As we were in the home of Australian Country Music, we took a quick look around town. I enjoy most forms of music but there are two types that don’t always resonate well for me and they are Country ..and Western. The building above is the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame which is in the shape of a guitar. I did fret about its shape.

I didn’t even make 50 metres.

This one is played by Slim Rusty.

The Tamworth bat colony is next to the cricket ground. They arrive early here so they secure their accommodation for the Country Music Festival.

There are rows of sculptures at the Pioneers of Country Music in a park near the town centre – the three here are: Chad Morgan (from Wondai) whose 60 year career has included songs peppered with slang, one CD compilation is called Sheilas, Drongos, Dills and Geezers; Shirley Thoms (from Toowoomba) – “Australia’s yodelling sweetheart” who was the first Queensland female country artist to be recorded (in 1941) paving the way for many other women in the industry; and…I remember you… Frank Ifield! A British Australian artist who crossed over country music into mainstream hits.

How many country musicians does it take to change a lightbulb? Four. One to actually change the lightbulb and three to sing a song about how good the old one used to be.

Tamworth from Oxley Lookout – honouring explorer John Oxley who passed through the Tamworth area in 1818.

Red wattle bird

And aren’t we eggcited! The Big Chook at Moonbi just north of Tamworth. Poultry farming is one of the major economic activities in the town and Moonbi is often referred to as the poultry capital of New South Wales.  And for a poultry sum you can visit The Big Chook! The Big Chook requested some music and was insistent in its choice – “Bach, Bach, Bach.” After we left Moonbi, the road ascends to the New England Tablelands which are about 350km in length, north-south. It is the largest upland area in Australia.

Captain Thunderbolt statue in Uralla. Please vote here: When a bushranger ties fabric around his neck, is it a scarf or a cravat? The votes are in – it’s a tie.

Fred Ward was the famous bushranger who robbed properties, mail coaches and hotels in the region. The reward for his capture grew to £400 in 1869. Thunderbolt was shot dead by Constable Walker in 1870 in Kentucky Creek just south of Uralla after a long chase on horseback. His grave is in Uralla. Fred was just 34 when he died.

Grey nomad wisdom: Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that people who have the most live the longest.

Dangars Lagoon outside Uralla – it is one of about thirty upland lagoons and swamps scattered along the Great Dividing Range within the New England Tablelands region.

Musk duck – they sit very low in the water

Swamp Hen on the edge of Dangars Lagoon

Guyra Mother of Ducks Lagoon Nature Reserve is a breeding place for several freshwater wetland bird species and a resting place for numerous migratory birds.

Swamp Hens at Mother of Ducks Lagoon

Clamorous reed warblers were very noisy but hard to see in the reeds.

Yellow-rumped thornbill at Guyra. Thank you JG.

Glen Innes Town Hall

The construction of the Town Hall was very deer.

Glen Innes has some lovely old buildings.

Being a Sunday, all the cafes in Glen Innes were closed when we arrived including this one that closed after the coffee incident. Why did the hipster burn his lips on coffee? He drank it before it was cool!

Deepwater Hotel

My best and closest friend’s family stayed here 50 years ago at the Deepwater Hotel and received good old country hospitality.

At the Deepwater Pub, the main act took a breather and the support act belted out a few songs. They were a bit boaring.

Wow – this is hard core! The Big Apple at Thulimbah near Stanthorpe. What’s the worst thing about having an apple addiction? You can’t see a doctor about it.

Descending from the granite tablelands between Stanthorpe and Warwick.

Rich soils east of Warwick – we tried to have a tractor ride but it was already out on loam.

We put $1 each way on this one. Or is 80 a safe bet?

The road from Warwick to Cunningham’s Gap – only about 2 and half hours to home from here. We managed to avoid COVID and other lurgies on the road. We did wear N95’s on our travels in indoor crowded areas; someone asked me why were were wearing masks and I told him, “these are not masks, they are coughey filters”.

I hope you have enjoyed the blog and feel inspired to go on your own road trip across our great land. It is the best way to experience Australia.

For those technically minded, photos were taken by both of us with a Canon 5D Mark IV, Canon 6D, Canon 90D, Canon 16-35mm lens, Canon 24-105mm lens, Canon 100-400mm lens, Canon 60mm macro lens, Samsung Galaxy S20 phone and Sony XZ Premium phone.

And an extra for you that didn’t make the blog previously from these trips: A form of Grey Nomad called The Grey Gnomad.

Happy and safe travels!