It was the Kamilaroi people – one of the four largest indigenous nations in Australia – who first inhabited the area and have for thousands of years. Glimpses of that incredible history is recorded in rock art preserved across the region, and the Gamilaraay language can be recognised today in place names including Barraba (“a place of many yellow jacket or box trees”), Manilla (“winding river”), Calala (“a place of battle” or “a winding river”) and Goonoo Goonoo (“running water over rocks in times of drought”).
In 1818, John Oxley and his exploration party were the first European visitors to the Peel Valley. Since that time, the Tamworth region has become the home of over 60,000 people and is a thriving economic and cultural hub for North Western NSW.