Big Golden Guitar talk pulls heart strings

Tamworth’s iconic Big Golden Guitar will take on a new lease of life as Council plans for the future of the Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre. 

In 2018, the Tamworth Visitor Information Centre at the Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre had 117,000 visitors walk through the door past the shiny Big Golden Guitar. With a focus on building our visitor numbers and rekindling the love of national icon Council has endeavoured to look at the needs of visitors to our City and the popular attraction.

In December 2018, Council started negotiations to take over operations of the entire Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre. There will be some structural changes to the facility, but they will be minor. The Big Golden Guitar will remain on the current site. 

The gift shop will cease its current operation mid-May. Council is expecting to take over the site from 1 July and after this time it is anticipated that along with the visitor information services there will be a range of souvenirs available. 

Having a café at the site of the Big Golden Guitar is important and Council is currently exploring how that may best be operated, providing an opportunity for prospective business operators. 

The wax museum will be given a refresh with minor improvements made.

Long term planning of the site will eventually see a National Guitar Museum established at the site and it is expected that access to both the Wax Museum and Guitar Museum will be one fee only, and will be developed in a staged process.

Council will continue to conduct ticket sales from the centre.  

Council is currently supporting our generous volunteers who currently donate their time to support the Visitor Information Centre to continue to operate over this transition period along with Council staff.