We are planning to be in Tamworth for the Country Music Festival in January 2010.  Have heard that it is hard to find a place to stay.  Plan to be in the region about a week before the festival and wondered if anyone has any recommendations?  We don't mind staying up to 30kms outside Tamworth.  What is Kootingal like?

-- Edited by STEVO on Tuesday 24th of November 2009 03:50:42 PM

We stayed at the top tourist on the armidale side of tamworth on hwy on river bank
in aug for a couple of nights ,

Park was good ,I enquired about Jan ,They were booked out as far as power was concerned,unpowered was availible but far to expensive .

I beleive most are booked ,many camp around the sporting fields ,
check with info centre for a start.

May have to go a bit out of town for the CMW. Perhaps Manilla, Nundle, Wallabadah, or Quirindi etc. Only park in that area I have stayed at is at Gunnedah, 75 kms from Tamworth but an easy drive. The Top Tourist is quite good and I can recommend it. Expect the prices in the Tamworth area that weekend to be inflated.....supply and demand....

Thanks for the advice. We had a feeling that prices might be inflated at that time, so we think we will stay further out of Tamworth and take day trips into town. I think we will just 'wing it' and hope to find somwhere when we get there. Hopefully by getting there a week earlier may make it easier to find a place. We will check out the towns you mentioned, jimricho.

Stevo I always stay at Esk. A beautiful little van park.  Not to far from Tamworth

Stevo think Tamworth now for 2011 i think you have missed the boat for 2010 Esk is near ipswich QLD 5 to 6 hrs from tamworth

You are right Brickies had a senior moment. Read it as Toowoomba also need glasses

We can all do that at lest you were trying to help, and thats what it all about

If you are still keen to go after all the bad news - contact the tourist info centre. They may still have some spots in the temporary camps. I don't know about power though.

try the local oval, we did it a few years back and everything else was full

Hi there, as a Tamworth resident I would be pretty confidant to say most of the parks will already be booked out.  My advice would be to use the council facilities that are set up around the hockey fields.  If you get there early you should have no problems. Most activities are in walking distance and the atmosphere looks great.  We usually take the dog for a walk down there and I even thought of camping there myself, but hubby couldnt see the logic in that.
Perhaps if you have a spare half hour you might like to catch up and have a coffee.
Kootingal is about 20 mins drive from Tamworth.  Nundle is a nice cool spot but about 45 mins away, so the drive could get a bit tiresome.  Free camping is available at Chaffey Dam, about 30 mins away and they do have hot showers and toilets.  Also a few powered sites at the amenitie block but would probably be taken.  keepit dam has a park and also bush camping, its about 40 mins away.  Other than that, my best van park would be Austin Caravan park, have a look at their website and give them a ring.  You might just strike lucky.
If there is anything else I can help you with, feel free to message me and I can give you my phone number.
bye the way, bring plenty of sunscreen, flyspray, hats and water bottles, you can never have enough for January in Tamworth.