The Tamworth’s Powerhouse 5 star Hotel was designed by Rydges. He completed a major three-year renovation with interiors by award-winning, Sydney-based studio Paul Kelly Design.

Before Tamworth became known as Australia’s country music capital, its central claim to fame was the first city in the southern hemisphere to be fully lit by electric light.

Fact or fiction, a country town with its name literally in lights is a delightful tale — and it has its origins at the Powerhouse Hotel. When mayoress Elizabeth Piper turned the gold key to switch on the magic of electric light for the first time in 1888, the original power station was located on Tamworth’s main thoroughfare of Peel Street.

It was only a few years later, due to rising demand for electricity, the station was moved to a larger site — where the Powerhouse Hotel, which was built in the 1980s, now stands.

Today, a striking monument at the entrance of the newly refreshed hotel is all that’s left of the original power station. Inside, in the entryway, a display of artifacts and photographs from the late 1800s is a further sign of the hotel’s heritage.

The town’s history is also celebrated in each of the 61 newly refurbished hotel rooms and suites, where 19th-century photographs of the local region adorn the walls. Immersing guests in an authentic sense of place in an otherwise sleek, contemporary interior.

The hotel’s location on the original electrical powerhouse site for Tamworth was a huge inspiration. So, the hotel’s design and its spaces are inspired by this – a celebration of Tamworth’s history as the first Australian city of light, and a sophisticated new look to strengthen the direction of where Tamworth is going as an impressive business and tourism hub.

The new-look extends to the addition of 20 apartments and the newly named Slim Dusty Suite, which was the room of choice for the country music legend on his annual sojourns to Tamworth’s Country Music Festival. It combines a curvy, bespoke leather headboard in a palette of Prussian blue and slate grey with white marble bathrooms and bedside tables.

Local artisans were called upon to create timber details. As a result, they have taken the beauty and history of the New England region, the nostalgia of the roadside motel, and elevated it to a new level.

When guests visit the 5 star hotel, they will find a level of sophistication throughout that offers a true escape and a sense of comfort and luxury more commonly associated with urban hotels around the globe.

In the intimate Coal Bunker Bar, food and beverage events facilitator, Chris Mahony welcomes guests with a selection of locally brewed craft beers, elegantly local gin, and a cabinet full of the world’s top whiskey.

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