June was the month of beautiful music in Narromine as the community welcomed back the Dusty Boots Annual Festival and Awards over the King’s Birthday long weekend, and Hymfest on Sunday, June 14.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Dusty Boots Festival has been held in Narromine since 2021. One of the few music festivals in the country that is free to attend, it provides audiences at the Narromine USMC with a marvellous three days of country music entertainment.

The event brings many people to town, filling local accommodation venues to the max for the long weekend, and driving business to local restaurants and shops.

Regular festival attendee and country music enthusiast Robyn Masling told Dubbo Photo News she had made new friendships among this year’s crop of attendees, many of whom had travelled from other central west communities.

Country music fans won’t have long to wait for the next Dusty Boots Festival, however, with a date change bringing next year’s festival forward to late January. The changed timing may bring even more fans and performers to town, coming hot on the heels of the Tamworth Country Music Festival, which concludes on January 24, 2027.

Dusty Boots has slotted into the weekend following Tamworth, which used to be known as the Bungendore Weekend, according to festival organiser Mal Norton. It will be held at the Narromine USMC from Friday, January 29 to Sunday, January 31, 2027.

“We've moved our festival to the defunct Bungendore Weekend, which is the weekend after the end of the country music festival in Tamworth,” he told Dubbo Photo News.

“All the artists from Tamworth used to go to Bungendore, and now hopefully they'll come to Narromine,” he added.

While it may not rival the Dolly Parton Festival, which will take place in October this year, Dusty Boots has built a solid following over the past decade and found a permanent home in Narromine with the support of the Narromine USMC.

The date change to follow straight on from Tamworth next January could bring even more benefits to the region through increased tourism and support for local accommodation and business establishments.

A week after the dust had dried from Dusty Boots, music of a different kind echoed across the community as singing and musical groups from Dubbo, Narromine and Trangie gathered at the Narromine Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church for Hymnfest 2026.

Now an annual event, Hymnfest provides local singing and musical groups with the opportunity to perform a variety of religious hymns to a growing appreciative audience.

Participating groups this year included the Narromine Singers, Dubbo U3A Recorder Group, Dubbo Sing Australia, and the Narromine SDA Choir. The talented Leanne Heckendorf accompanied the groups on the piano.

Some of the hymns performed were written long ago, such as “Amazing Grace”, published by John Newton in 1779, while others like “Power of the Cross” were much more modern. It was a great mix of music and beautiful singing.

Narromine SDA Church spokesperson and emcee Andrew Heckendorf said organisers were pleased with the turnout and the opportunity to hear beautiful hymns performed by the participating groups. The event also enabled the congregation watching to sing in unison and a collection was taken up for the Bible Society which raised several hundred dollars.

“We’ve also raised quite a bit of money from our collection,” he added.

At the conclusion of Hymnfest, participants and the congregation gathered in the SDA hall for the traditional post-event afternoon tea.