Country Journo’s Festival Finds – Day 10 (and 11)

I’m not sure you’ll be up bright and early after a big night last night at either the Golden Guitars or the rodeo finals and then Ultimate Country Superstars, so I understand if you don’t get going until later, but I’ve got the early birds covered.

At 8.30am, you need to get one last Pete Denahy Breakfast Show at Wests Legends Lounge in before you escape the festival bubble and head off into the real world.

By 10am, I highly recommend hitting The Longyard for West Australian Chris Matthews and Friends on the Front Deck before you head across to TRECC for the unveiling of the Roll of Renown with Adam Harvey at 11am. And for the children and the young at heart, inside TRECC, The Wiggles Tree of Wisdom Big Show is also on.

Who doesn’t love bluegrass? At midday, all your bluegrass dreams come true with the Bluegrass Extravaganza featuring Midnight Chicken, The High Street Drifters, Charley Castle and The Boys in the Well at the Tamworth Hotel on the Kevin Bennett Stage in the beer garden.

But if you’d prefer to head out of town to the Hills of Gold, Nundle Rocks presented by Dashville is on at Nundle Memorial Hall until 10.30pm, featuring Blackboard Walk Ups, Michael McNaughton, Den Hanrahan, Warren Mason, Col Ray Price, Georgie Winchester, Dave Wells, Johnston City and The Nundle Nugget Hunters.

And I’ve heard there’s a very cool show on at Wests Blazes Showroom when Troy Cassar-Daley takes on his alter ego of Tex Dubbo, also at midday.

At 1pm, though, you do need to catch KB and The Flood for one last show at The Pub, while Robbi and Ben light up The Courthouse Hotel stage at 2pm.

When 3.30pm rolls around, get to Tamworth Services Club for Luke O’Shea’s last show downstairs in The Songhouse or head back to The Longyard for The Bushwackers’ Chardonnay Show. Both are pretty traditional ways to farewell the festival.

Maybe chill for a little while before you secure your favourite spot in Toyota Park for Best of the Buskers from 7pm, featuring the top 10 artists who performed on the Boulevard of Dreams over the festival. There are fireworks at 9.30pm, and then I recommend heading to The Tamworth Hotel for Y.O.G.A., and I don’t mean the exercise, to party the night away, or continue on at Wests with US artist Dan Smalley.

On Monday, it’s Australia Day, but it’s also Recovery Day here in Tamworth.

The Australia Day Breakfast, Awards Ceremony and Live Entertainment in Manilla, along with the Kootingal Australia Day Address and Breakfast, both get underway early at 8am, while Tamworth hosts an Australia Day Church Service at 10am.

There’s still a bit of music around at Wests and Wests’ Diggers, and I highly recommend local band The Peel Valley Ramblers at Bendemeer Hotel from 10.30am.

For something a little more formal, Tamworth Town Hall hosts the Australia Day Awards and Citizenship Ceremony at 11am, followed by a BBQ.

The Longyard Hotel hosts Riley Young at 12.30pm, and the entertainment continues with Mick Lindsay at 4pm, while Craig Wayne Boyd rocks Wests Legends Lounge from 5pm. And if you’re still not partied out, Nundle is hosting Australia Day celebrations at the Bowling Club from 6.30pm, before Lozz Benson plays Wests Legends Lounge at 8.30pm.

Safe travels home, and we can’t wait to entertain you all again next year. Until then, keep it country.