Opened in 2004, Walk a Country Mile is an interactive exhibition that tells the story of and inception of Tamworth as the Country Music Capital. It was named as a tribute to the famous Slim Dusty song, written by Slim’s wife and acclaimed singer-songwriter Joy McKean.
This permanent exhibition takes visitors on a journey from 1788 through to the 2000s on a timeline that outlines the development of country music in Australia, from Edison records to Tex Morton’s Wild West Comics, the post-WWII boom of new artists, Tamworth’s establishment as the Country Music Capital and the growth of the industry to what it is today.
Appealing to visitors of all ages, the interactive displays include recordings, music and memorabilia from both artists and events spanning a period of more than 230 years.
Highlights include:
- One of Tex Morton’s first recordings from 1932, recorded in Wellington, NZ
- Maton guitars built by Bill Mays
- Smoky Dawson’s handwritten song notes for “Homestead of my Dreams”
- Posters from 2TM promoting the first Tamworth Country Music Festival events
- Keith Urban’s red jacket worn to the 1991 Golden Guitar Awards where he took out the New Talent of the Year category
- Lee Kernaghan’s famous modified Akubra, made to suit his needs on stage
- Kasey Chambers’ Nightingale Jackeroo guitar on which “The Captain” from her breakthrough debut album of the same name was written
- Black Panther Motorbike