Part 4 - Festival Wind Up & Trip Home

Day 13 - Saturday 27th January



We were all on the bus at 8:30 am to see the Cavalcade.  We had reasonable places to watch the parade before the 9 am start.

The cavalcade took about 60 minutes and included many artists, new Toyotas, Old cars, huge trucks (one took out some overhead fairy lights), good signs and heaps of people enjoying themselves.

Troy Casser-Daley

Lee Kernaghan

The McClymonts

 

Lead Singer of "Simply Bushed"



Renovated Caravan for A Musician



 





Peel Street after the Cavalcade

After the cavalcade six of us stopped for coffee, milkshakes and coke. Then three polo shirts were purchased for the guys - same style & colour.

Some stayed for music, some wandered around then went home, others went home later.

About 3 pm the "swim brigade" hit the pool. The water was much warmer than when we arrived 11 days ago.  I think the coolest day in that time was around 34 degrees.

It was then time to prepare/cook dinner as we are to depart around 6pm for the Golden Guitar Awards.

 

Dinner was an early and casual event, before we prepared for our last big event - the Golden Guitar Awards.

 

We departed just after 6pm and arrived in time to see a few celebrities strut the red carpet, such as Lee Kernaghan, Troy Cassar-Daley and Kasey Chambers.  The show started as scheduled and went for over three hours - non-stop.

 

There were 17 singing performances and 18 golden guitars awarded. It was an amazing extravaganza. We had pretty good seats, and they had big screens to help those who sat behind big people.  Many great names sang and/or presented awards.  They included the above names plus John Williamson, O'Shea and The McClymonts.

 

Cameras were banned so we do not have any photos to include here.

 

We also picked up a new Aussie term in "fold up like a half shut pocket knife", to define how nervous was an award winner.

We arrived home about 11 pm and had a nightcap while we discussed the events of the last 11 days.  It is clear that Tamworth in mid January is the home of Akubra hats and 4 wheel drive vehicles.  The Akubra must be worn wherever you are - even when talking at the microphone inside a stadium.  Our group did OK with about nine Akubra hats across the ten of us.

It was also mentioned that we now know the difference between a violin and a fiddle, as we have seen many many fiddles played (mostly) with great skill and gusto.

The Tamworth Music Festival is officially over 10 days, with 700 artists delivering 2800 events at many locations.

 

Bed occurred after midnight.

Day 14 - Sunday 28th January



It was our final full day in Tamworth.  Everyone started slowly and hoped that the weather would hold for packing up.

Cars were fuelled, the blog was updated and breakfast took extra time.  It was cooler than earlier days, but still 22 degrees at 9am and humid.

Six of the gang caught the bus to enjoy more entertainment and/or see more sights.  Chris & Shirley stayed behind and washed things that needed washing - while playing their new CD - Endless, by The McClymonts.  As Molly would say, "do yourself a favour and check it out".

Rain was threatening, but so what - we are on holidays.

After lunch Chris & Shirley went for a drive to Oxley Lookout, named after the European explorer who discovered the Peel river.  The lookout is 610 metres above sea level.

Oxley Lookout, Overlooking Tamworth

More relaxation, more caravan washing, more packing, more rest and more relaxation filled the middle of the afternoon.

We had some fun and games as one of the gang decided to hook up his caravan and move it on to a neighbour's site - who was a lovely fella. The mover of the caravan had plenty of helpers and people watching.

Disclaimer: The editor apologies to anyone offended by the photo below - except to the guy without a shirt.

Moving a van on to a Neighbour's site

Just after 6pm, six of us travelled into Toyota Park to catch the final concert of the festival.  It presented the winners of most minor events of the past ten days.

Toyota Park Before it Got Busy

Toyota Park Stage



An Overhead Drone



Relaxed Gang Members



The Fireworks were Great

 

 

We were home in time to see the Australian Open men's tennis final - and to do a bit more departure organising.  It was not a late night.


Day 15 - Monday 29th January



It was time to head home, after hugs, kisses and kind words.

Chris & Shirley were the first to hit the road, just before 8 am, heading west towards Newcastle then south down the motorway all the way home via Sydney - a 3 day trip.

David, Wendy, David & Bev followed some time later but headed ENE towards the coast then up to South West Rocks.  Their trip home was to be a week or more, mainly along the coast.

Stuart & Jan waited for some car repairs to be completed, not to mention a flat tyre, before heading home via Cowra.  The duration of their trip was somewhere in between the above two routes.

It was another warm day in this part of the country.

Summary:

It has been a great experience, being in Tamworth for most of the 2018 Music Festival - and with great friends.  We have all had a ball.  We have heard new types of country music, heard who was big and who was going to be big.  We have had BBQs, milk shakes, coffees, a couple of dine outs, bus rides, swims and many many laughs.

The Aussie colloquial language was a popular topic.  “Don’t come the raw prawn” was a sort of a motto.  If you do you "could fold like a half shut pocket knife".

If you came along for the ride we hope you enjoyed the journey.

Apart from a few (hopefully) minor updates this blog is complete. The story has come to an end - but the memories will live on - and like catching fish will probably get bigger.

 

This posting is complete.

Last updated 8:40 pm Monday 29 January 2018

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Part 3 - Second Week of Festival

Day 8 - Second Week of Festival - Monday



Acknowledgement:  Many of the photos in this posting were provided by Jan B.

We had a communal (bacon & eggs) breakfast to celebrate the wedding anniversary of Shirley & Chris.  Again, it was very warm.

We caught the 10:30 bus to Shoppingworld where Chad Morgan was scheduled to play at 12:30.



Renaa Campbell

We arrived in plenty of time and scored seats at the back of the seating area in the shopping centre.  By the time we had had coffee or milk shakes people had left and we were able to move forward.  Stuart and Chris scored seats in the front row about 3 metres from the microphone.

We enjoyed the earlier acts and waited impatiently for 12:30.  It was well worth the wait.

Chad Morgan had a lead in an act of a husband and wife team ("The Muirs") who sang three songs and were very good.

Then the star act came on and it was amazing.  Humour, songs with great lyrics.  We were in stitches.  Forty five amazing minutes with an 84 year old entertainer.

Chad Morgan



After Chad finished Stuart borrowed Wendy's new CD and got a photo with his "mate".  Chad is on the left in the photo below.



Chad Morgan with Stuart

At 6pm we headed to the local Nemingha Tavern for dinner, with Chris and David doing the driving (before taking the cars home and getting the bus). 

Nemingha Tavern

At the start we had the entire dining room to ourselves. After some time two female entertainers arrived and entertained us for two hours.  A few other people arrived, but the place was mainly ours.

The Gang at Nemingha Tavern

We drank the pub out of red wine - by purchasing their only bottle.

It was a good night and we caught the 9:25 bus home.  Of course, the obligatory night-cap followed - outside in the very warm conditions.


Day 9 - Tuesday 23rd January


Sleep was hard to come by as it stayed hot all night, so we had to decide between heat and quiet or noisy air conditioner and cool.  It was a mixture of both.

As was the pattern, it was a slow start to the day.  Chris ran Jan & Stuart to the car air-conditioning mechanic to fix their problem.  After that the ten of us drove to Nundle - about 55 km away.

On the way we stopped and checked out Chaffey Dam - a local water supply reservoir.

Chaffey Dam

Good Friends at Chaffey Dam

I also noted a sign of interest that
was worthy of inclusion.

Nundle is a an old town with a woollen mill, a gold mine museum, some craft shops, a coffee shop made from a container and an old pub. 

The coffee shop had a speciality of a donut in a cup, topped with ice-cream and topping. 

"Container" Coffee Shop

It was very good. 

The woollen mill is one of the few mills still operating and we were provided with an excellent explanation as to how strands of woollen fibre are produced - and the value of woollen products, specially in hot weather.

We bought some woollen socks.



Nundle Woollen Mill

The pub ("Peel Inn") had a great outdoor area with a local band ("The Slowdowns") playing music.  We drank, ate and listened to music.



The Gang in front of the Band

It was rather interesting to note that the only people to have a beer were the three drivers!

On our return we had some relaxation, a swim, and a happy hour - in Heather & Robert's unit.  This was a prelude to cooking and dinner under the stars.

We went our separate ways about 10 pm and hoped for a good night of sleep.

Acknowledgement:  This blog is hastily produced and published as time permits.  Sometimes this is late at night, sometimes after festivities.  Often there are typos.  Many of these typos are identified and communicated to the editor by a wonderful person called Fay.  Sometimes photos are changed as better versions are identified.  I hope all readers accept these conditions for this blog.  Editor.


Day 10 - Wednesday 24th January

Various activities were discussed as all parties wondered what today would produce.  Heather and Robert said goodbye as they departed.

It was still hot although thunderstorms and rain were likely.

Shirley and Chris headed off to the Locomotive Hotel to check out a band called "Uncle Bob's Jug Band". Jan and Stuart arrived soon after the show started.  The others went various directions.

Uncle Bob's Jug Band was a group of six talented musicians that (mostly) sang well known songs, but often with word modifications.  For example:
I hope you had the time of your life
became
I hope you had a good time with my wife.

Whenever there was a gap, jokes were told - mostly suitable for adults only.

Instruments that were played included guitars, tea box double bass (home made), harmonica, wash board, home made drum, spoons, whistle, thongs and a milk churn.

Uncle Bob's Jug Band

It was a wonderful three hours of (free) entertainment.  During this time the band drank at least eight jugs of beer.  Often other entertainers would join in for a few songs so we saw about ten entertainers for the day.

At the same time an artist was doing a painting of the band.  It was sold after the gig for $1300 to someone in the audience.



Painting - Three Hours of Effort - Sold for $1300

Shirley and Chris saw the same artist doing the same type of thing on the Queensland coast some years ago.

We all joined up at the Austin Tourist park around 5pm and rested before cleaning up and heading out to the TRECC (Tamworth Entertainment Centre) to see The McClymonts.

The show started at 7:30 with an up-an-coming artist, Brad Cox.  This week he won the coveted "Star Maker" award  He was pretty good.

The McClymonts (left to right: Molly, Brooke & Samantha) then provided over 90 minutes of top quality music.  They were excellent.  Three beautiful young ladies (all are mothers) who make (as Neil Diamond would say) "a beautiful noise".

The McClymonts

We were home by 10pm and sat outside for a discussion on the activities of the day. The thunderstorms and rain never came.


Day 11 - Thursday 25th January

The thunderstorms and rain were still threatening as we started to wake up and get moving.  It was an even slower start to the day.  It was 26 degrees at 10 am.

Washing machines were given a bit of a work out, before we headed off to Joe Maguire's Pub to try and catch Murphy's Pigs.

Around 11 am we departed by car for Joe Maguires pub, to see Murphy’s Pigs – an Irish style band.  We were there soon after but could only manage a table outside in the sun. 

The Gang at Joe Maguires



Murphy's Pigs at Joe Maguires

The umbrella was insufficient for the task at hand.  We waited until the “Pigs” had sung a couple of numbers, then we departed.

Good Sticky Date Pudding at Calala Inn

Our next stop was Calala Inn for lunch.  It was an excellent pub without music and very good food.  We took nearly two hours over a leisurely lunch.

After a bit of shopping in the IGA next door it was time to drive the short distance to the TRECC, for Troy Cassar-Daley.  We were there comfortably for the entry time of 3:30.

 

 

Troy wandered on to stage at 4pm and started a great two-hour show.  The show was evenly spread with Troy Cassar-Daley songs and up-and-coming artists each singing one song.  Most of them were very good and may have a great future.  A number were only teenagers.

Troy Casser-Daley

These artists were Anthony Taylor, Sam & Lee Dyball, Brad Butcher, Chloe Styler, Martin Vella, Missy Lancaster, Jen Mize & Duncan Toombs, Finnian Johnson, Phoebe Jay, Felicity Kircher and Andrew Sweet & Gretta Ziller.

Troy sang a few duets with his wife – a very good singer in her own right.

We arrived home soon after 6:30 and then commenced a late happy hour.  Dinner consisted of a happy-hour-snack thanks to the excellent lunch.

Storms threatened, but never arrived.

Day 12 - Friday 26^th – Australia Day

We were all moving by 7am or soon after and on the 8:30 am bus. 


Waiting for the Bus

By 8:50 we were in a small queue outside the “Tamworth War Memorial Town Hall”, ready for another try at Murphy’s Pigs.  By the time the doors opened, to the free event, the queue stretched down the street and around the corner.

At 9:30 the doors opened and the eight of us spread ourselves around, about six to ten rows from the front.  The Town Hall has a big rectangular area downstairs and a balcony above, around three sides of the hall.  It apparently seats 1000 people.  By the time the music started the hall was nearly full.

At 10 am the ten-piece band came on stage and burst into 60 minutes of superb Celtic music, with a few jokes thrown in.  The acoustics of the hall was excellent, which is good as we are back here again tonight.

Murphy's Pigs at the Town Hall

We learned a bit about the geographical origins of Celtic music, which came from the regions of Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Wales, Brittany (in France), and the northern tip of the Iberian peninsula.  Renaa Campbell was a guest on stage and she sang one song.

We departed soon after 11 am and we all had milkshakes (seven chocolate and one vanilla), which took a toll on milk supplies in the coffee shop.

After that we all wandered in different directions, after checking out the route of the cavalcade (i.e. parade) at 9am tomorrow. Chris & Shirley and Jan & Stuart had a walk then a seat and some more music in the Atrium, via Matty Rogers.  David & Bev strolled up to the Tamworth Music Hall of Fame.  David & Wendy found a watering hole (read Tamworth Hotel) with more music.

On the way back to the bus we saw four children busking, aged 13 down to 4.  There were making lots of money.



Very Young Buskers

Stuart, Shirley & Chris met up with David & Bev at the Hall of Fame.  Although quite small, it is well worth a visit to view the historical information.

We met up at the camp in early afternoon and started to prepare for our late Aussie Day lunch (or was that early dinner?).



Mates Chilling Out

We have seen and listened to some great music from the genre of Country, Country-Rock, Rock, Bluegrass, Hillbilly, Gospel, Choral, Heavy Metal and Jug music.

As we were going out later we had an early dinner at 5:30 out in the open.  The weather was starting to change but it was still pretty warm.

The BBQ was cooked, the wine was opened, and we dined in style.

Dining In Style

Around 6:45 pm the rain started and we changed our form of transport from bus to car.  We arrived at Tamworth Town Hall (again) and admired the beautiful building.

Tamworth Town Hall

John Williamson appeared and played two great sets of over 60 minutes each.  His encore contained three numbers. His stage resembled an outdoor scene, complete with a realistic camp fire.

John Williamson's Stage

We got home just before 11 pm.

 

This posting is complete apart from a couple of photos.

Last updated around 11 pm Friday 25th January


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