Gunnedah brothers Chase and Bobby Berry both had strong results at the PBR Australia Can-Am Junior Academy Grand Finals in Tamworth. Chase won the 2026 Australian Junior Championship, completing back-to-back titles, and aims for a third next year. Bobby won the Pee Wee event in Tamworth but finished as Australian Pee Wee Runner-Up. In the Senior division, Chase Wieland of Gympie won the Tamworth event and the Australian Senior Championship. Kelsey Pavlou won the Open division's Iron Cowboy Invitational by 0.10 of a point.
Joondalup recorded the most venomous snake sightings in WA, with 1057, according to a new study. Geraldton ranked highest in the state for camping-area sightings, with 185. Snake catcher Marcus Cosentino says snakes are common across Perth and usually avoid people. He advises giving snakes space, keeping pets and children away, and calling an expert to remove them. He also says snakes are a natural part of the environment that people can live alongside.
More than 3,000 clothing and accessory items have been delivered to women in Tamworth, Narrabri, Moree and Gunnedah. The Iris Foundation's Frockin' The Outback initiative also delivered 750 packets of sanitary products. Volunteers travelled 1,750 kilometres and partnered with six service providers to reach 385 women across five towns, with Coonamble also on the route. In Gunnedah, a local provider ran an outreach event where women could access donated items and connect with services. Iris Foundation CEO Sue Liptrott thanked volunteers, sponsors and donors for making the project possible.
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Trains will not stop at Armidale, Uralla, Walcha Road, Kootingal and Tamworth stations for six weeks from Wednesday, 21 October. Replacement coaches will run between Werris Creek and Armidale until Wednesday, 2 December, following existing train timetables. The work includes platform upgrades, accessibility improvements, new fencing and lighting, and assisted boarding infrastructure. Passengers are urged to arrive at least 20 minutes early. Train services will resume at all five stations on Thursday, 3 December, with minor works continuing until Thursday, 24 December.
Tamworth, Armidale and Narrabri are holding festivals this weekend. Tamworth's free Fiesta La Peel runs from 4pm to 9pm on Saturday 17 October at Bicentennial Park, with more than 16 performances and over 30 food stalls. In Armidale, the Creative Streets Festival opens with a night event on Saturday and runs until 9 November, and the inaugural New England Regional Film Festival also begins on 17 October. Narrabri hosts the NSW Rural Women's Gathering, which is sold out, but its keynotes and panel will be livestreamed from 9am to 1.30pm.
Firearms manufacturer Jeff Bacon will be second on One Nation's upper house ticket in New South Wales. He wants the state's post-Bondi gun laws repealed, saying every rifle his Tamworth company makes has been banned in the state. Bacon said his business faces collapse because of the reforms. Gun reforms passed in December limit recreational licence holders and include a federal buyback scheme. A Resolve poll in September found 63 per cent of voters supported the reforms, while 33 per cent of One Nation voters opposed them.
South Australian stud Woonallee Simmentals has cleared all 48 bulls offered at its first Queensland sale, held at the Taroom Showgrounds. Forty-four bulls sold on the day, with the rest selling after the sale, for an average of $8625. The top-priced bull, Woonallee Nashville V192, sold for $35,000 to Kevin and Janice Hard of Western Australia. Stud principal Tom Baker said the bulls were being brought to buyers in the north, where drought had reduced cow herds in Tamworth.
The NSW Government has approved the rezoning of 15.5 hectares of vacant government-owned land in East Tamworth, paving the way for more than 200 new homes. At least 70 will be social and affordable housing, with about two-thirds privately owned. The site sits 1.5 kilometres from the Tamworth CBD, and more than 600 households are on the local social housing waiting list. Homes NSW will fund infrastructure upgrades alongside Tamworth Regional Council. Construction timelines have not yet been announced.
Severe thunderstorms are moving east from Central Australia towards NSW and Queensland, bringing heavy rain, large hail and strong winds. Flash flooding has already hit northern NSW, and the State Emergency Service received more than 220 call-outs in 24 hours, mostly for fallen trees and damaged roofs. Several people were rescued from floodwaters in Greater Sydney. In Alice Springs, storms left about 3000 homes without power on Wednesday, and Power and Water NT says restoration in some areas could take several days. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast damaging wind gusts for central Queensland.
RFBI is inviting New England communities to take part in its first Grand Stroll fundraiser this Wednesday, 14 October. Walkers in Armidale, Glen Innes, Moonbi and Tamworth will join the community walkathon, with all proceeds going to RFBI's Benevolence Program. The program supports vulnerable people in the wider community, beyond RFBI's villages. Participants may dress with a royal or superhero theme, and prizes will be awarded. The event runs from 10am to 1pm and costs $5 per person to register.
Organisers have announced a second round of artists for the Toyota 55th Tamworth Country Music Festival, which runs from 15 to 24 January 2027. A one-off tribute to the late Dolly Parton features Amber Lawrence, Max Jackson, Melody Moko and Michael Waugh, alongside previously announced acts. Ticket sales are tracking ahead of last year. The Pub Group has added headline shows, including Mack Geiger, whose show is the fastest selling ever at the Longyard Hotel and across The Pub Group. Brad Cox will play two Tamworth shows, an afternoon acoustic set and an 18+ full band show.
A run-down two-bedroom cottage at Werris Creek, near Tamworth, has sold for $135,000 after drawing 12 offers. It was the cheapest property sold in New South Wales in September. Agent Jessica Slade said the price drew most of the interest. Median house prices in the town reached $363,000 over the 12 months to September, up 5.2 per cent. National home prices fell for a sixth straight month, while regional prices rose 5.1 per cent over the year.
Construction has begun on a subdivision at Talee Estate in Westdale, Tamworth, where 47 residential lots are planned, including blocks of about 4000 square metres. Tamworth Regional Council Mayor Russell Webb said 16 lots have already sold, showing strong demand for larger blocks. Brightway Development Group chief executive Edward Fernon said the project should be completed in about six months. Mayor Webb said the city needs more certainty for developers to invest in housing, particularly for mixed accommodation for workers.
Tamworth's CBD drew more than 2000 people on the first night of the inaugural City of Lights Festival. Festival project lead Dimity Smith said attendance exceeded expectations, with long queues at Centrepoint and the Glow Zone. The event marked the town's history as one of the first in the Southern Hemisphere to switch on electric street lighting in 1888. A highlight was the Laser Garden in Bicentennial Park, with installations by Sydney studio Mandylights. Events were free, and the festival was funded through the NSW Government's Regional Night-Time Economy Program.
Swimming pools across the Tamworth region will reopen for the 2026-27 summer season after a series of upgrades. Tamworth Olympic Swimming Pool opens on Monday, 12 October, with Barraba, Kootingal, Manilla and Nundle memorial pools following on Tuesday, 13 October. South and West Tamworth Memorial Pool reopens on Saturday, 17 October, on limited hours that will expand as demand grows. Tamworth Regional Council completed inspections, repairs and upgrades over winter. Council Aquatics Coordinator Gary Johnson said many public pools are between 50 and 80 years old, so ongoing maintenance is essential.
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A Tamworth father says his five-year-old son suffered a spiral fracture to his left femur after a fall at Little Kindy Childcare Centre. According to an incident report, staff did not contact medical personnel or report the incident to authorities. The NSW Early Learning Commission closed the centre for six months, citing ongoing non-compliance and child safety risks. Commissioner Darryl Currie said the centre had unclean and hazardous areas, and that there was an immediate risk to children. Little Kindy operates three centres in Tamworth and has been contacted for comment.
Birthing services are not operating at Gunnedah's redeveloped hospital because of recruitment difficulties, Hunter New England Local Health District has confirmed. Families in the town and surrounding communities must travel elsewhere to give birth. The $53 million redevelopment was unveiled in January. The NSW Nationals and Liberals are calling on the State Labor Government to recruit the staff needed to run the maternity facilities. Shadow Minister for Health Sarah Mitchell said access to maternity services should not depend on where families live.
A NSW family claims they were not told their loved one had died until they arrived at Tamworth Hospital to visit him. Steve Kandemir, a close family friend, passed away in the early hours of Tuesday. The family only discovered his death when a computer search revealed his body was in the morgue. They believe better communication is needed to notify families of a patient's death.
Sia Poulos, a former Junior Mayor of Tamworth, moved to Melbourne in the 1980s and worked for the Business Council of Australia. She later served as an adviser to several politicians, including former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett. Poulos was heavily involved in the Melbourne Greek community and the International Year of Youth 1985. She later moved to Greece and has been living on the island of Kythera for over 30 years, producing the local newspaper Kythera News. Recently, an old friend from Melbourne reconnected with her during a visit to the island.
