piece of it home with you, make sure you check out the gallery shop, which displays a big range of Australian made and designed products.
Barraba Public Art – Take a drive and admire The Water Diviner, an impressive mural at the southern town entrance on an incredible 40m high silo canvas. A second work has been recently completed on Alice Street by artist Jenny McCracken titled Beyond the Wall – an “illusory image of breaking through the constructs of civilisation to a wonderland of treasured memories and natural beauty” according to the artist. These works are well worth the trip, and you don’t even have to leave the car!
Tamworth Regional Gallery – Back in 1919, John Salvana gifted 100 paintings and works on paper to Tamworth Regional Gallery, kick-starting the permanent collection there. Today, it’s the second oldest regional gallery in NSW and also houses the nationally significant Tamworth Textile Collection including works from some of Australia’s most innovative and acclaimed textile artists.
Embrace the old
We’ve told you about our history as the first Australian city to be lit by municipal electric street lighting (if you missed the memo, you’d better add the Tamworth Powersation Museum to your to-do list too), but that’s just skimming the surface of our region’s rich and quirky heritage.
Powerhouse Motorcycle Museum – This impressive museum is fast becoming a Mecca for bike enthusiasts, housing a private collection of over 50 bikes including Ducati, Triumph, Honda, Velocette, Laverda and the extremely rare limited edition F4 MV Agusta Series ORO. If all of that means nothing to you, your education begins now!
Tamworth Hospital Nursing & Medical Museum – It’s the final resting place for decades’ worth of retired surgical tools, dentistry equipment and medicine bottles, and the perfect day out to remind those kids just how good they have it in 2018!
Get some music into ya
They say music makes the world go ‘round, and there’s nowhere that’s more true than the Country Music Capital.
Australian Country Music Hall of Fame – If you’re after a quintessential ‘Tamworth country music’ experience, the guitar-shaped building in the centre of town is definitely the place to start. You’ll find displays of memorabilia marking a timeline of country music including everyone from Buddy Williams and Smoky Dawson through to Beccy Cole and Adam Harvey, plus the interactive Walk a Country Mile exhibit.
Country Music Wax Museum – Come face-to-face with (the wax versions of) some of Australia’s most famous country stars, all hanging out together in the Gallery of Stars Wax Museum at the Big Golden Guitar. Look, it’s not quite the real thing but it’s pretty damn close!
Live music – We might be known for the music festival vibes in January, the Toyota Country Music Festival, Tamworth is a bucket-list event. And did you know that the region hosts live music on a regular basis throughout the year too!
Release some energy
Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean that the kids have to be cooped up indoors. They can stay warm and wear themselves out whilst you sit back and watch… you’re welcome!
Kids Zone – Let them loose amongst the slides, climbing frames and ball pits, while you sit back and thanks the Good Lord for playgrounds.
Escape Rooms Tamworth – Try a live gaming experience guaranteed to entertain those teens! In teams, you’ll enter a themed room. Using clues and solving puzzles and riddles, you’ve got a 60-minute time slot to complete the challenge and “escape”. It’s a global craze for a reason, and a great group bonding experience!
Tamworth Tenpins and More and Planet VR – An afternoon spent tenpin bowling is always an afternoon well spent, so we have no hesitation suggesting this fun family activity! Book a lane for some friendly competition. Just next door, escape to another reality at Planet VR where the latest virtual reality technology can facilitate some seriously cool games and experiences.
Road trip with the gang
No matter who you’re travelling with, a weekend is never a bad one when it involves a roadtrip and exploring new places.
Nundle & Hanging Rock – The journey’s half the fun when you’re heading into the hills, where beautiful scenery will accompany you for the whole 40-minute trip from Tamworth.
Uralla– If cool-climate wines and delicious local produce are your thing, a day trip to Uralla is definitely on the cards.
Willow Tree – Take the Tourist drive via Werris Creek and Quirindi, before landing in Willow Tree for a lazy lunch and plenty of laughs.
